10 Dollars Year of the Rooster

Singapore's lunar series coins were introduced in 1967 as the newly independent nation established its own monetary identity separate from the Malaya and British Borneo dollar. The 1981 Rooster issue falls within the early run of this series, struck when Singapore's Mint — opened only in 1969 — was still building its production infrastructure and export reputation simultaneously.

Nickel examples circulated alongside a corresponding silver proof version, a two-tier release strategy Singapore employed consistently across the lunar series to serve both commerce and collector markets from the outset.