100 Patacas Year of the Rooster

Macau's lunar series patacas were issued under the authority of the Banco Nacional Ultramarino, a Portuguese colonial institution that had held note-issuing rights in Macau since 1902. By 1993, with the handover to China already negotiated and scheduled for 1999, these collector issues carried an implicit finality — the colonial monetary authority knew its days were numbered. The BNU was eventually replaced by the Banco da China and Banco Multibanco in 1995 for note issuance, making the early 1990s lunar pieces among the last struck under unambiguous Portuguese financial administration.