This large 1.5 ounce 2018 $8 fine silver rectangular coin is a beautiful expression of one’s hopes for the year ahead.  The age-old tradition of hanging Fai Chun is a quintessential part of preparations for the Chinese New Year. This rectangular coin re-creates the auspicious symbols, colours and images of the banners that adorn doors as an invitation for luck and fortune to enter—and remain the whole year through. The coin is dated 2018 with an $8 denomination and weighs just over one and a half ounces of pure silver.  Adding to its collectability, the mintage is extremely limited to just 5,888.  As a pure silver coin issued by the Royal Canadian Mint, this item is HST/GST exempt.

The Design:

Like a door adorned with traditional Fai Chun paper decorations, the reverse design by Canadian artist Aries Cheung offers a festive greeting and a wish for luck and fortune throughout the year. Two vertical Chiuntao banners and the diamond-shaped Doufang at the center are brought to life by a deep red colour application and the use of translucent colour, which mimics the look of traditional gold foil. Together, these rich colours magnify the symbolic meaning of the calligraphic characters for “good wishes” (right), “auspiciousness” (left) and “good luck” or “fortune” (center). This powerful blessing is further enhanced by various symbolic images, including a jade “ru yi” (right); an “auspicious” tangerine (left); and a repeating motif of a stylized bat or fú, which is homophonous with the word it surrounds. The obverse features the effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by Susanna Blunt.