The 2016 Australian Monkey King Silver Coin features a beautifully colourised reverse designed by artist Song Jian, celebrating the legendary Sun Wukong from the Chinese literary classic Journey to the West.

The central figure depicts the Monkey King seated upon an elaborate throne, wearing richly decorated ceremonial garments in striking shades of blue, gold and red.

His expressive face and distinctive monkey features are surrounded by finely engraved ornamental details.

The Monkey King holds his famous magical staff, one of the most recognisable objects associated with the character's supernatural adventures.

Long ribbons and flowing elements of his costume create movement across the composition.

Two smaller monkeys accompany the central figure, adding a playful element to the mythical scene.

The background contains mountains, rocky formations and curling clouds, evoking traditional Chinese landscape painting and the supernatural world of the Monkey King's adventures.

The carefully applied colour highlights the costumes, characters and landscape while leaving selected elements of the silver surface visible.

Near the upper portion of the reverse appears the Chinese character 猴, meaning monkey.

The English inscription Year of the Monkey identifies the coin's lunar zodiac theme.

The Perth Mint's traditional P mintmark also appears within the reverse design.

The obverse features Ian Rank-Broadley's official fourth coinage portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, wearing the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara.

Her Majesty faces right, surrounded by the inscription ELIZABETH II AUSTRALIA.

Additional obverse inscriptions identify the one-troy-ounce silver content, .999 fineness, 2016 date and official Australian one-dollar denomination.

The artist's initials IRB appear beneath the royal portrait.

The coin measures a maximum of 45.60mm in diameter and 2.60mm in thickness, with a traditional reeded edge.

Its distinctive composition combines the craftsmanship of Australian precious-metal minting with the colour and symbolism of Chinese mythology.

The Australian Lunar Series II is a celebrated precious-metal coin collection produced by The Perth Mint, inspired by the traditional Chinese lunar zodiac.

The twelve-year zodiac cycle associates each year with an animal, beginning with the rat and continuing through the ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig.

The series has become particularly popular among collectors who appreciate the connection between precious metals, cultural symbolism and distinctive annual designs.

The year 2016 represented the Year of the Monkey, the ninth animal of the Chinese zodiac.

In traditional zodiac interpretations, the monkey is associated with intelligence, adaptability, creativity, wit and a lively personality.

Monkey birth years include 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004 and 2016.

To celebrate the occasion, The Perth Mint produced several Lunar Monkey designs, including traditional bullion, coloured bullion, gilded and proof editions.

The Monkey King release is distinguished from conventional Lunar Monkey designs through its depiction of Sun Wukong, one of the most famous characters in Chinese literature.

The Monkey King appears prominently in Journey to the West, the classic novel traditionally attributed to Wu Cheng'en.

The story follows the Buddhist monk Xuanzang on a journey to India to obtain sacred scriptures.

Sun Wukong accompanies the monk alongside other companions, using his supernatural abilities, intelligence and powerful magical staff to overcome extraordinary challenges.

The character is celebrated for his mischievous nature, courage, independence and remarkable strength.

His adventures have influenced Chinese storytelling, opera, theatre, animation, television and modern popular culture.

For the 2016 release, artist Song Jian created an elaborate colourised depiction of the Monkey King seated upon a throne with two smaller monkeys.

The mountainous backdrop, flowing robes and swirling clouds incorporate imagery associated with traditional Chinese art.

The Perth Mint produced the coin using one troy ounce of .999 fine silver, with an official Australian $1 legal-tender denomination.

The Mint established a worldwide maximum mintage of 100,000 for the one-ounce colourised Monkey King bullion design.

A special presentation allocation of up to 5,000 coins was offered with a grey display case, illustrated shipper and numbered certificate of authenticity.

These presentation examples form part of the overall maximum rather than a separate additional mintage.

The release is particularly appealing to collectors of Australian Lunar Series II coins, mythology-themed bullion, colourised silver and Queen Elizabeth II coinage.