Year of the Horse Quadrant Coin

As part of its Chinese zodiac series, the Perth Mint has released a collection of commemoratives in preparation for 2026, the Year of the Horse. Included in the collection is a Year of the Horse quadrant coin. The colored specimen consists of four legal-tender 1-ounce silver proof pieces that fit together to form a circle with a square hole in the center. The completed piece is reminiscent of ban liang, the first currency of the Chinese empire, cast around 200 B.C. during the Qin dynasty.

The top piece depicts a white Friesian horse with a brown mane, and the bottom piece features a Palomino horse and her foal. The right coin depicts a chestnut-colored horse galloping along a country path, while a dark bay horse with a black mane stands on rocky terrain on the left coin. Each motif includes designer Lucas Bowers’s initials, along with the Perth Mint’s mintmark. To purchase the Year of the Horse quadrant coin or any of the other Year of the Horse commemoratives, visit the Perth Mint’s website.

The Year of the Horse

In Chinese zodiac mythology, the horse was one of 12 animals that participated in the Emperor’s Great Race, held to determine the order of the lunar calendar. Just behind the dragon in fifth place, the horse galloped toward the finish line, only to be startled by the snake, which emerged from its hiding place under the horse’s foot. The snake then took sixth place, and the horse took seventh.

The years of the horse include 2026, 2014, 2002, 1990, and every 12th preceding year. Those born under the sign of the horse are independent, charismatic, and adventurous.