Money Matters

So, one thing I've always been interested in is coinage and money. I collected off and on for many years, and I've always liked the combination of artwork and history in currency.

Taiwan has some very interesting coinage and paper money. Their coinage is more prevalent than paper money, and for a good reason. The cost of things is inflated, generally, here. The dollar is of very little value, and is in fact the second lowest denomination of money.

Next is $5 NTD, $10, and $50 all in coins. I have read that there is a $1/2 NTD and a $20 coin, but I have not seen one in circulation yet.

The cost of things is low as compared to converted US dollars, but higher in relation to the Taiwanese dollar. For example, the Pocky pictured in an earlier post was $60 NTD or less than $2 US. It's not uncommon to spend over $100 NTD on a quick trip out, and it was a real shock the first few days to see things in $100s or $1,000 NTD.




Above are coins and paper money. On the coinage Chiang Kai-shek (the founder of the Kuomintang Party) is depicted. On the $100 bill one of the early leaders of the Kuomintang Party, Sun Yat-sen, is depicted.

Taiwanese dollar bills are also colored in red, blue and purple for the $100, $500, and $1,000 respectively. As you can see, one has to carry lots of bills to pay for things.



As for me, I'm off to buy some candy at Wellcome Mart. Perhaps there will be pictures.

Until then,

Zai Jian!