1/10 oz Perth Mint Lunar Gold Coin

The 1/10 oz Perth Mint Lunar Gold Coin

The 1/10 oz Lunar is the second-smallest gold coin in the Perth Mint's Lunar programme, containing 3.111 grams of 99.99% pure gold with a face value of 15 Australian dollars. It belongs to a series that follows the Chinese zodiac through complete 12-year cycles: Series I ran from 1996 to 2007, Series II from 2008 to 2019, and Series III runs from 2020 to 2031. Each year's coin carries a different zodiac animal on the reverse, so a 1/10 oz Lunar bought today will not look like the one issued the year before.

That annual design change is the practical reason to choose this coin over a fixed-design fractional. The Perth Mint controls Lunar mintages rather than striking to unlimited demand, which gives individual years collector appeal on top of the gold content. Dragon years in particular (2000, 2012, 2024) have consistently been the fastest to sell out. The trade-off is cost: fractional gold coins carry progressively higher premiums than 1 oz coins, with 1/10 oz pieces typically running around 8 to 15% over spot across the market, because minting costs are spread over a tenth of the gold.

At roughly 16.1mm in diameter, this is a small coin, and capsules or mint packaging matter for safe handling. Buyers who want the Lunar design at lower cost per gram can step up to the 1/4 oz Lunar gold coin or beyond; those after the cheapest possible entry can drop to the 1/20 oz Lunar, though premiums climb further at that size.

1/10 oz Lunar Gold Coin Specifications

The 1/10 oz denomination sits between the 1/20 oz ($5 AUD face value, 14.1mm) and the 1/4 oz ($25 AUD, 20.1mm) in the Lunar gold range, which extends all the way to a 10 kilo coin. Gold purity has been four nines across all three Lunar series since the programme launched in 1996, so a Series I 1/10 oz coin contains exactly the same fine gold as a current Series III issue.

Series III coins (2020 onward) add security features the earlier series lacked: a micro-laser engraved letter detectable only under magnification, a small P mintmark for Perth worked into the reverse design, and a precision-machined radial line background that is difficult to replicate. Series I and II coins have no advanced security features, so authentication of older years relies on weight, dimensions, and strike quality. The obverse carries the reigning monarch: Queen Elizabeth II portraits by Raphael Maklouf, Ian Rank-Broadley, and Jody Clark across the years, with King Charles III appearing from 2024.

Tax Treatment of the 1/10 oz Lunar Gold Coin

At 99.99% purity, the Lunar gold coin qualifies as investment gold almost everywhere, which keeps purchase taxes off the table in most major markets.

• Australia: GST-free as investment-grade gold (the threshold is 99.5% purity). Capital gains tax applies on disposal, with a 50% discount for individuals holding longer than 12 months. There is no blanket CGT exemption for Australian legal tender bullion.
• United Kingdom: VAT-free as investment gold. Not CGT-exempt, because only coins with a sterling face value qualify; UK buyers wanting capital gains protection need a Britannia or Sovereign instead.
• United States: No federal sales tax; most states exempt bullion. The coin meets the IRS 99.5% fineness requirement for self-directed IRAs when held by an approved custodian. Outside an IRA, long-term gains are taxed at the collectibles rate of up to 28%.
• Canada: GST/HST-exempt as qualifying bullion above 99.5% purity, and eligible for RRSPs through approved dealers.
• European Union: Investment gold is VAT-exempt across member states, and Perth Lunar gold coins typically appear on the EU's annual list of qualifying gold coins.

The face value of $15 AUD is symbolic; the coin trades on its gold content and collectibility, not its legal tender denomination.

Three Zodiac Cycles Since 1996

The Perth Mint was the first major mint to build a precious metal coin programme around the Chinese lunar calendar, launching the gold Lunar series in 1996 with the Year of the Mouse. The programme was designed with Asian-Pacific markets in mind, particularly China, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Malaysia, where the zodiac carries deep cultural significance. Other mints followed years later, but the Perth programme predates them all.

Each series is a complete 12-year cycle through the zodiac: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. Series I (1996 to 2007) used simpler, traditional designs with a dotted border and the Chinese character for each animal. Series II (2008 to 2019) brought more complex artwork, with some years showing multiple animals. Series III (2020 to 2031) carries the most intricate designs yet, adding landscape elements around each animal alongside the new security features.

The obverse has tracked the monarchy: Raphael Maklouf's portrait of Queen Elizabeth II on the earliest coins, Ian Rank-Broadley's from 1999, Jody Clark's from 2019, and King Charles III from 2024. Early Series I coins from 1996 to 1999 are notably scarcer than later years and trade at substantial premiums over spot, and Dragon-year coins have been the consistent standouts for demand across all three cycles, reflecting the dragon's status as a symbol of power and good fortune in Chinese culture.

1/10 oz Lunar vs Kangaroo, Maple Leaf, and Britannia

The most direct alternative is the Perth Mint's own 1/10 oz Gold Kangaroo. Both are 99.99% pure Australian legal tender from the same mint, and both change their reverse design annually. The difference is supply policy: Kangaroo mintage is unlimited and produced to demand, while Lunar mintages are controlled, which is why Lunar coins tend to carry stronger collector premiums and why popular years sell out.

Against the 1/10 oz Canadian Maple Leaf, purity is identical at four nines. The Maple Leaf offers Bullion DNA anti-counterfeiting and a fixed design with unlimited mintage; the Lunar counters with the annual zodiac change and tighter mintages. The Maple Leaf is generally the cheaper and more liquid choice in North America and Europe, while the Lunar commands higher premiums on collectibility.

The 1/10 oz Gold Britannia matches the Lunar's purity and adds four advanced security features from 2021, against the Lunar's micro-laser engraving from 2020. For UK taxpayers the Britannia's CGT exemption is decisive; the Lunar has no UK capital gains protection. Buyers outside the UK weigh that differently: the Britannia's mintage is unlimited, so the Lunar is the pick for anyone who wants scarcity and a design that marks the year it was struck.