Gold Lunar Rooster 1oz Coin
The Gold Lunar Rooster is the 4th in the 12 coins Shengxiao Collection, designed by artist Wuon-Gean Ho.
This is a brand-new bullion finish coin, issued by the Royal Mint. Coins will be packaged loose for small quantities and may come in Royal Mint tubes for orders of 10 or more.
The Rooster succeeds the year of the Monkey in 2016, Sheep in 2015 and Horse in 2014, the first coins in the Lunar series.
The bullion coin is struck in 999.9 gold, providing exactly one ounce of pure gold. With a face value of £100, any profits made from sale are not liable to Capital Gains Tax
Haven’t we seen the Rooster before?
It’s important not to confuse these 1oz British Lunar Rooster coins with the well established French 20 Franc Rooster coins. These French coins have been minted since the turn of the twentieth century and are far smaller than the UK 1oz coins. While well known and liquid in France and on the mainland continent, they hold less global appeal. A more easy mistake to make would be to confuse the UK lunar series with that of the Australian Perth Mint. In particular, they’re also 1oz coins and the Rooster (for obvious reasons) is also on the reverse of the 2017 Perth version. Not only are the coins less attractive to look at in our opinion, but they’re not Capital Gains Tax-free like the UK coin.
Year of the Rooster
Unlike a traditional western calendar which represents one year being broken into 12 months, the Chinese zodiac is based on a 12-year cycle. Like the Western zodiac, each of the 12 elements represents a particular personality or set of traits which are associated with people born within that part of the zodiac. Whereas the Western zodiac is represented by a mix of animals and symbols, the Chinese zodiac is characterised by animals only. The 12 year cycle stems from the rough time it takes the solar system’s largest planet, Jupiter to orbit the sun. This observation and the 12-year cycle is not only popular in Chinas, but also through Asia and the Buddhist community, although the Chinese are most strongly linked to this zodiac. It’s a shrewd move by the Royal Mint to produce a series of coins based on this due to the inherent appeal throughout Asia, a significant buyer of gold.
2017 represents the Year of the Rooster, and recent other Rooster years are 2005, 1993, 1981 and 1969. The Rooster, better known as the humble chicken in English, is the only bird within the animal zodiac. Each 12-year cycle is also assigned one of five elements which rotate with each cycle. 2017 is allocated the fire element, with the other four being earth, metal, water and wood. Personality traits are meant to be independence, bright, honest and ambitious, although impatience and selfishness are also common!
Our Expert Opinion
This coin appeals to both investors and collectors. As the 4th coin in a series of 12, adding the Gold Lunar Rooster to your collection is essential and satisfying due to its unique design. As a gold investment, the coin is a safe bet. Being produced by the Royal Mint ensures its quality, global appeal and most importantly tax-free status. It bridges the price gap between the standard 1oz Britannia coin and the higher premium of the Queen’s Beast series. This enables you to own a limited issue coin without paying a significant premium. As a 1oz coin, it feels satisfying in your hand and production costs are kept lower than with smaller fractional coins.
Definitely worth owning for collectors as part of the ongoing series. For investors, it’s best mixed with Britannias and Sovereigns to achieve a balanced portfolio and mix between low price and growth potential. Being based on the Chinese Lunar cycle it holds particular appeal for the Asian market, already obsessed with all things British, which should enhance returns in the future for a coin that will only be obtainable in the second-hand market.
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