BNM has been releasing 2 commemorative coins in May and June for 2012. A friend sms me recently asking if they're news about new coins by BNM for July. He also sms me, "1 coin per month for 2 straight months without any picture of our BNM girl in the news." He even joke with me about his fantasy to keep a pictures of Noor Aimah Mohd Nor wearing a Girl Guides uniform while showing the recently release 100 years of Girl Guides coins. He said he feel disappointed when both of the new coins release in the news don't show any pictures of our Malaysia currency model. Look like she already gain a fan among Malaysian who follow numismatic news. I think many collector will agree if she become an official BNM girl in the future. Even my foreigner friends also love to she her in the Malaysia new banknotes pictures. What I heard, currently she is busy giving talk to retailers and hypermarkets store around Klang Valley about Malaysia new currency. So far, they're no lucky fan who show me their pictures with her, email me if you have that kind of pictures. That will be a rare thing, right?
Photo by The Star: Agong xiv coin release day
A coin a month, will it OK for you if Bank Negara Malaysia release another new commemorative coins next week or one new series of coins per month? Another new coins for July? Some will says they don't have any budget to get any new coins if BNM release it in the near future. If you don't buy them, someone will buy that coins. Have you came to the recent BNM Agong xiv coin sales at any BNM branch? They're a group of youngster and also old people who come to buy the coins. Some of them come to BNM Penang as early as 10pm, one day before the coin release. In BNM KL, around 200 people already at the BNM gate before 5am. They're people who are working for "runner" or dealer and small time investor who want to get easy profit. They earn around RM30-RM150 depends on the proof coins that they get and their runner. Will you think these people do care if you don't buy that coins at BNM? In the end, you will need to buy it with them to complete your coin set. The recent trends has its own pros and cons. Collector who don't have time to queue can easily get their commemorative coins with paying some fee to these runner. With so many people buying the coins on the BNM release day, the new coins sold out around noon on the same day.
As of today, here are some new coins rumours that I heard will come out in the near future:
- RMK10 coin (10th Malaysia Plan) with Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib face. I don't think this coin will be coming out into circulation because the design is very bad. I saw the coin pictures last year around November.
- Sifu Dickson Niew called me that he heard rumours about a new coins that will be out in the next 2 weeks and asked me if I knew anything about it. He said the coin is about 1Malaysia coin with Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib face. No one confirm anything yet but I think what Sifu Dickson heard might be a 55 years Merdeka celebration coin.
- They're some blog visitor who come into my blog using the keywords "UNESCO Penang heritage coin" every week. Most of them came from United States and Europe with at least one visitor a week. I don't think BNM will release such coins but who know?
Do you realize for the 2012 commemorative coins by BNM, you can see both of the coins don't have any year on the design. Will the next BNM coins follow the same thing? If you look at the certificate for the Agong proof coins, the issued date is 22 June 2012. The news about the Agong xiv coin will be release came out on the same date. They're rumours about that coin release on that week but BNM share a press release about the new coins instead. In my opinion, the rumours about the new coin with 1Malaysia logo is true but BNM will only sale it near end of this month, hopefully or many collector cannot bought the new coins because don't have any more budget.
One coin a month, will BNM dare? Will collectors agree?
For me, it is ok, as long as BNM announce the release date one week early.
