Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
500 Patacas Year of the Goat
| Issuer | Macau |
|---|---|
| Year | 1979 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Round |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | The arms of the Portuguese Republic occupy the central field, depicting the national coat of arms — a shield charged with the Portuguese quinas and surmounted by a mural crown — supported on either side by a kneeling winged angel figure, each bearing a heraldic attribute: a cross-staff to the left and an armillary sphere to the right. A decorative scroll banner runs beneath the supporters. The circular legend REPUBLICA PORTUGUESA arcs around the upper periphery, while the date 1979 is inscribed at the base flanked by two small stars. A fine reeded border frames the design. The mintmark FM appears in the lower exergue. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Macau's 1979 gold lunar series was among the earliest official gold bullion-adjacent issues from any Portuguese-administered territory, produced just four years after the Carnation Revolution had left Lisbon with little appetite — or capacity — for colonial prestige projects. The Goat issue was struck in limited numbers primarily for the export collector market, particularly Hong Kong, where demand for Chinese zodiac gold was already well established by the late 1970s.
The .917 fineness follows the traditional 22-karat crown gold standard rather than the .999 fine bullion convention that would dominate later lunar issues worldwide.