5 oz Golden State Mint Lunar Silver Round

The Chinese Zodiac in a Five-Ounce Round

The 5 oz Golden State Mint Lunar silver round is the largest silver size in GSM's Chinese Zodiac series, an annual programme from the US private mint covering all twelve animals of the zodiac: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. Each year features a new obverse design for that year's animal (the 2025 release is the Year of the Snake, 2026 the Year of the Horse), struck in .999 fine silver. The series is currently in its third 12-year cycle, the "Lunar Series III" designation, which makes it one of the longer-running private mint lunar programmes at 24+ years.

As a round, it carries no face value and no legal tender status; this is a private mint product that competes on price. That is the core of its appeal: the Chinese zodiac theme at a much lower premium than government-minted lunar coins. The 5 oz weight adds a second differentiator, since the 2 oz and 5 oz sizes are less common in the private-mint lunar space and government lunar ranges do not always offer them.

Five troy ounces (155.5 g) is a sensible mid-point in silver: premiums sit below 1 oz pieces per ounce, while the unit stays affordable in a way 10 oz bars are not. Golden State Mint itself is one of the larger US private mints specialising in affordable silver rounds and bars for stackers, and also produces copper versions of each zodiac design for buyers who want the collectible theme without the silver price.

5 oz GSM Lunar Round Specifications

The obverse changes annually with the zodiac animal. The 2025 Year of the Snake design shows a snake periscoping within a bamboo forest, bamboo being a traditional Chinese symbol of strength and resilience, with the Chinese character for snake embossed to the left and the rim carrying "Year of the Snake", ".999 Fine Silver" and "Golden State Mint". The reverse is shared across the whole series: the twelve zodiac animals arranged in a circle, each representing a month of the Chinese lunar calendar. There is no dedicated anti-counterfeiting technology; the GSM branding, reeded edge and design detail provide the counterfeit resistance, and standard checks (weight, dimensions, magnet slide test) cover authentication.

Tax Position of the GSM Lunar Round

With no legal tender status, the round misses coin-specific tax breaks, but its .999 purity satisfies the silver thresholds that matter in its main markets.

• US: The primary market. No federal sales tax; .999 silver rounds qualify for exemption in most states that exempt precious metals, while a handful of states tax bullion or apply purchase thresholds. The rounds are IRA-approved, as .999 fine silver meets the purity requirement for precious metals IRAs. Long-term gains are taxed at the collectibles rate of up to 28%.
• UK: 20% VAT on purchase and no CGT exemption on sale. UK dealers rarely stock the series, and the VAT load makes imported US rounds unattractive against margin-scheme silver coins or VAT-free gold.
• EU: Full local VAT at standard rates, typically 17-27%. The margin scheme for pre-owned silver coins does not apply to new private-mint rounds.
• Hong Kong: No sales tax and no capital gains tax.

In Australia the Perth Mint's own Lunar series dominates the domestic market, so the GSM round is effectively an import with no local advantage. Where exemptions for silver hinge on accredited-refiner requirements, the treatment of a US private-mint round can differ from sovereign coins, so it is worth checking the dealer's stated tax handling for your country.

GSM Lunar vs Perth Mint, Royal Mint and Other Lunar Rounds

The benchmark for lunar bullion is the Perth Mint Lunar series: government-minted, legal tender, higher production values and a much stronger secondary market, all of which command significantly higher premiums. The GSM round is the budget alternative, offering the same annual zodiac theme for less money per ounce. The Royal Mint's Shengxiao lunar coins add CGT exemption for UK taxpayers, and the Royal Canadian Mint's lunar issues are struck in .9999 silver; both carry higher premiums and better resale than a private round.

Within the private-mint space, APMEX produces its own branded lunar rounds competing directly with GSM, and Asahi Refining makes lunar rounds that are, unusually, sold through Golden State Mint's own website alongside GSM's product, a quirk that can confuse buyers comparing listings. Between private brands the choice is largely design preference and price on the day.

The 5 oz format itself shapes the comparison. Most government lunar ranges centre on 1 oz, so at this weight the GSM round faces less direct sovereign competition than its 1 oz sibling does. Against non-lunar 5 oz alternatives, private-mint 5 oz bars carry similar or lower premiums with no design interest, while collector coins like the America the Beautiful 5 oz quarters trade on numismatic appeal. Liquidity at 5 oz is decent but thinner than 1 oz or 10 oz simply because fewer units trade; any established dealer will buy it, but expect the premium recovery of a generic round, not a sovereign coin.