50 Yuan Year of the Rat

China's Lunar Gold series has been issued annually since 1981, making the Rat — first in the twelve-year zodiac cycle — a recurring benchmark year for the program. The 2008 issue coincided with Beijing's Olympic year, a period of extraordinary national expenditure on prestige projects, and the mint's output of gold commemoratives that year was notably broad. Whether that diluted collector demand for any single piece is a fair question.

At 3.11 g, this is a 1/10 troy ounce issue — the smallest standard denomination in the Chinese gold lunar range.