The lunar flood continues with the Royal Mint debut of its latest Shēngxiào issue for the Year of the Horse

Next up on the major lunar coin front is The Royal Mint, with today’s launch of their latest Shēngxiào coin, obviously for the Year of the Horse. We’ve already had the Perth Mint, and Numistrade so far this week, and Shēngxiào is another one with a ten-year plus history, so clearly, the genre remains popular, despite our own reduced coverage over the last few years.

Shēngxiào has had a mixed history, with early designs pushing artistic envelopes, but garnering a very love:hate relationship with collectors in the 2014-2020 period. They were unusual, for sure, but even though I liked many of them regardless, I can see why many did not. The 2026 horse issue is actually the debut of the second trip through the twelve animals in the lunar calendar, as it originally kicked off with a horse in 2014.

The design, by William Webb, is an excellent one, in my view, exhibiting a fine grasp of anatomy, and depicting this elegant animal in fine form. An early 1700s clock tower on a stable block sits in the background, and is set at 12, said to be a peak time in Chinese philosophy. Numerology has quite an influence there, as I’m sure you’re all aware of the significance of the ‘lucky’ number 8, for example (check the mintages!!). The horse stands on a cobbled street, which is a small, but nevertheless neat change from the more common grass. A fine design, I think, joining the trend for realistic portrayals. The obverse, in typical Royal Mint style, is a simple effigy of King Charles III.

There are four gold and two silver coins in the range, topping out at five-ounces in both metals. The card-mounted 0.8 gram minigold will be a neat gift item for the lunar new year, which doesn’t actually start until 17th February, when the Year of the Red Fire Horse begins. A base-metal variant is also offered for the casual collector. Sadly, the bullion range was killed off in 2020. A great addition to the lunar market, if you want to buy, please click the banner below, as we get a small, much-needed commission at no cost to you. The range is available to buy now.