Local residents queued up at major banks since morning yesterday to get their hands on 5-yuan commemorative coins issued by the People’s Bank of China.

The PBOC issued 50 million 5-yuan brass coins nationwide yesterday that has the Chinese character “Harmony” on the back. The coin costs 5 yuan and can be used as currency.

More than 60 residents had lined up at the gate of a Bank of Shanghai branch in downtown even before it opened. Most of them were middle-aged and elderly people. Some of them were holding children or carried folding chairs.

The first woman in the queue, surnamed Zhao, said she reached the bank about 6am. She was not a coin collector but came to the bank for her husband who was on night shift.

When the bank opened at 8am, 10 people were allowed to enter the bank at a time and each person could only get one coin. Some of them queued up several times to collect as many coins as possible.

Residents can also get the coins at the branches of other major banks including Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, Bank of China and China Construction Bank, but according to an STV news report, most of the coins were sold out by yesterday morning. But there were some still available at some coin markets.

This is the third set of coins issued by central bank since 2009 which carry the Chinese inscription “Harmony.”

The first set of 10 million 1-yuan coins was issued on November 26, 2009, while the second 2-yuan set of 50 million coins was released on November 9 the next year.