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500 Patacas Year of the Ox
| Issuer | Macau Monetary Authority |
|---|---|
| Year | 1997 |
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| Composition | Gold (.917) |
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| Reverse description | A finely detailed figure of an ox stands in profile facing left at center, rendered in high relief against a deeply mirrored proof field, representing the Year of the Ox in the Chinese lunar calendar. To the left of the ox appear two Chinese characters (伍佰) meaning 'five hundred', and to the right two further Chinese characters (澳門) meaning 'Macau'. The denomination 500 PATACAS is inscribed in Latin characters along the lower field beneath the ox. The reeded border frames the design. |
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| Edge | Reeded |
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| Additional information |
Issued by the Banco Nacional Ultramarino under license from the Macau Monetary Authority, this piece belongs to the lunar series produced in the final years of Portuguese administration. Macau's handover to China was scheduled for December 1999, and the Authority continued issuing collector gold through the transition period with deliberate continuity — the 1997 Ox year falling squarely in that uncertain interval. The .917 fineness matches the traditional 22-karat standard long favored for Chinese lunar issues across Hong Kong and regional markets.