1 oz APMEX Lunar Silver Bar

The 1 oz APMEX Lunar Silver Bar

The 1 oz APMEX Lunar Silver Bar carries one troy ounce of .999 fine silver and belongs to a dealer-branded series produced by APMEX, one of the largest US bullion retailers. The series follows the Chinese zodiac calendar, with each year featuring the corresponding animal: Series 1 ran from roughly 2012 to 2023 and covered a complete twelve-year cycle, and Series 2 launched in 2024 with the Year of the Dragon and fully redesigned artwork. The 1 oz bar has been a core format in both series, alongside rounds and larger bars.

The practical case for this bar is themed silver without sovereign-mint pricing. Lunar designs from government mints, such as the Perth Mint's Australian Lunar coins, carry significantly higher premiums because of their legal tender status and mint prestige. The APMEX bar delivers the same zodiac theme in a private-mint product at a lower cost per ounce. Each animal is depicted in a style inspired by Chinese artistic traditions, and the annual design change gives stackers a reason to add a new piece each year.

The trade-off is distribution. These are APMEXclusive products, sold only through APMEX, so buying and reselling outside that channel means private sales or marketplaces rather than the broad dealer network that handles generic 1 oz silver bars. Buyers who prioritise resale flexibility over design should weigh that limitation before choosing a dealer-branded series.

1 oz APMEX Lunar Silver Bar Specifications

The 1 oz bar appears in both series line-ups, which also include 1 oz rounds, 5 oz bars, and 10 oz bars; Series 1 added a 1/2 oz round and Series 2 added proof, colourised, and high-relief formats. There are no government-backed security features, as these are private bullion products, but APMEX guarantees the weight and purity of all APMEXclusive items, and limited editions ship in the company's tamper-evident packaging (TEP). The .999 fineness is the standard purity for retail silver bullion and meets the IRS fineness threshold relevant to precious metals IRAs, though custodian acceptance of dealer-branded products varies.

APMEX Lunar Silver Bar Tax Treatment

This is a non-legal-tender silver bar, so it gets standard investment-silver treatment with no coin exemptions anywhere.

• US: The primary market. No federal sales tax; treatment varies by state, with many exempting investment silver and others taxing it or applying purchase thresholds. Long-term capital gains are taxed at the 28% collectibles rate. The .999 purity meets the IRA fineness threshold for silver, but most IRA custodians prefer products from recognised mints, so eligibility in practice depends on the custodian.
• UK: 20% VAT on new silver, and no CGT exemption since the bar is not legal tender. UK dealers do not commonly stock the series, so a UK purchase typically means importing from APMEX directly.
• Canada: Silver refined to 99.9%+ purity in bar form is GST/HST-exempt.
• Australia and New Zealand: Investment-grade silver at 99.9%+ purity is GST-free in both countries, which the .999 bar meets.
• Singapore and Hong Kong: Singapore exempts qualifying investment silver from GST and levies no capital gains tax; Hong Kong has no sales tax or CGT at all.

International buyers should also factor in shipping costs and potential import duties when ordering from a US-only retailer, which can outweigh the tax differences between jurisdictions.

APMEX Lunar Bar vs Perth Mint Lunar and Generic Silver

The obvious comparison is the sovereign-mint lunar products. The Perth Mint Australian Lunar series is the gold standard for zodiac-themed bullion: legal tender coins in .9999 silver from a government-backed mint, with premiums to match. The Royal Mint's Lunar coins occupy similar territory in .999 silver. The APMEX bar undercuts both on price while sharing the theme; what it gives up is legal tender status, sovereign-mint recognition, and the broad international liquidity those bring. In Asian markets, where the zodiac theme has the most cultural resonance, a US dealer brand carries less prestige than Perth Mint or PAMP lunar products.

Against generic 1 oz silver bars and rounds, the calculation flips. A plain bar from a recognised refiner is the cheapest way to buy an ounce of silver and sells to any dealer. The APMEX Lunar bar adds a design programme, annual variety, and collector structure (including low-mintage proof editions, with 888-piece runs that nod to the luckiest number in Chinese culture) on top of bullion value. Whether that is worth anything at resale is uncertain; outside APMEX's own buyback, dealer-branded products typically trade close to melt.

For pure weight accumulation, a 10 oz APMEX Lunar bar or a generic 10 oz bar carries lower per-ounce premiums than any 1 oz format. The 1 oz Lunar bar suits buyers who want the design and divisibility together and are comfortable with APMEX as both the seller and the most likely future buyer.