China's large-format silver lunar issues of this period were produced by the Shanghai and Shenyang mints under strict allocation controls, with the kilogram denomination distributed almost exclusively through state-sanctioned channels and overseas numismatic agents. Mintage for the 2005 rooster kilogram was capped at 3,888 pieces — the number chosen for its phonetic association with prosperity in Mandarin, a practice the People's Bank applied consistently across its lunar program from the 1990s onward.
China's large-format silver lunar issues of this period were produced by the Shanghai and Shenyang mints under strict allocation controls, with the kilogram denomination distributed almost exclusively through state-sanctioned channels and overseas numismatic agents. Mintage for the 2005 rooster kilogram was capped at 3,888 pieces — the number chosen for its phonetic association with prosperity in Mandarin, a practice the People's Bank applied consistently across its lunar program from the 1990s onward.