In the legend of the Great Race told about the origins of the Chinese zodiac, the Ox could have finished first, but it carried the Rat on its back, and the Rat leapt off at the last moment to cross the line ahead. So the Ox became the second sign of the twelve-year cycle, and the sixth coin of the Transnistrian «Chinese Horoscope» series.

The Transnistrian Republican Bank released the rouble on 1 December 2020, ahead of the Year of the Metal Ox, which ran from 12 February 2021 to 31 January 2022. The reverse shows a stylised ox head against a starry sky, with the Chinese character for the year above; unlike the «Year of the Metal Rat», it carries no Cyrillic legend. The obverse bears the republic’s coat of arms, the bank’s name, the denomination «1 RUBL» and the date «2020».

Issuer catalogue number 10400-01-09006, mintage 50,000. In a year-by-year run the coin follows the «Year of the Metal Rat», and together they open a new twelve-year round of the zodiac.

UNC condition: never circulated, no wear, mint lustre retained.

The VPcoins catalogue brings together coins from many countries and eras, from circulation issues to commemorative series, so a collection is easy to continue.