SUNDAY, AUGUST 9, 1981
+OLD+ $5-COIN NEARING END
***
OCTOBER 8 IS D-DAY +DEMONETISING DAY+ TEN-SIDED CUPRO-NICKEL FIVE-DOLLAR COIN.
FOR THE FAMILIAR
PUBLIC THAT FROM
A GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN TODAY REMINDED THE OCTOBER 8 THIS YEAR, THE OLD COIN WILL CEASE TO BE LEGAL TENDER.
A PROCLAMATION TO THIS EFFECT WAS PUBLISHED IN THE GOVERNMENT GAZETTE ON JULY 3.
+THIS MEANS THAT FROM OCTOBER 8 THE LEGAL OBLIGATION TO ACCEPT THESE COINS IN SATISFACTION OF DEBTS IS REMOVED, THE SPOKESMAN EXPLAINED.
+HOWEVER, ANY PERSON OWNING ANY OF THESE COINS WILL BE ABLE TO EXCHANGE THEM FOR THE NEWER FIVE-DOLLAR COINS OR FOR THE EQUIVALENT IN OTHER COINS OR NOTES BY PRESENTING THEM AT A BANK,+
THE NEW ROUND FIVE-DOLLAR COIN WAS INTRODUCED ON MAY 11, AND SINCE THAT DATE THE OLD COINS, LEGAL TENDER SINCE AUGUST 16, 1976 HAVE BEEN GRADUALLY WITHDRAWN FROM CIRCULATION.
OLD:
NEW:
THE DETAILED SPECIFICATIONS OF THE TWO COINS ARE AS FOLLOWS:
DIAMETER
(MM) 31
ACROSS CORNERS
27
SHAPE
WEIGHT
(GRAMS) 10.76
EDGE THICKNESS
(MM) 2.08
10 SIDED
13.50
2.90
ROUND
TYPE OF EDGE
PLAIN
RAISED LETTERED INSCRIPTION WITH THE WORDS HONG KONG FIVE DOLLARS IN ENGLISH AND CHINESE SET
INSIDE A CHANNEL AROUND THE EDGE
WHICH IS
OTHERWISE MILLED
BOTH COINS ARE MADE OF CUPRO-NICKEL AND ARE SILVER COLOURED.
ON JULY 31, 37 MILLION FIVE-DOLLAR COINS WERE IN CIRCULATION, AND OF THIS NUMBER 27 MILLION WERE OF THE SPECIFICATION WHICH IS TO BE DEMONETISED.
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