The Sixth Year of Lunar Series III
The Perth Mint’s Lunar Series III began in 2020 with the Year of the Mouse, and 2025’s Year of the Snake is the sixth release in that twelve-year cycle, one animal per year with a design that never returns. Once 2025 ends, this exact coin is gone for good, replaced by 2026’s animal. Every coin holds one troy ounce of .9999 fine gold, capped at a maximum mintage of 30,000, a small run for a modern bullion coin.
A Coiled Snake and a New King
The reverse carries Sean Rogers’s design of a snake curled through a stand of bamboo, the Chinese character for “snake” beside it, SNAKE and 2025 below, and the Perth Mint’s P mintmark at the rim. A micro-engraved letter hidden in the design serves as an anti-counterfeiting feature, visible only under magnification. The obverse carries Dan Thorne’s effigy of King Charles III, the current Australian design, alongside the weight, fineness, and $100 AUD denomination. A hidden letter guards it, checkable only by magnifying glass.
A Real Cap, Not a Promise
The Perth Mint sets a hard ceiling of 30,000 coins for this release and won’t strike more once it’s reached, but a fixed cap describes supply, not future price. In Chinese tradition the snake represents wisdom, intelligence, and quiet independence, the sixth of twelve zodiac animals, which gives the coin a following among collectors of the cycle beyond stackers buying it for the gold alone. The cap limits supply, it doesn’t set the coin’s future price.
Backed by the Mint, Eligible for an IRA
Every coin carries the Perth Mint’s LBMA-registered swan mark, the credential that makes its bullion accepted by dealers and vaults without being retested each time. At .9999 fine, it also clears the IRS’s minimum for a precious metals IRA. Legal tender status and the $100 AUD face value come from the Australian government, backing the coin regardless of what the gold inside is actually worth. The swan mark is registered with the LBMA, the same credential behind every Perth Mint coin.
2025 1 oz Lunar Snake Gold Coin Specifications
Every coin holds one troy ounce of .9999 fine gold, struck 32.6 mm across and 2.95 mm thick, with a reeded edge and a $100 AUD face value. Mintage caps at 30,000, a fixed ceiling for this release only. Full current specs are on the Specifications tab above.
2025 1 oz Lunar Snake Gold Coin FAQ
Is the 2025 Lunar Snake gold coin IRA eligible?
Yes. At .9999 fine from a national mint, it clears the IRS’s purity floor for a precious metals IRA. It qualifies on purity, the same rule most world gold coins have to meet.
Will next year’s Lunar coin look the same as this one?
No. Every Lunar Series III year gets its own animal and its own reverse design, never repeated. 2026 moves to the Year of the Horse, a completely different coin. A new design each year, gone once the year ends.
What is the security feature on this coin?
A micro-engraved letter built into the reverse design, small enough that it’s only visible under a magnifying glass. It’s meant to make the coin harder to counterfeit convincingly. The letter needs magnification, not visible to the naked eye.
Does the 30,000 mintage cap mean this coin will go up in value?
Not on its own. The cap limits how many can ever be struck, but it doesn’t promise a price increase, and gold coins with fixed mintages still trade primarily on their gold content. A cap limits supply, it doesn’t guarantee demand.
What condition does it ship in?
Brilliant Uncirculated, as struck by the Mint, presented in a protective acrylic capsule. Condition is Brilliant Uncirculated, not a third-party grade.
Curious about other Perth Mint releases? Browse our full selection.
Ready to add the Year of the Snake to your stack? Add the 2025 1 oz Lunar Snake Gold Coin to your cart.