500 Shillings Year of the Rooster

Tanzania's "Year of the Rooster" issues belong to a wave of Chinese lunar-themed silver coins struck by African and Pacific island mints beginning in the 2000s — sovereign in name, but produced almost entirely for the Chinese collector export market. The Bank of Tanzania has no functional relationship to the series beyond licensing its authority; the coins were almost certainly struck by a private European or Asian mint under contract.

The rectangular format accounts for the non-circular dimensions.