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2020 Year of the Mouse
2020 marks the restart of the Chinese lunar calendar’s 12-year cycle and the Year of the Mouse comes first. Those born under its sign are quick-witted and inventive, as evidenced in the story of how the mouse came to be first in the Zodiac.
Chinese mythology suggests the Jade Emperor assigned each of the animals to their positions on the 12-year cycle of the Zodiac, with each one assigned to a year based on its arrival to a meeting called by the emperor.
A mouse seems like an unlikely victor in such a race that included a rabbit, tiger, dragon, snake, and horse, but ingenuity saved the day for the mouse. As each animal set out to the race, the mouse was near the front of the pack with the ox. As the duo approached a rushing river, the mouse hitched a ride with the ox only to jump off just before the meeting with the Jade Emperor to arrive first.
Mintage limited to 7,150 coins only!
Queen Elizabeth II is depicted on the reverse of 2020 1/2 oz Proof Colorized Silver Tuvalu Lunar Baby Mouse Coins. Her Majesty is featured in this design as created in 1998 by Ian Rank-Broadley, the fifth to feature on Australian and Commonwealth coins in the South Pacific region. The design is a right-profile portrait with inscriptions of the Queen’s name, the coin’s weight, purity, and metal content, and the face value.
Inscriptions include "YEAR OF THE MOUSE" encircling the top rim, and the Chinese character for "Mouse" directly under it. The Perth "P" mintmark is also displayed.
A small baby mouse is featured on the reverse of the 2020 1/2 oz Proof Colorized Silver Tuvalu Lunar Baby Mouse coin. The colorized mouse featured here is cute and innocent with a small brick of cheese in its paws as it nibbles away. The mouse is depicted on top of a wrapped gift, with all these elements colorized for visual appeal.
The mouse's large, alert eyes and even larger ears certainly bear out the belief that, "Those born under the sign of the lunar mouse are said to possess enterprising spirits and a willingness to work hard to achieve their goals. They are smart, adaptable and curious by nature."
Tuvalu
Country in Oceania
Tuvalu, in the South Pacific, is an independent island nation within the British Commonwealth. Its 9 islands comprise small, thinly populated atolls and reef islands with palm-fringed beaches and WWII sites. Off Funafuti, the capital, the Funafuti Conservation Area offers calm waters for diving and snorkeling among sea turtles and tropical fish, plus several uninhabited islets sheltering sea birds. ― Google
Capital: Funafuti
Area: 10.04 mi²
Population: 11,204 (2021) World Bank
Gross domestic product: 63.1 million USD (2021) World Bank
Official languages: Tuvaluan, English
Currencies: Australian Dollar, Tuvaluan dollar
Photos taken with Nikon D3300 DSL Camera with attached AF-S Nikkor 18-55mm F3.5-5.6G lens. Adobe Photoshop Elements used to fix any digital artifacts.
Advised by NGC Registry that “small sets” will not be created. Custom set created under the following set name: “StarEagle Tuvalu 2012 - 2031 Baby Lunar Set”