Gurpurb coins sold out, SGPC to offer more

Tribune News Service

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Amritsar, March 11

To meet the overwhelming demand, the SGPC has procured 7.5 kg of raw gold to craft a fresh lot of special coins dedicated to the 550th birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Nanak Dev. Similarly, the silver coins too are being offered.

Officials said the entire lot of 24-carat pure gold coins weighing 5 gm and 10 gm each and silver coins weighing 25 gm and 50 gm each had been sold off. The composition of silver coins has 99.9 per cent intrinsic value.

In the first phase, total 700 coins were offered which included 200 gold coins, weighing 10 gm and 250 coins weighing 50 gm each. Similarly, there were 250 silver coins.

It has been learnt that to enable these specially crafted coins within the reach of every devotee, the SGPC has decided to offer gold coins with smaller weighing category too. Another attraction was that the SGPC has fixed the rate of new lot of gold coins. While charging negligible labour cost, the 10 gm gold coin would be available for Rs 35,500 each, whereas the 5 gm would be charged just the half.

Earlier, these coins were available at the prevailing gold rates applicable on the day of the purchase. The silver ones would be charged as per the current rate value.

SGPC secretary Balwinder Singh Jourasingha said at least 1,000 gold coins would be offered in coming days. He said the response was immense this time comparative to the coins that were introduced on earlier special occasions. He said the leftover coins were also melted to make the new lot of coins. “As per the feedback received from devotees, the proposal is there to offer gold coins that should weigh between 2 gm or 2.5 gm so that more people can afford them,” he said.

The speciality is that on one side of the coin the impression of Gurdwara Nankana Sahib has been embossed and the other side has the image of Gurdwara Ber Sahib.