The central bank yesterday unveiled a set of Chinese zodiac commemorative coins for the Year of the Ox, which are available to order online through Wednesday next week or at Bank of Taiwan (臺灣銀行) branches nationwide from Jan. 21.
The central bank plans to sell 100,000 sets of the coins, with each set consisting of one silver coin weighing 1 ounce (28.3g) with a face value of NT$100 and one copper-alloy coin with a face value of NT$10.
A set costs NT$1,800, it said.
Photo: CNA
The silver coin’s obverse side has a gold-plated image of an ox and the reverse bears an image of the lion dance festival in Kaohsiung’s Cianjhen District (前鎮), the central bank said.
The lion dance carries not only unique local characteristics, but also has the symbolic meaning of disaster and epidemic prevention in a world that has been largely turned upside down by the COVID-19 pandemic, Issuance Department Director-General Shih Tsuen-hua (施遵驊) told a news conference in Taipei.
The copper-alloy coin bears an image of an ox on its obverse side, while the reverse side has a lily pad, the central bank said.
The central bank started issuing Chinese zodiac commemorative coin sets in 2017 for the Year of the Rooster.
The bank last year sold 110,000 sets for the Year of the Rat.
The reduction of 10,000 sets for this year’s sale target reflects the central bank’s estimation of demand, Shih said.
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