BEIJING 2008: Commemorative Coins Issued
Two new types of coins were issued on 20 September to commemorate the Games of the XXIX Olympiad – Beijing 2008. The coins, which will be legal tender in the People’s Republic of China, include a set of two base metal coins and a set of six precious metal coins. The base metal coins will have a face value of 1 yuan each, while the precious metal coins will have a face value of either 10 yuan or 150 yuan.
Base Metal
The total mintage of the set of two base metal coins will be limited to 10 million pieces, which will be in circulation concurrently with the current RMB bills and coins of the same denomination. These coins will feature the emblem of the Beijing Games and an image of the National Stadium, which will be the venue for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies and the athletics competitions at Games-time.
Precious Metal
The precious metal coins will be made of either gold or silver. The gold coins will have a face value of 150 yuan and the maximum mintage will be 60,000 coins. The silver version will have a face value of 10 yuan and a maximum of 160,000 coins will be produced. The precious metal coins will feature the Beijing Games emblem along with a pair of traditional Chinese dragons, with some of the pictograms from the Beijing Games featuring on the reverse.
More To Come
China has already issued commemorative coins, pins and gold bars linked to the Beijing Games since 2001, when Beijing was awarded the right to host the Games. It is expected that two more sets of coins will be issued in 2007 and 2008 in the lead-up to the Games.
Beijing 2008
The Games of the XXIX Olympiad – Beijing 2008 will take place from 8 to 24 August 2008. The Games in Beijing will play host to the 28 summer sports currently on the Olympic programme. Approximately 10,500 athletes are expected to participate in the Games with around 20,000 accredited media bringing the Games to the world.