Collecting Lunar New Year Coins in Australia

Lunar coins are among the most collected series in the world, and the reason is structural. There are twelve animals, they cycle in a fixed order, and every year adds exactly one. That gives collectors something rare: a set with a defined end point, reached in twelve years rather than never.

The Australian Lunar Series III from The Perth Mint is the anchor for most Australian collections, and it's issued across a very wide range of formats. The Year of the Snake alone runs from a 1oz silver gilded coin at $130 and a 1oz silver proof high relief at $150, up through a 2oz silver antiqued piece at $289, a 1/4oz gold proof at $1,605, and a 1 kilo silver coloured coin with a gold privy mark at $3,200. The 1oz silver trio at $415 is a good illustration of how quickly these sell — it's already gone.

The Royal Australian Mint approaches the same year differently, and often more affordably. The Year of the Snake 50c uncirculated tetradecagon at $17.50 is a fourteen-sided coin and a genuinely interesting object for the money. There's a $1 uncirculated two-coin set at $35, a $5 fine silver proof domed coin at $150, and a stamp and coin cover at $25 for collectors who like the philatelic crossover.

Beyond the official series, the licensed lunar coins have their own following. Disney's Happy Year of the Snake in 1oz silver sits at $185, the Happy Year of the Dragon 3oz at $460, and The Jungle Book's Kaa at $185 is an obvious pick for a snake year. The Double Dragon with Mother of Pearl 2oz silver proof at $320 and the Year of the Snake Rotating Charm antiqued coin at $199 show how inventive the category has become.

Two pieces of advice. First, pick a format and stay with it, because a twelve-coin run in one consistent size looks vastly better than twelve mismatched coins bought on impulse. Decide early whether you're a 1oz silver collector, a 50c collector or a gold collector, and let that rule the decisions.

Second, buy in the year of issue. Once a lunar year passes, that animal isn't struck again for twelve years, and secondary prices reflect it — particularly for the antiqued, gilded and coloured variants, which tend to have the smallest runs. Lunar coins also make reliable gifts, because the animal ties to a birth year, and that gives the coin a personal meaning most bullion never has.

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