TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — All 45,000 sets of Year of the Dragon coins available for online preorders were snatched up in less than half a day on Monday (Jan. 8).
Last week, the central bank unveiled two Chinese zodiac commemorative coins for the Year of the Dragon. On Monday, online preorders started that morning for 45,000 sets of the coins, and by mid-afternoon, they had completely sold out, reported CNA.
The central bank commissioned the Bank of Taiwan to issue the "Jia Chen Year of the Dragon Commemorative Coin Set." Each set consists of a silver coin that shows the gold-plated image of a dragon on the front and the Kaohsiung Neimen Songjiang Battle Array on the reverse side, while the copper-alloy coin features a dragon playing with a pearl on the front and a pink rose on the back.
A total of 90,000 sets of coins are to be sold for NT$1,900 each. Online preorders of 45,000 coins are to be made available from 10 a.m. on Monday to 11:59 p.m. on Jan. 13, while the other 45,000 can be purchased in person at Bank of Taiwan branches on a first-come, first-served basis starting on Jan. 22.
The demand for the coins on Monday morning was so high that the website reportedly crashed frequently.
2024 is the Chinese zodiac's Year of the Dragon, which symbolizes good fortune and is the most popular zodiac sign among the public. Nevertheless, even officials from the central bank were reportedly surprised with the speed at which the preorders of the dragon coins were snapped up, according to the news agency.
The central bank reminded the public that successful preorder applicants must complete the payment within three days from the application date, with the deadline set at 11:59:59 p.m. on the third day. Failure to make the payment within this period will be considered a forfeiture, and the allocated sets will be released for purchase again.
Copper-alloy version showing rose and dragon playing with pearl. (CNA photo)
