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Lunar UK Series Gold Coins

The first ever Lunar Gold Coin series from the Royal Mint, the Shēngxiào Collection is a unique blend of ancient Chinese and British tradition. Inspired by the Chinese zodiac, the strictly limited 12-coin collection made its debut in 2014 with the Year of the Horse gold coin. Each coin has an element of ‘Britishness’. For example, the Year of the Horse shows a galloping horse with the famous chalk carving of the Uffington Horse in Oxfordshire at its feet, while Swalesdale sheep inspired the Year of the Sheep gold coin. An excellent choice for investors and collectors, Lunar UK Series gold coins are minted in .9999 pure gold (24 carat) and, like all legal tender British, these outstanding coins are both CGT exempt and VAT Free at StoneX Bullion.

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Lunar Series Gold UK: Collectibles from The Royal Mint

The UK Lunar Series pays tribute to the Chinese calendar and adds its own touch of British-ness. The new class of gold coins produced by the prestigious Royal Mint promise to be a highly popular. Boasting a gold purity of 999.9% and a face value of 100 pounds, this precious collection of one ounce bullion coins represent an excellent investment opportunity.

Buying Lunar Series UK Gold coins

You can buy the Lunar Series from the StoneX Bullion website by selecting your choice of coin form the collection above and adding the product to your basket on the next page.

UK Lunar Series: The most enchanting new weapon in the Royal Mint's arsenal

On 16th October, 2013 the Royal Mint announced they had created the first-ever UK legal tender Lunar bullion coin series, lending a uniquely British angle to an ancient Chinese tradition. The promising 12 year Shēngxiào Collection, named in honour of the Chinese zodiac circle, was inspired by millennia of tradition. The coins are quite remarkable and will no doubt be popular with open-minded investors and perceptive collectors, especially those devoted to Chinese New Year tradition. The coins are designed by British-born Chinese artist Wuon-Gean Ho who was commissioned to create a dynamic and handsome motif for the first coin of the series. The 12 coin series embodies the traditions of Chinese New Year with a contemporary British twist. Ho's many disciplines include printmaking, animation, performance and artist's books. This was the first design Wuon-Gean Ho had produced for the Royal Mint.

China began minting coins to commemorate the Chinese New Year in 1981. Typically the obverse features a historical building while the reverse features the lunar animal reproduced from historical Chinese drawings or paintings.

The UK Lunar series' strongest competitor is the Australian Perth Mint's Lunar series, produced since 1996, which has become popular beyond expectation among investors and collectors. Still, the Royal Mint has provided its own series with merit. Investors around the world are well aware of the quality guaranteed by the prestigious British Mint, and would appreciate the absolute purity of the metals used. They should also be glad to know that the mintages of British Lunar coins are strictly limited, a fact collectors must also bear in mind. Furthermore, the use of magnificent yearly designs, together with the exotic presentation, are the strong points of the British Lunar coins, giving them great aesthetic, collective, and numismatic value. It goes without saying that these captivating coins make perfect gifts!

The Royal Mint has begun an auspicious new series by creating the first legal tender Lunar Chinese zodiac coin struck for the United Kingdom. The epitome of innovation, presentation and charismatic design, UK Lunar gold and silver coins have all that it takes to be the pride and joy of the British Mint, and one of its most popular bullion coin series.

Lunar Series UK description

The new series features six different types of coins of four denominations, made from either 99.99% pure gold or .999 fine silver. The range includes the following types: 1/10oz Gold Brilliant Uncirculated , one ounce Gold Proof and 1oz Gold BU, 1oz Silver Proof, one ounce Silver BU , and finally five ounce Silver Proof UK Lunar series coins.

The new UK Lunar series is adorned on the obverse side with the latest portrait of Queen Elizabeth II by notable engraver Ian –Rank Broadley and bears the inscriptions "ELIZABETH II DEI GRA REGINA FID DEF", meaning "Elizabeth II, by the Grace of God, Queen-Defender of the Faith".

The reverse sides-one for each Chinese calendar year- combine elements from both British and Chinese tradition.

The production of the UK Lunar series gold coins

The Royal Mint has an unequalled reputation for producing coins of the highest standards using the most innovative, progressive and technologically advanced minting techniques to ensure the quality of its coins. In the case of UK Lunar coins, however, the most important element is uniformity, as the accuracy of dimensions and weights are specified by law. The meticulousness of the engraving is also important, so for all the modern production methods, the tools used by the engravers who create the designs have hardly changed since the days of the Great Recoinage, and the style of work UK Lunar series engraver Wuon-Gean Ho has adopted is truly the pinnacle of precision and tradition. The designs gleam in the immaculate definition afforded by the Royal Mint's exquisite finish.

Royal Mint Quality Assurance

With over 1000 years of minting experience the Royal Mint continues to improve its security standards and is committed to developing its levels of quality in manufacturing. The Royal Mint takes counterfeiting and fraud extremely seriously and all UK Lunar series coins are minted to precise specifications concerning the design, dimensions and weights that can be easily confirmed by experienced dealers. The coins' complex and detailed designs is another reason that makes UK Lunar series coins practically impossible to forge, so investors may rest assured that for the specific coins counterfeiting is practically out of the question.

Buying and Selling UK Lunar series coins

If you have any UK Lunar series gold coins for sale, please do not hesitate to contact a member of our sales support team who will be happy to take down your details and draft a proposal on your behalf. As a leading bullion dealer we offer highly competitive rates based on current market prices.