6 8s are so popular! One hundred-yuan banknotes were once marked 153 times the face value. The central bank’s special number banknotes will be auctioned on 10/22

The central bank's special number banknotes will be auctioned on 10/22. (provided by the central bank)

[Reporter Chen Meiying/Taipei Report] Banknote fans, look over here! The 29th batch of special-numbered banknotes of the Central Bank will be officially put on sale from 10 a.m. on October 22, and bidding will close at 10 a.m. on October 27. A total of 150 sets of 6,160 special banknotes were released this time, and the Bank of Taiwan was entrusted with the process. Online bidding was adopted for the public to bid for collection.

Deng Yanda, director of the Issuance Bureau of the Central Bank, said that since the first batch of New Taiwan Dollar special number banknotes were auctioned in October 2012, the cumulative auction revenue has reached 135,869,505 yuan; after deducting the face value of the banknotes and business tax, the net income was 91,036,105 yuan, all of which was paid to the national treasury.

Among them, a total of 153 groups and 6,281 photos were auctioned in the 28th phase, with a winning rate of more than 90%, a total winning bid amount of 6,887,992 yuan, and a net income of 3,551,135 yuan. Compared with the 27th phase, the winning rate was about 80%, and the buying momentum increased slightly.

Deng Yanda said that the auction scale of special number banknotes has continued to expand in recent years. In the early stage, the 23rd issue only had 123 groups and 4,405 pieces. In recent issues, it has increased to about 150 groups and more than 6,100 pieces. The central bank will continue to monitor market buying sentiment and appropriately adjust the number of auction lots and groups.

The central bank's special number banknote auctions have always been organized by the Bank of Taiwan and conducted through online bidding. The auction items include 100 yuan, 500 yuan and 1,000 yuan special number circulating banknotes. The public can go to the "New Taiwan Dollar Special Number Banknote Auction Area" on the Bank of Taiwan website for relevant information.

The central bank's first auction of special-numbered banknotes was launched in September 2012. At that time, 74 sets of "three-open collector's editions" (three uncut 100-yuan notes for the centenary of the founding of the People's Republic of China) were launched. Among them, the serial number "QU888888AL" was bid at a high price of 688,888 yuan, which is still the highest single transaction record.

In terms of single auction multiples, the highest record was set in the second auction in May 2013, when a hundred-dollar note numbered "SU888888AK" was sold for NT$15,360, equivalent to 153.6 times the face value; the highest multiple for a series set was in the third issue, when a set of nine hundred-dollar notes sold for NT$59,990, reaching 66.66 times the face value.