500 Dollars Year of the Rooster

Singapore's Lunar New Year gold series launched in 1981 with this Rooster issue, making it the first in what became one of the most consistently produced Asian bullion programs of the late twentieth century. The Singapore Mint had only been operating independently for roughly a decade at that point, having separated from the British Royal Mint's operations in the region following full sovereignty.

The .916 fineness — 22-karat — follows the traditional standard used across much of Southeast Asian gold jewelry trade, a deliberate choice to align the coin's perceived value with regional gold-buying habits rather than the .999 fine standard gaining traction in Western bullion markets at the time.