XN000022-1981-11-19 — Page 7

ON

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 1981

+HOWEVER, APPLICATIONS WILL BE RESTRICTED TO HONG KONG RESIDENTS WITH A HONG KONG IDENTITY CARD. IN THE EVENT OF OVER-SUBSCRIPTION FOR EITHER THE PROOF OR THE BRILL FANT UNCIRCULATED COINS, OR BOTH, ONLY ONE APPLICATION FROM EACH IDENTITY CARD HOLDER FOR EACH VERSION OF THE COIN WILL PARTICIPATE IN THE BALLOT.

+ANY ADDITIONAL APPLICATION WILL BE AUTOMATICALLY REJECTED BY COMPUTER PRIOR TO BALLOTING.+

THE YEAR OF THE DOG GOLD COIN IS THE SEVENTH IN A SERIES THAT THE GOVERNMENT HAS BEEN ISSUING, SINCE 1976, TO DEPICT ANIMALS OF THE CHINESE LUNAR CALENDAR.

THE NUMBER OF COINS STRUCK FOR EACH COIN IN THE SERIES IS LIMITED. THE WORLD-WIDE LIMIT FOR THE YEAR OF THE DOG COIN HAS BEEN SET AT 55 000- OF THESE 22 000 ARE IN PROOF CONDITION AND 33 000 ARE OF BRIGHT UNCIRCULATED QUALITY. OF THESE TOTALS, 14 000 PROOF COINS AND 18 000 UNCIRCULATED COINS HAVE BEEN RESERVED FOR HONG KONG IDENTITY CARD HOLDERS.

THE PROOF COINS ARE PRICED AT $3 300 EACH WHILE THE BRILLIANT UNCIRCULATED VERSIONS AT $2 200 EACH.

UNLIKE THE BRILLIANT UNCIRCULATED COIN, THE PROOF VERSION USES A SPECIALLY SELECTED BLANK AND THIS IS STRUCK WITH CONSIDERABLE FORCE BETWEEN CAREFULLY PREPARED AND ULTRA SHARP DIES. THE BLOW PRESSES THE DESIGN ON TO EACH SIDE OF THE BLANK AND ALSO AROUND THE EDGE.

THE PROOF VERSION IS FURTHER ENHANCED BY AN ATTRACTIVE FROSTING OF THE RELIEF DESIGN AND THIS IS ACHIEVED BY BLASTING THE DIES WITH IMMENSELY HARD PARTICLES. THE TABLE OF THE PROOF COIN IS PAINSTAKINGLY POLISHED WITH DIAMOND PASTE TO ACHIEVE A MIRROR-LIKE FINISH. THE COIN IS THEN IMPRESSED AGAIN WITH EXTRA FIRM PRESSURE TO ENSURE THE CLARITY OF DETAIL THAT IS UNIQUE TO PROOF COINS,

THE SPOKESMAN SAID THAT THE DEMAND FOR THE YEAR OF THE DOG GOLD COINS IS EXPECTED TO BE HIGH BECAUSE OF THEIR FINE QUALITY, THE LIMITED SUPPLY AND THE FACT THAT THEY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE GOVERNMENT.

URGING INTERESTED RESIDENTS TO HAND IN THEIR APPLICATIONS EARLY, THE SPOKESMAN SAID THAT THEY SHOULD PRESENT THE IR COMPLETED APPLICATION FORMS BY HAND, TOGETHER WITH CASHIER'S ORDERS OR CHEQUES DATED NO LATER THAN DECEMBER 1, 1981, MADE PAYABLE TO THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT 1982 SPECIAL COIN ACCOUNT+ BEFORE 3 PM ON THAT DAY, AT ANY OF THE FOLLOWING BRANCHES OF THE HONGKONG AND SHANGHAI BANK ING CORPORATION

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