The Central Bank of the Republic of China is planning to issue a special NT$100 (US$3.13) banknote to go into circulation January 2011 as part of the country’s centenary celebrations.
According to sources in the numismatics sector, this will be the first circulating commemorative banknote the CBC has issued since the distribution of a NT$50 plastic note to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the New Taiwan dollar in 1999.
An unnamed CBC official said the bank’s usual practice is to choose silver coins over paper bills for special purposes, because coins are easier to preserve. However, the CBC chose to issue the NT$100 banknote this time because a portrait of ROC founder Sun Yat-sen is already printed on an ordinary NT$100 bill.
The commemorative banknotes will closely resemble ordinary bills, but will have the words “ROC Centennial Commemorative” printed on the backside. This minimum change in appearance is to prevent the bills from being mistaken as counterfeit, the official said.
The sources said as commemorative currency is usually produced in limited quantities and thus tends to grow in value through time. These circulating banknotes are expected to become even more valuable in the future because fewer of them would be preserved intact.
In addition to the NT$100 banknotes, sources said the CBC is planning to distribute circulating commemorative NT$10 coins and noncirculating silver coins in 2011 for the centenary celebration. (AW-THN)