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500 Patacas Year of the Rabbit
| Issuer | Macau |
|---|---|
| Year | 1999 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
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| Obverse description | Central depiction of the iconic façade of the Ruins of St. Paul's Church (São Paulo), rendered in high relief against a deeply mirrored proof field. The baroque stone frontispiece is shown in three-quarter perspective with architectural detail including columns, statues, and ornamental friezes. Twelve five-pointed stars are arranged in a ring around the central motif, evoking a halo of symbolic significance. The legend MACAU arcs across the upper field in widely spaced Latin letters, while the date 1999 is inscribed along the lower field. The design is bordered by a fine reeded rim. |
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| Reverse script | Chinese, Latin |
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| Additional information |
Issued by the Banco Nacional Ultramarino in the final months of Portuguese administration, this coin predates the handover of Macau to China by less than a year — the transfer took place on 20 December 1999, ending over four centuries of Portuguese presence on the peninsula. The rabbit year issue thus carries an accidental finality: one of the last gold coins struck under Portuguese authority for a territory that would cease to exist as such before the lunar calendar turned again.