RETIREE Jang Eng Koon braved the rain to get commemorative coins issued by Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) to mark the 50th anniversary ofYayasan Sabah.

Jang, 69, turned up at the bank's Penang branch in Light Street, George Town, at around 9pm. He was among the long line of people who chose to wait overnight for the coins.

When the bank opened its doors 12 hours later in the morning, he was among the first to get the coins.

He bought a Coloured Silver Commemo-rative Coin (proof) and five pieces of the Nordic Gold Brilliant Uncirculated Commemorative Coin.

"I heard there were only 12 pieces of the Coloured Silver available at this branch. If I had waited until this morning to come here, I wouldn't get the chance to buy.

"There was heavy rain last night so my friends and I waited together and sought shelter at a bus stop near the bank," said the avid coin collector recently.

The Coloured Silver Commemorative Coin is a proof-coloured coin made of fine silver with 99.9 purity and weighs 31.10gm each.

It has a face value of RM10 and is sold at RM212 a piece. The mintage quantity is 500 pieces.

The Nordic Gold coin has a face value of RM1 and will be sold at RM10.60 each. The mintage quantity is 10,000 pieces.

On the obverse side of the coin, the centre shows the image and surroundings of Menara Tun Mustapha, also known as the Sabah Foundation Tower.

The words 'Ulang Tahun Ke-50' and the years '1966-2016' denotes the 50th anniversary.

The foundation's name 'Yayasan Sabah' is featured on the upper circumference of the coin.

On the reverse side of the coin, the words "Bank Negara Malaysia' as the issuing authority of the commemorative coin are featured on the upper circumference of the coin while the face value of the coin is inscribed on the lower circumference.

To read the complete article, see:
Long queue for special coins worth it (www.thestar.com.my/metro/community/2016/05/23/long-queue-for-special-coins-worth-it/)

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
MALAYSIAN COIN COLLECTORS LINED UP FOR NEW ISSUE (www.coinbooks.org/E-Sylum_v19n10a29.html)