PAMP Lunar Platinum

PAMP Suisse Lunar Platinum Bars

The PAMP Lunar series brings Chinese zodiac-themed designs to platinum bullion, produced by PAMP Suisse, one of the world's leading precious metals refiners. Available in the 1 oz size at 999.5 fineness, the Lunar platinum bar combines the investment characteristics of LPPM-accredited platinum with annually changing artwork depicting the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac cycle.

PAMP has produced two generations of Lunar bars. The original Lunar Calendar Series (2012-2023) completed a full twelve-year zodiac cycle from Dragon through Rabbit, depicting each animal in a prooflike minted finish. The Lunar Legend Series (2024 onwards) began a new twelve-year cycle with a creative shift: rather than simply illustrating the zodiac animals, the Legend series draws from the mythological stories behind each creature. The 2024 Azure Dragon references the guardian of the east, associated with spring and rain in Chinese mythology. The 2025 White Snake tells the tale of Bai Suzhen, a story of wisdom and transformation.

In platinum, the Lunar bar offers something that few competing products provide: a regularly refreshed design on an investment-grade platinum product from an LPPM-accredited Swiss refinery. The Perth Mint, which pioneered zodiac-themed bullion with its Lunar coin series in 1996, does not currently produce a platinum equivalent. This gives the PAMP Lunar a relatively uncrowded position in the themed platinum market.

Each bar comes sealed in PAMP's distinctive red CertiPAMP tamper-evident packaging with an individual serial number. Since 2017, the bars include Veriscan anti-counterfeiting technology, which maps the microscopic surface topography of each bar and stores it in a database for later verification via smartphone app. PAMP bars are among the most widely counterfeited bullion products in the world, a consequence of the Lady Fortuna design's recognisability. The Veriscan system was developed partly in response to this threat, and its LBMA Security Feature accreditation represents the highest industry standard for bullion authentication.

PAMP Lunar Platinum Bar Specifications

The 999.5 purity (99.95%) matches the LPPM Good Delivery minimum specification and the standard used by all major platinum bullion products. This purity meets the threshold for tax-exempt treatment across jurisdictions: Canada (99%), Australia (99%), New Zealand (99%), Singapore (99% with LPPM accreditation), and the US IRS standard for precious metals IRAs (99.95%).

The Veriscan system allows owners to verify a bar's authenticity through the sealed CertiPAMP packaging using a compatible scanner or the Veriscan iPhone app. The microscopic surface scan, captured during manufacturing, creates a unique digital fingerprint that cannot be replicated by counterfeiters. This is particularly valuable for the platinum Lunar bar, where the combination of PAMP brand recognition and annually limited themed designs creates secondary market demand that attracts counterfeit production.

Pre-2017 Lunar platinum bars lack Veriscan but retain the CertiPAMP packaging, serial number, and Essayeur Fondeur certification. The sealed packaging should be preserved: bars removed from their CertiPAMP cards trade at a discount on the secondary market.

Tax Treatment of PAMP Lunar Platinum Bars

PAMP Lunar platinum bars are not legal tender in any jurisdiction. Their tax treatment follows the rules for branded platinum bars from LPPM-accredited refiners.

United Kingdom: Platinum bars attract 20% VAT on purchase. This is unavoidable; unlike gold bars, which are VAT-exempt at 995+ purity, no platinum exemption exists under UK tax law. PAMP platinum bars are CGT-liable on disposal, as bars are never CGT-exempt in the UK. UK buyers seeking platinum with CGT exemption should consider UK legal tender coins like the Platinum Britannia. The research notes for this series specifically recommend that UK buyers prioritising CGT-exempt lunar-themed bullion look at the Royal Mint's own Lunar Year coins, which are UK legal tender and therefore CGT-exempt, though these are produced in gold rather than platinum.

United States: PAMP platinum bars at .9995 purity from an LBMA/LPPM-accredited refiner are generally IRA-eligible through approved custodians. Outside retirement accounts, gains are taxed at the collectibles rate of up to 28%. Most states exempt investment-grade precious metals from sales tax.

Canada: Platinum bars at 99.5% purity or higher are GST/HST-exempt. The PAMP Lunar qualifies. RRSP-eligible through approved custodians.

European Union: Platinum bars attract standard VAT rates in each member state (17-27%). Switzerland applies 8.1% VAT to platinum. PAMP bars can be purchased from GOLDAVENUE (PAMP's own retail platform) with Swiss storage options that may defer VAT until physical delivery.

Australia: GST-free at 99% purity in investment form. CGT applies with a 50% discount for holdings over 12 months.

Singapore: Platinum bars from LPPM-accredited refiners at 99% purity or higher qualify as Investment Precious Metals, exempt from 9% GST. PAMP's LPPM accreditation means the Lunar platinum bar meets this requirement. No capital gains tax applies. Singapore's position as a major bullion hub and the cultural resonance of Chinese zodiac themes in the region make it a natural market for this product.

Hong Kong: No sales tax, import duty, or capital gains tax on platinum. The PAMP Lunar's zodiac theme has particular appeal in Hong Kong, where Chinese New Year gifting drives seasonal demand for zodiac-branded precious metals.

PAMP Lunar Platinum vs Other 1 oz Platinum Bars and Coins

The PAMP Lunar platinum bar occupies a specific niche: themed, collectible platinum from a top-tier Swiss refinery. Its competitors fall into two categories: other PAMP platinum products and sovereign-mint platinum coins at the same weight.

Within PAMP's own range, the Lady Fortuna platinum bar is the standard offering. It carries PAMP's signature design, the same 999.5 purity, identical CertiPAMP packaging and Veriscan security, and is typically priced a few dollars below the Lunar bar per ounce. The Fortuna's advantage is its fixed design and broader availability; the Lunar's advantage is the annually changing zodiac theme, which adds a collectible dimension. Buyers who want the most cost-efficient PAMP platinum bar should choose the Fortuna. Buyers who value the annual design change and the cultural significance of the zodiac cycle pay a modest premium for the Lunar.

The PAMP Liberty platinum bar targets the American market with patriotic imagery. It is available only in 1g platinum, not 1 oz, so it does not compete directly with the Lunar on size. The PAMP Multigram offers platinum in snap-apart format across several small denominations, serving a different purpose: divisibility rather than themed collecting.

Against sovereign-mint platinum coins, the Lunar bar faces a fundamental structural comparison. The 1 oz Platinum Britannia and 1 oz Myths and Legends Platinum Coin are UK legal tender with CGT exemption for UK residents, an advantage no bar can match. The American Platinum Eagle is explicitly IRA-eligible by name. The 1 oz Canadian Platinum Maple Leaf offers competitive pricing with broad global dealer recognition. All three sovereign coins tend to be more liquid on the secondary market than branded bars.

The PAMP Lunar's position is strongest for buyers who specifically want platinum in a themed bar format with Swiss refinery provenance and advanced authentication. The annual zodiac design change gives it a collectible character that no sovereign platinum coin currently offers at the 1 oz scale. For buyers in Asian markets, where the Chinese zodiac carries deep cultural significance and PAMP has strong brand recognition, the Lunar platinum bar has an appeal that goes beyond its metal content. The complete set of all twelve zodiac animals from the 2012-2023 Calendar Series represents a finished collection that may develop long-term collector premiums as availability on the secondary market decreases.