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1/4 oz Lunar III Year of the Horse 2026 — fractional of the official Perth Mint series with 7.776 g of .9999 gold, a 20.1 mm diameter and a 25 AUD face value. Third vintage of the Lunar III cycle (after the Dragon 2024 and the Snake 2025) and the second Horse in Perth Mint Lunar history. LBMA Good Delivery, VAT-exempt in the EU, mintage ~30,000 pcs. GoldInvest24.
The Availability Of: Mało 12 PCs.
Price: 4608.74
The 1/4 oz Lunar III Year of the Horse 2026 gold coin is a fractional of the official Lunar III series by Perth Mint with 7.776 g of .9999 gold, a 20.1 mm diameter and a 25 Australian dollar face value as legal tender of the Commonwealth of Australia. The 2026 vintage marks the third year of the Lunar III series (after the Dragon 2024 and the Snake 2025) and the second Horse in the history of the Perth Mint Lunar series — the first appeared in the Lunar II cycle in 2014. The coin is VAT-exempt in the EU based on .9999 fineness and legal-tender status, and carries Perth Mint LBMA Good Delivery accreditation.
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Perth Mint (Australia, LBMA Good Delivery since 1899) |
| Series | Lunar III (2024-2035), third Perth Mint Lunar cycle |
| Vintage | 2026 — Year of the Horse (third Lunar III vintage) |
| Gold mass | 7.776 g (1/4 oz) |
| Fineness | 999.9/1000 |
| Diameter | 20.1 mm |
| Thickness | approx. 1.8 mm |
| Face value | 25 AUD (legal tender Australia) |
| Obverse | Portrait of King Charles III (Perth Mint design, from 2024) |
| Reverse | Horse motif in the Lunar III 2026 cycle |
| LBMA status | Yes (Perth Mint Good Delivery) |
| VAT in the EU | Exempt (.9999 fineness, legal tender) |
| UK status | NOT CGT-free (CGT-free covers only British legal tender coins) |
| USA status | NOT IRA-eligible (IRA covers only American coins) |
| Typical mintage | approx. 30,000 pieces |
| Packaging | Individual capsule |
The Perth Mint Lunar series was launched in 1996 with the Year of the Mouse issue as a response to growing global demand for bullion coins featuring Chinese/Asian zodiac motifs. The Lunar I cycle covered 1996-2007 and the full 12-year zodiac calendar (Mouse, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Pig) — the first Year of the Horse appeared in the Lunar I cycle in 2002.
The Lunar II cycle covered 2008-2019 and brought the second edition of the full zodiac calendar with refreshed reverse art designs — the Year of the Horse 2014 is the second Horse vintage in Perth Mint Lunar history and is sought after on today's collector market. Lunar II also introduced .9999 fineness standardisation for all gold fractionals.
The Lunar III cycle covers 2024-2035 and is the currently running series — the Year of the Dragon 2024 launched the third cycle, the Year of the Snake 2025 was the second vintage, and the Year of the Horse 2026 is the third Lunar III vintage and the second Horse in the cyclical history of the Perth Mint Lunar series. Lunar III retains the Perth Mint art design and .9999 fineness of the previous Lunar II, while changing the monarch portrait on the obverse — from Elizabeth II to Charles III from the 2024 vintage.
Perth Mint was founded in 1899 as a branch of the British Royal Mint in Australia, in response to the gold-mining boom in Western Australia (Kalgoorlie, Coolgardie). The mint holds LBMA Good Delivery accreditation for gold and silver since 1899 — the oldest active LBMA status among mints producing modern bullion coins (UK Royal Mint holds a younger status granted in the 20th century).
The horse symbol in the Chinese/Asian zodiac represents strength, dynamics, freedom and success in career and travel — the Horse is the seventh of twelve animals in the zodiac cycle, associated with the fire element and afternoon hours (11 a.m. - 1 p.m.). In Chinese tradition, people born in the Year of the Horse are considered energetic, independent and entrepreneurial. The fire-element symbolism of the Horse can be an argument when choosing the coin as an occasion gift for those born in Horse years (1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014, 2026).
