The Royal Mint has launched the Lunar Year of the Rat coin, expanding the Lunar collection in a celebration of Britain’s diverse and multicultural society.

The new coin has been designed by illustrator P. J. Lynch and is a fusion of British and Chinese tradition, celebrating the Chinese zodiac through bullion coin design.

At Chinese New Year gifts and tokens are exchanged, symbolising good wishes for the recipient’s health, wealth and prosperity. The Royal Mint says the Lunar collection embraces this tradition, lending a unique British angle to an ancient custom.

The launch of the coin follows The Royal Mint’s most popular month of precious metals sales on record and presents investors with another opportunity to diversify their portfolio. The one-ounce coin features a new micro-dot design and is available in 999.9 gold and 999 silver.

Exempt from capital gains tax, the bullion can be stored securely at The Royal Mint Vault if chosen by individual investors. Possessing full legal ownership of the coin, investors can choose to liquidate their holding at any given time through the Royal Mint Bullion buy-back service.

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Nicola Howell, consumer director at The Royal Mint, said: “Following the recent addition to The Queen’s Beasts collection, we are pleased to present investors with the opportunity to further develop their portfolio with the latest Lunar coin.

“Precious metals are known for their ability to safeguard investments against market volatility and is reassuring for investors to know that they have a range of options available to them.”

The range is available for purchase via a large global distribution network and direct from The Royal Mint’s trading website. Full coin specifications can also be found on the website.