Collectors flocked to licensed outlets, including designated branches of Bank of China, for Olympic commemorative gold, when dragon-tail engraved gold bars went on sale Thursday morning.

 

 

The complete set of gold bars

 

The gold bar is the fourth piece of a five-bar set, which as a whole forms the figure "2008" in the shape of a "firedrake" on its face. The first gold bar went on sale as early back as 2005, and the previous three bars have already sold out. The last bar in the set, which shows the waist of the dragon, will be issued in May 2008.

 

There are four weight categories available for this fourth bar -- 50 grams, 100 grams, 500 grams, and 1,000 grams -- with a limited issue of 2,008 kg.

 

This gold bar set is the first commemorative gold to be issued specifically for the Olympic Games

 

(Xinhua News Agency November 9, 2007)