1 Dollar Year of the Rat

Singapore's Lunar Series gold miniatures were produced for the gift market rather than circulation, with the 7 mm format deliberately sized to fit into traditional red packet envelopes. The 2008 rat issue coincided with what the Singapore Tourism Board projected would be a bumper Lunar New Year — the year fell on February 7th, and visitor arrivals for that period broke previous records before the global financial crisis hit later that year.