1000 Patacas Year of the Snake

Issued by the Banco Nacional Ultramarino under Portuguese administration, this piece belongs to the lunar series Macau began producing in the early 1980s as the territory's gaming revenue made high-denomination gold issues commercially viable. The Snake year falls among the quieter sellers of the twelve-animal cycle, which tends to keep secondary-market premiums modest relative to the Dragon issues from the same series.

KM#45 was struck at the British Royal Mint on contract — Macau operated no mint of its own.