China's central bank will issue a set of precious metal commemorative coins for the 2008 Olympic Games.

The Olympic commemorative coins are scheduled for release between 2006 and 2008 in three series, including nine coins in gold and fourteen coins in silver, the People's Bank of China said in a press release on Monday.

The first set consists of two gold coins and 4 silver coins, with a face value of 150 yuan (about 18.8 US dollars) for the gold coin and 10 yuan (1.25 US dollars).

The common obverse design for the gold and silver coins features the traditional paired "Chinese Dragon" image, the Olympic Games emblem, the name of the country and the year, while the reverse designs take the form of images derived from Chinese history, folklore, culture and national heritage.

Source: Xinhua