Singapore 1983 500 dollars

from the Stack's Bowers 2020 Collector's Choice sale, lot 71577

This specimen was lot 71577 in Stack's Bowers Collector's Choice sale (Santa Ana, CA, February 2020), where it sold for $990. The catalog description^[1] noted, "SINGAPORE. 500 Dollars, 1983. PCGS PROOF-70 Deep Cameo. Lunar Series, Year of the Pig. A gorgeous proof with hard mirrored fields, frosted cameo devices, and an unusual lemon yellow golden tone." This specimen was issued as part of a series of half ounce gold coins featuring the Chinese zodiac. The series ended with the year of the monkey in 1992. Singapore, today an independent city-state, was until 1948 part of the British colony of the Straits Settlements. It left the Federation of Malaysia in 1965 and commenced coinage in 1967.

Recorded mintage: 5,000.

Specification: 16.97 g, 0.917 fine gold, 21 mm diameter.

Catalog reference: Fr-B30; KM-27.

Source:

• Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, 47th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
• Friedberg, Arthur L. and Ira S. Friedberg, Gold Coins of the World, From Ancient Times to the Present, 9th ed., Clifton, NJ: Coin and Currency Institute, 2017.
• ^[1]Orsini, Matt, Richard Ponterio and Kyle Ponterio, The February 2020 Collector's Choice sale: World and Ancient Coins, Santa Ana, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2020.

Link to:

• 1975 500 dollars, 10th Anniversary of Independence
• 1982 10 dollars, Year of the Dog
• 1983 5 cents
• 1984 10 dollars, dragon, 1 oz gold
• 1990 500 dollars, year of the horse
• Coins and currency dated 1983