The obverse of the 1/4 oz Lunar III Horse 2026 features the portrait of King Charles III in the version developed by the Perth Mint design team for the Lunar III cycle from 2024 — the first appearance of the Charles III portrait on Perth Mint coins after his accession to the throne in 2022. The portrait preserves the heraldic tradition of Commonwealth coins with the monarch facing left, in line with the convention of changing direction with each successive monarch (Elizabeth II faced right).
Around the portrait are the inscriptions CHARLES III, AUSTRALIA and the face-value 25 DOLLARS, identifying the coin as legal tender of the Commonwealth of Australia worth 25 Australian dollars. The mass and fineness inscription 1/4 oz 9999 GOLD confirms the technical specification of the coin, and the 2026 strike year places the coin in the third Lunar III vintage.
The Charles III portrait on Perth Mint coins continues the unbroken tradition of Commonwealth bullion coins featuring the reigning monarch — for collectors this builds historical continuity with Elizabeth II portraits from 1953-2022 (Lunar I 1996-2007, Lunar II 2008-2019, start of Lunar III 2024 with the new portrait). Lunar III 2024+ coins represent the first Perth Mint Lunar cycle entirely based on the Charles III portrait.
The reverse of the 1/4 oz Lunar III Horse 2026 features a composition of a horse in full gallop with a wind-blown mane, designed by the Perth Mint art team under the direction of chief engraver Ing Ing Jong (Perth Mint chief engraver, designer of the Lunar series since the Lunar II cycle). The composition of a horse in motion references the symbolism of dynamics and freedom which the Horse carries in the Chinese zodiac — in contrast to the static horse portraits of earlier issues.
The reverse carries the inscription YEAR OF THE HORSE and the Chinese character 馬 (mǎ — horse) according to the convention of the Perth Mint Lunar series, in which each vintage combines an English zodiac-animal inscription with the corresponding Chinese character. The P inscription (Perth Mint mintmark) identifies the coin's origin and distinguishes it from any private issues of other mints.
The sculptural details of the horse — coat texture, muscle modelling, leg arrangement in the gallop and mane motion — are kept to the high Perth Mint production standard for the collector-bullion series. The 20.1 mm reverse field allows legible rendering of details under 5-10x magnification, which can be a vintage evaluation element in collector circulation — particularly relevant for the Asian market with strong demand for zodiac motifs.
Inspect the integrity of the original Perth Mint capsule — the small 1.8 mm thickness makes the 1/4 oz Lunar Horse susceptible to edge wear and micro-scratches on the mirror field when handled without protection. Mechanical damage does not affect net gold mass but lowers resale value — particularly important in the collector segment where Lunar III vintage identity carries premium weight.
The premium on the 1/4 oz Lunar Horse 2026 is higher than on the larger 1 oz of the same series and clearly higher than on neutral fractionals 1 oz Maple Leaf or 1 oz Krugerrand — typically 8-15% in the European retail segment, depending on current spot price and secondary-market supply. The Lunar III collector premium reflects the limited mintage (~30,000 pcs) and demand for zodiac motifs from the Asian market.
CGT-free status does NOT apply to the Lunar III Horse in the United Kingdom — Capital Gains Tax exemption in the UK covers exclusively coins with British legal tender (Britannia, Sovereign, Gold Sovereign), and the Perth Mint Lunar despite its Australian legal-tender status does not qualify for this exemption. For UK portfolios with tax optimisation, Britannia or Sovereign work better — Lunar Horse remains a collector choice.
