Taiwan to issue commemorative coin for May 20 inauguration
TAIPEI, April 28 Kyodo
Taiwan’s central bank on Friday unveiled gold and silver coins to mark the May 20 inauguration of Chen Shui-bian and Annette Lu as Taiwan’s second democratically elected president and vice president.
The coins feature a joint portrait of the president and the vice president and an inscription in Chinese and English saying, ”Commemorating the 20 May 2000 inauguration of the president and vice president of the Republic of China, the second elected by popular vote.”
The bank will issue for sale 80,000 gold and 180,000 silver coins, with 30,000 of each being offered in sets of one silver and one gold coin in a gift box, officials of the Central Bank of China said.
An additional 500 gold coins, 3,000 silver coins and 40 silver-gold sets will be given away to foreign dignitaries and other high-ranking guests attending the inauguration festivities. The coins weigh 1 ounce each.
The silver coins will sell for NT$1,200 (about US$40), while the gold coins will cost NT$15,000. The gift sets will come at a price of NT$16,500. Only Taiwan citizens residing in Taiwan are eligible to buy the coins, which will be distributed through the state-affiliated Bank of Taiwan.
With the number of people hoping to buy the coins expected to far exceed supply, the Bank of Taiwan will decide the eventual recipients by computer lottery.
Meanwhile, the company marketing promotional goods for Chen, who is popularly known as ”A-bian,” said it will close up shop after the inauguration following a last collection of ”A-bian” signature goods.
A spokeswoman for the A-bian Family Co. refused to reveal the total worth of A-bian goods sold since the company was founded in March last year.
But she said the company sold more than 200,000 original A-bian hats, the dark green woolen cap that became Chen’s trademark in the 1998 Taipei mayoral campaign, to Chen fans over the past year.
She noted that many counterfeit versions of the popular cap can be found on the market.
Riding on the popularity of the A-bian caps, which were first sold for fundraising during the mayoral campaign, the company subsequently created entire collections of A-bian goods, including T-shirts, watches, neckties, dolls, bags and backpacks.
COPYRIGHT 2000 Kyodo News International, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2000 Gale Group
