50 Yuan Year of the Rooster

China's Lunar Gold series has been issued annually since 1981, making the rooster the twenty-fifth animal cycle entry. The 2005 issue falls in the second full rotation of the twelve-year zodiac sequence, a point at which the series had already built a substantial collector base in Southeast Asia and among the Chinese diaspora — demand that consistently pulls these pieces out of domestic circulation almost immediately upon release.

The 1/10 oz specification was introduced to make lunar gold accessible at lower price points, a deliberate policy by the People's Bank of China that expanded the program's reach considerably through the 1990s.