IRA-eligible status does NOT apply to the Lunar III Horse in the USA — American Individual Retirement Accounts for precious metals admit exclusively American coins (American Gold Eagle, Gold Buffalo) or bullion from accredited refineries. The Perth Mint Lunar is not admitted to IRAs despite the Perth Mint LBMA accreditation — the limitation comes from formal IRS requirements, not from coin quality.
| Feature | Lunar Horse 1/4 oz | Lunar Horse 1 oz | Lunar Horse 2 oz | Lunar Horse 10 oz | Maple Leaf 1 oz |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gold mass | 7.776 g | 31.103 g | 62.206 g | 311.03 g | 31.103 g |
| Fineness | 999.9 | 999.9 | 999.9 | 999.9 | 999.9 |
| Diameter | 20.1 mm | 32.1 mm | 40 mm | 60 mm | 30 mm |
| Face value | 25 AUD | 100 AUD | 200 AUD | 1000 AUD | 50 CAD |
| Manufacturer | Perth Mint | Perth Mint | Perth Mint | Perth Mint | Royal Canadian Mint |
| Mintage | ~30,000 | ~30,000 | ~3,000 | ~750 | unlimited |
| Typical premium | 8-15% | 5-9% | 5-8% | 3-6% | 3-5% |
| Portfolio function | Collector sweet spot | Lunar III flagship | Low mintage | Premium prestige | Neutral bullion |
See the full category of gold bullion coins available at GoldInvest24.
The Lunar III Year of the Horse 2026 is a collector-bullion gold coin struck by Perth Mint in Australia — a mint with LBMA Good Delivery accreditation since 1899. The 1/4 oz fractional has 7.776 g of .9999 gold, a 20.1 mm diameter and a 25 Australian dollar face value as legal tender of the Commonwealth of Australia. The 2026 vintage is the third year of the Lunar III cycle (after the Dragon 2024 and the Snake 2025) and the second Horse in Perth Mint Lunar history after the Lunar II Horse 2014.
Gold mass 7.776 g (1/4 oz), fineness 999.9/1000, diameter 20.1 mm, thickness approx. 1.8 mm, face value 25 AUD. The obverse features the portrait of King Charles III in the Perth Mint version for the Lunar III cycle, the reverse — a composition of a horse in gallop with the Chinese character 馬 (mǎ) and the inscription YEAR OF THE HORSE. The P mintmark identifies Perth Mint as the issuer. The typical mintage of the 1/4 oz Lunar Horse is approx. 30,000 pieces.
Lunar I covered 1996-2007 and the first complete 12-animal zodiac cycle (Year of the Horse 2002). Lunar II covered 2008-2019 and the second cycle with refreshed designs (Year of the Horse 2014) — introduced .9999 fineness standardisation for all fractionals. Lunar III runs 2024-2035 and is the current series — Year of the Dragon 2024, Year of the Snake 2025, Year of the Horse 2026 as the third vintage with the Charles III portrait on the obverse instead of Elizabeth II.
The Lunar III Horse 2026 has the Charles III portrait on the obverse and a new reverse design from the 2024+ cycle, while the Lunar II Horse 2014 has the Elizabeth II portrait and the classic 2008-2019 cycle design. Versus the 1 oz Maple Leaf — the Lunar Horse differs by limited mintage (~30,000 pcs vs unlimited Maple Leaf), higher collector premium (8-15% vs 3-5%) and annual reverse-motif change in contrast to the unchanged maple leaf.
For Asian and European collectors building a complete Lunar III vintage set, for buyers acquiring the coin as an occasion gift for those born in the Year of the Horse (1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014, 2026), and for portfolios combining the collector function with bullion exposure without high value concentration. The collector premium level (8-15%) means the Lunar Horse is not a practical choice for portfolios optimising per-gram gold cost — for that purpose 1 oz Maple Leaf or 1 oz Krugerrand work better.
LBMA Good Delivery — YES (Perth Mint holds the status since 1899). VAT in the EU — EXEMPT (.9999 fineness and Australia legal tender meet Directive 2006/112/EC, Art. 344). CGT-free in the United Kingdom — NO (CGT exemption in the UK covers exclusively coins with British legal tender such as Britannia or Sovereign, not Commonwealth coins from other countries). IRA-eligible in the USA — NO (the IRS admits exclusively American coins to retirement accounts).
Place an order in our shop with access to the gold bullion coins category, the full range of Lunar III Horse 2026 fractionals (1/4 oz, 1 oz, 2 oz, 10 oz) and the offer of LBMA manufacturers. Check the current gold quotes to compare the premium against the current spot price. Technical descriptions and specifications are available in PL / DE / EN language versions.
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