10 oz PAMP Suisse Lunar Silver Bar

PAMP Lunar 10 oz Silver Bar

The 10 oz PAMP Suisse Lunar silver bar combines investment-weight silver with the annual Chinese zodiac designs that have made PAMP's Lunar programme one of the most collected themed bullion series. Each bar contains 10 troy ounces of .999 fine silver, sealed in PAMP's CertiPAMP tamper-evident assay card with a unique serial number.

PAMP's Lunar programme has run in two phases. The original Lunar Calendar Series (2012 to 2023) completed a full 12-year Chinese zodiac cycle, starting with the Dragon and ending with the Rabbit. Each year's bar featured the corresponding zodiac animal, with design styles evolving across the cycle. The 2024 launch of the Lunar Legend Series began a new 12-year cycle with a creative shift: instead of simply depicting each zodiac animal, the Legend series illustrates the mythological stories behind them. The 2024 Azure Dragon drew on Chinese mythology of the eastern guardian, while the 2025 White Snake told the tale of Bai Suzhen.

The Lunar bars appeal to buyers who want both investment metal and cultural significance. The Chinese New Year gifting market is a meaningful driver of demand, particularly for the smaller gold sizes. At 10 oz, the silver bar is firmly an investment product rather than a gift item, offering the lower per-ounce premiums that come with the 10 oz weight class. Each annual design adds a layer of collectibility that generic bars lack, though the bars remain unlimited mintage and are produced to meet demand rather than in limited editions.

PAMP (Produits Artistiques Metaux Precieux) was founded in 1977 in Ticino, Switzerland, and holds LBMA accreditation. The company pioneered artistic minted bars with the famous Fortuna design in 1979, and the Lunar series continues this tradition of treating bullion bars as a canvas for detailed artwork. All Lunar bars produced since 2017 include VERISCAN anti-counterfeiting technology.

Lunar Silver Bar Technical Details

The Two Lunar Series

The Lunar Calendar Series ran from 2012 to 2023, covering the complete zodiac cycle: Dragon (2012), Snake (2013), Horse (2014), Goat (2015), Monkey (2016), Rooster (2017), Dog (2018), Pig (2019), Rat (2020), Ox (2021), Tiger (2022), and Rabbit (2023). The Rooster year (2017) was notable as both the introduction of VERISCAN authentication and for a distinctive cliff-edge perspective in the design. Earlier years used single-animal compositions, while 2015, 2018, and 2019 showed adult-and-young animal pairings. The design approach evolved across the cycle, with each year's bar featuring the zodiac animal alongside its Chinese character on the obverse, while the reverse carried PAMP's standard logo, weight, purity, serial number, and assayer's mark.

The Lunar Legend Series launched in 2024 with the Azure Dragon, followed by the White Snake (2025) and Horse (2026). The Legend series features more elaborate, narrative-driven artwork drawing from Chinese mythology and folklore, distinguishing the second zodiac cycle from its predecessor through storytelling rather than simple animal portraiture. The creative shift means each release tells the mythological story behind the zodiac animal, adding cultural depth that justifies collector premiums on what are otherwise standard-weight bullion bars.

Tax Treatment for the PAMP Lunar Silver Bar

PAMP Lunar bars are private refinery products with no legal tender status, following standard silver bullion tax treatment across all jurisdictions.

United Kingdom

Subject to 20% VAT on purchase. Not CGT-exempt. UK buyers seeking lunar-themed gold with VAT exemption and CGT exemption should consider The Royal Mint's Lunar Year coins, which carry UK legal tender status. PAMP gold Lunar bars are VAT-free as investment gold but remain CGT-liable.

United States

State sales tax varies. The .999 silver purity from an LBMA-accredited refiner qualifies for inclusion in a Precious Metals IRA under IRS Section 408(m). Capital gains are taxed at the 28% collectibles rate for long-term holdings. No federal sales tax.

Canada

GST/HST exempt as .999 silver bullion under the Excise Tax Act. RRSP and TFSA eligible through approved dealers and custodians.

Australia and New Zealand

Australia exempts investment-grade silver (99.9% purity from an accredited refiner) from GST. New Zealand similarly exempts fine silver at 99.9% or above from its 15% GST. New Zealand has no capital gains tax.

Singapore and Hong Kong

Singapore's IPM scheme exempts qualifying silver bars from GST. Hong Kong levies no sales tax, import duty, or capital gains tax on precious metals. PAMP has strong brand recognition in Asian markets, and the Lunar theme has particular cultural resonance in both cities.

South Africa

Silver bullion is subject to 15% VAT. No exemption exists for silver regardless of the manufacturer or design.

PAMP Lunar vs Competing 10 oz Silver Bars

The PAMP Lunar bar sits at the intersection of investment bullion and themed collectible. Buyers considering it should weigh the annual design premium against alternatives that offer either lower cost or different advantages.

The 10 oz PAMP Liberty silver bar comes from the same manufacturer with identical purity, VERISCAN security, and CertiPAMP packaging. The Liberty bar features a static American patriotic design rather than annual rotating artwork. For buyers who want a PAMP bar without caring about the zodiac theme, the Liberty may be available at a slightly lower premium since it lacks the collectible year-specific element.

The 10 oz Queen's Beasts silver bar from The Royal Mint offers a government-mint themed alternative with .9999 purity (four nines versus three) and UK legal tender status providing CGT exemption for UK buyers. The Queen's Beasts series completed in 2021, making remaining stock secondary-market only, while PAMP Lunar continues to produce new annual releases.

For pure price efficiency, generic 10 oz silver bars from LBMA-accredited refiners carry lower premiums. The PAMP Lunar premium over generic bars reflects the brand, the themed design, and VERISCAN authentication. Buyers focused purely on accumulating silver weight at the lowest cost will find better value in bars from Asahi, Sunshine Minting, or SilverTowne.

The Perth Mint Lunar coin series is a frequently compared competitor, though it is a coin rather than a bar. Perth Mint's Lunar series has run since 1996 (three generations), predating PAMP's 2012 launch, and coins carry legal tender status under Australian law. Perth Mint coins are .9999 silver in their standard format. PAMP bars generally carry lower premiums per ounce than Perth Mint coins of equivalent weight, which is the core trade-off between the two: lower cost per ounce of silver versus legal tender status and a longer track record.