The Lunar New Year is approaching, and it's the turn of the Dragon in the Chinese zodiac this year. Although it is the only mythical creature among the twelve zodiac animals. However, it must be said that the Dragon has been endowed with spiritual essence, symbolic status, auspiciousness, and representation of power and authority, making it the beloved representative of the zodiac.
This year, there are various elements related to the Dragon that are popular, such as the Dragon commemorative coins and limited edition clothing featuring the Ancestor Bird for the Year of the Dragon. However, not all Dragon-related elements will continue to rise in value. The premium space for Maotai zodiac liquor released this year is narrowing.
The long-awaited Dragon commemorative coins became an instant hit soon after New Year's Day. Netizens exclaimed, "It's so difficult to get one!" According to reports, the pre-order for the Dragon commemorative coins began at 10 pm on January 3. Even users who had been waiting in advance saw the page showing "quota: 0" in an instant. Friends on my social media also proudly showed off their commemorative notes they managed to get.
According to the announcement by the central bank, the commemorative coins for 2024 have a face value of 10 yuan, with a total circulation of 120 million. The commemorative notes have a face value of 20 yuan, with a total circulation of 100 million.
The announcement released by the Currency Gold and Silver Bureau of the central bank at 4 pm on January 4 shows that the overall progress of pre-orders for the 2024 commemorative notes and coins has exceeded 99.1%, which means that over 100 million commemorative coins have been pre-ordered.
For those who didn't manage to get one, don't be discouraged. The release of the coins and notes is divided into two stages. According to the 2024 Maotai coin and note release arrangement announced in various regions, the second round of exchange will officially begin on January 17 in Hunan and Sichuan.
On different platforms, the premium of the Dragon commemorative coins varies due to the nature of the coin trading circle. A visit to the coin and stamp market in Madian, Beijing by reporters from the China Securities Journal revealed that the sale price of individual Dragon notes ranges from 44 yuan to 46 yuan (with a face value of 20 yuan each); the price of Dragon coins is relatively stable, with prices ranging from 14.5 yuan to 15.5 yuan (with a face value of 10 yuan each).
Some merchants pointed out that in the coin market, there are certain preferences for consecutive numbers (a hundred consecutive notes) and leopard numbers (the last three digits are the same), which also affect the price of Dragon notes. A stack of a hundred consecutive Dragon coins (with a total face value of 2000 yuan) is currently priced starting from 5700 yuan, up to several tens of thousands. Merchants remind non-professional collectors to be cautious of price fluctuations.
While browsing a certain second-hand platform, the writer found that a seller noted that the combination of 20 commemorative coins and 20 commemorative notes is priced at 1500 yuan, but it is not guaranteed to be consecutive.
Why is the situation so heated for the Dragon commemorative coins this year? Firstly, related to traditional cultural attributes. According to People's Daily, many interviewees stated that the Year of the Dragon has a certain special significance in Chinese traditional culture, and some consumers said that the design of the Dragon commemorative coins is better than in previous years. Secondly, rarity. It is understood that the Dragon commemorative notes released this year are the first New Year commemorative notes issued in China since 1999. In addition, since 1988, the central bank has issued Dragon commemorative coins four times, and the Dragon commemorative notes are the second issuance, with the first issuance having a face value of 100 yuan.
The Co-Director of the Digital Economy and Financial Innovation Research Center at Zhejiang University International Business School stated in an interview with the media that the total price of the set of commemorative coins and notes has been speculated to nearly a thousand yuan, among which many people are not "commemorating" but rather expecting appreciation.
However, the premium space for the Dragon commemorative coins and notes may not be too large. Firstly, because coin and stamp trading has become increasingly sluggish in recent years, and secondly, due to the large circulation of Dragon commemorative coins, buying at the current highest price of nearly a thousand yuan would likely result in a loss.
When Maotai zodiac liquor becomes less scarce this year, the hype surrounding Maotai zodiac liquor, which has had high market premiums in previous years, has cooled down! On January 7, the Dragon Year Maotai zodiac liquor was officially available on the iMaotai app, and the enthusiasm for purchase was high. However, this fervor did not last long.
The release price of Maotai Dragon Year zodiac liquor was 2499 yuan/bottle. It received over 8.5 million applications when it was launched and had a 0.2% chance of being selected. At one point, its market price reached nearly 8000 yuan/bottle. However, after 5 days, when people felt hopeless about getting one and the price continued to rise, the retail price in the market had already fallen to around 4000 yuan/bottle.
A liquor merchant interviewed by China Network Finance stated that in the past few days, the "Dragon Maotai" in their hands had almost no transactions because of the high opening and low closing of zodiac liquors in previous years. No one wants to be a "fool". In his opinion, the price trend of "Dragon Maotai" is similar to the price trend of zodiac liquors in previous years. "At the start of the Year of the Ox, it was over 8000 yuan, but it lasted for just over a month and dropped to around 3500 yuan."
