China's annual Lunar New Year gold issues have been struck without interruption since 1981, making the Snake the ninth animal to appear in the second full cycle of the series. The 3g size — introduced as the series expanded its weight range — targets retail buyers priced out of the larger 8g and 30g issues, a deliberate move by the People's Bank of China to broaden domestic precious metal ownership.
China's annual Lunar New Year gold issues have been struck without interruption since 1981, making the Snake the ninth animal to appear in the second full cycle of the series. The 3g size — introduced as the series expanded its weight range — targets retail buyers priced out of the larger 8g and 30g issues, a deliberate move by the People's Bank of China to broaden domestic precious metal ownership.