Part of China's long-running lunar gold series, the 2020 Rat issue marks the start of a new 12-year cycle — the Year of the Rat is the first sign in the Chinese zodiac, making this particular annual release slightly more commercially significant than mid-cycle issues. The People's Bank has issued lunar gold pieces in this weight since the 1980s, though the "Arc" designation here refers to a fan-shaped flan format introduced to differentiate collector sub-issues within the broader series. Fan-shaped gold coins of this type are struck on specially prepared planchets requiring individual positioning in the press.
Part of China's long-running lunar gold series, the 2020 Rat issue marks the start of a new 12-year cycle — the Year of the Rat is the first sign in the Chinese zodiac, making this particular annual release slightly more commercially significant than mid-cycle issues. The People's Bank has issued lunar gold pieces in this weight since the 1980s, though the "Arc" designation here refers to a fan-shaped flan format introduced to differentiate collector sub-issues within the broader series. Fan-shaped gold coins of this type are struck on specially prepared planchets requiring individual positioning in the press.