Bank of Taiwan is to auction banknotes with “special” serial numbers starting on May 18, the central bank said on Thursday.
People tend to favor banknotes with certain serial numbers, particularly those with numbers that are homophones of Mandarin words related to prosperity or wealth. Some people are willing to pay large sums for them, as has been seen at 21 similar auctions held by the central bank over the past 10 years.
Among the most coveted notes are those with serial numbers containing one or more eights, such as “888” or “168,” because the number eight is a homophone for “prosperity” in Mandarin, while one and six, when individually enunciated, mean “all the way.”
Photo: CNA
Serial numbers featuring consecutive numbers, such as 123456, are also considered collectibles.
A total of 4,395 banknotes with 121 sets of numbers are to be auctioned, each with two English letters at the beginning and end.
The central bank said that the state-owned Bank of Taiwan, the country’s largest lender, is to conduct the auction online starting at 10am on May 18 and conclude at 10am on May 23.
Bank of Taiwan is to publish details about the auctions on its Web site from Monday to May 23, while the same information is also to appear in newspapers from Monday to Wednesday.
The central bank said the auctions had made NT$69.56 million (US$2.3 million) for the government since the first auction in October 2012.
The note that sold for the most over its face value was a NT$100 bill auctioned in June 2013 for NT$15,360, or 153.6 times its value, the central bank said.
The serial number for the banknote was SU888888AK.
The disruption of 941 flights in and out of Taiwan due to China’s large-scale military exercises was no accident, but rather the result of a “quasi-blockade” used to simulate creating the air and sea routes needed for an amphibious landing, a military expert said. The disruptions occurred on Tuesday and lasted about 10 hours as China conducted live-fire drills in the Taiwan Strait. The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said the exercises affected 857 international flights and 84 domestic flights, affecting more than 100,000 travelers. Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), a research fellow at the government-sponsored Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said the air
Taiwan is to commence mass production of the Tien Kung (天弓, “Sky Bow”) III, IV and V missiles by the second quarter of this year if the legislature approves the government’s NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.78 billion) special defense budget, an official said yesterday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, a defense official with knowledge of the matter said that the advanced systems are expected to provide crucial capabilities against ballistic and cruise missiles for the proposed “T-Dome,” an advanced, multi-layered air defense network. The Tien Kung III is an air defense missile with a maximum interception altitude of 35km. The Tien Kung IV and V
Trips for more than 100,000 international and domestic air travelers could be disrupted as China launches a military exercise around Taiwan today, Taiwan’s Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said yesterday. The exercise could affect nearly 900 flights scheduled to enter the Taipei Flight Information Region (FIR) during the exercise window, it added. A notice issued by the Chinese Civil Aviation Administration showed there would be seven temporary zones around the Taiwan Strait which would be used for live-fire exercises, lasting from 8am to 6pm today. All aircraft are prohibited from entering during exercise, it says. Taipei FIR has 14 international air routes and
Taiwan lacks effective and cost-efficient armaments to intercept rockets, making the planned “T-Dome” interception system necessary, two experts said on Tuesday. The concerns were raised after China’s military fired two waves of rockets during live-fire drills around Taiwan on Tuesday, part of two-day exercises code-named “Justice Mission 2025.” The first wave involved 17 rockets launched at 9am from Pingtan in China’s Fujian Province, according to Lieutenant General Hsieh Jih-sheng (謝日升) of the Office of the Deputy Chief of the General Staff for Intelligence at the Ministry of National Defense. Those rockets landed 70 nautical miles (129.6km) northeast of Keelung without flying over Taiwan,
RSS