Two limited-edition EasyCards signed by New York Yankees starting pitcher Wang Chien-ming (王建民) have fetched jaw-dropping figures in a charity auction hosted by Taipei Smart Card Corp yesterday.
The card with a serial number ending in "40" -- Wang's New York Yankees' jersey number -- fetched NT$833,000 (US$25,091), while the card with a serial number ending in "41" -- Wang's retired jersey number from the Minor League Staten Island Yankees -- fetched NT$500,000.
The two cards had been shipped to the US to be signed by Wang. At one point, they were stopped by US Customs, who thought the oil-based markers prepared for Wang's use were suspicious.
PHOTO: FANG PIN-CHAO, TAIPEI TIMES
According to the Taipei Smart Card Corp, all proceeds from the auction will go towards the 921 Earthquake-ravaged Tong-fu Junior High School's baseball team.
Wang is slated to return to Taiwan next month.
During his offseason stay in Taiwan, Wang will make a public appearance at the 2006 baseball Intercontinental Cup, in which he has agreed to serve as spokesman. This year's Intercontinental Cup will be held in Taichung City.
Wang turned down the money which the organization wanted to pay him for serving as the event's spokesman.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
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