It’s the 75th anniversary of the birth of Bruce Lee. As one of the most recognisable names and faces of the twentieth century, he needs little introduction and is an obvious candidate for some commemorative coins. To date only the Perth Mint has risen to the ocassion with a 1 oz coloured silver coin and a ¼ oz gold. Next up is a country closer to his home, Singapore. Like the aforementioned Perth Mint effort, the Singapore Mint has chosen the 1 oz coloured silver format for its releases.

This time there are a pair of coins, one celebrating the man they called The Dragon, and the other what many consider his finest achievement, the martial art Jeet Kune Do. Both coins bear images of Lee in some of his most iconic fighting stances, of which there are many. Like the Perth Mint efforts, these are also a little unadventurous in our view and we still feel the first mint to really make something special, maybe in high relief and/or antique finish, will have a hit on their hands.

Available individually or in a two-coin set, such is Lee’s popularity that we reckon these won’t hang around in stock for long. Packaging looks well done, especially the rarer two-coin set, important with this kind of release. Shipping next month.

Bruce Lee is probably the greatest martial artist to ever appear on film. Born on 27 November 1940, Lee went on to become a pop culture icon of the 20th century and arguably the most influential martial artist of all time. Incredibly, all of this was done before his death in 1973 at the young age of just 32. Most known to filmgoers for his starring roles in five movies, The Big Boss, Fist of Fury, Way of the Dragon, Game of Death, and most powerfully in Enter the Dragon, for which he gave a tour de force performance.

Trained in the art of Wing Chun, he combined the disciplines he’d learned with other sources to start Jeet Kune Do, translated as The Way of the Intercepting Fist. His untimely death is thought to be a reaction to a painkiller that brought on a cerebral edema, a swelling of the brain, although many nonsensical conspiracy theories abound. He is buried in Lakeview Cemetary in Seattle and such was his popularity his pallbearers included Taky Kimura, Steve McQueen, James Coburn, Chuck Norris, George Lazenby, Dan Inosanto, Peter Chin, and Lee’s brother Robert.

MINTS DESCRIPTION

Bruce Lee, also more commonly known by his Chinese name, Lee Xiao Long (李小龍),was an internationally acclaimed filmmaker, movie actor, martial artist, and the creator of Jeet Kune Do (JKD).  A pop culture icon, Bruce Lee’s Hong Kong and Hollywood-produced films elevated the traditional Hong Kong martial arts film to a new level of popularity and changed the ways Asian were presented in American films. This year, to commemorate Bruce Lee’s 75th Birth Anniversary, The Singapore Mint proudly presents the official commemorative coins to celebrate his distinct contributions to both the martial arts and pop culture.

LEGEND OF THE DRAGON: The obverse design features Bruce Lee’s Chinese name, 李小龍(龙), specifically the word 龍(龙) which means Dragon, featured in prominent artistic calligraphic strokes. Bruce Lee was born in the hour of the Dragon, in the year of the Dragon, 1940.  The design also features Bruce Lee from The Way of the Dragon, the film directed, produced and written by Lee. Inspire your loved ones with Bruce Lee’s inspirational quotes incorporated in the unique packaging design.

LEGEND OF JEET KUNE DO: The obverse of the design prominently captures Bruce Lees’ effortless stance; which is in itself the essence of Jeet Kune Do. Accompanying the design also features Lees’ other iconic stances, where he popularized the nunchuku in many of his films.

TWO COIN SET: Exclusive Bruce Lee 75th Anniversary Limited Edition coin set housed in elegant film design acrylic stand.

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SPECIFICATION (per coin)

DENOMINATION COMPOSITION WEIGHT DIAMETER FINISH MINTAGE BOX / COA
$2 NEW ZEALAND 0.999 SILVER 31.1 g 40.70 mm PROOF 6,000 + 2,015 SETS YES / YES