The central bank yesterday unveiled a set of Chinese zodiac commemorative coins for the Year of the Dragon, which are available for online preorder from Monday to Saturday next week or to purchase at Bank of Taiwan (臺灣銀行) branches nationwide from Jan. 22.
The central bank hopes to sell 90,000 sets of the coins, with 45,000 units each for online preorders and in-person sales, it said in a statement.
Each set, priced at NT$1,900, consists 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, it said.
Photo: CNA
The silver coin’s obverse side has a gold-plated image of a dragon and the reverse side bears an image of the Songjiang Battle Array (宋江陣) in Kaohsiung’s Neimen District (內門), the central bank said.
The traditional battle ritual is a form of performing arts that combines elements of martial arts, dance and drumming. A few hundred years ago, it was performed as physical training to unite and defend local communities. It morphed into a religious activity to entertain deities and then into folk art. Nowadays, the Neimen Festival is one of Taiwan’s most distinctive cultural tourism events, the central bank said.
The copper-alloy coin bears an image of a dragon playing with a pearl on its obverse side, while the reverse side has a rose pad printed in color, it said.
Photo: CNA
As the dragon represents nobility and is synonymous with excellence, sales of the coin sets are expected to be good, Department of Issuance Director-General Teng Yen-ta (鄧延達) told a news conference in Taipei, adding that Taiwanese are generally drawn to the dragon among the 12 zodiac signs.
The central bank started issuing zodiac commemorative coin sets in 2017 for the Year of the Rooster.
Last year it sold 90,000 sets for the Year of the Rabbit at NT$1,800 each.
Photo: CNA
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