Astro Boy gold coins to be sold in Japan

TAKAKO Kiyose, employee of Japan's Taisei Coins Corporation shows off a one-ounce (31.10 grammes) gold coin of popular cartoon character Astro Boy in Tokyo, March 6. - AFPpix.

TOKYO March 8 - A Japanese company will sell gold coins of futuristic cartoon character Astro Boy to celebrate his birth date, set half a century ago for April 2003 by comic-strip legend Osamu Tezuka, an official said Thursday.

The popular humanoid robot boy known as ``Atom'' in Japan, made his comic book debut in the early 1950s and starred in Japan's first television cartoon show in the early and mid-1960s.

``The future depicted by Mr. Tezuka and Atom's birthday, April 7, 2003, are drawing near,'' Tokyo-based Taisei Coins Corp. said, announcing it would offer 2003 gold coins featuring Astro Boy from Monday.

The one-ounce (31.10 gramme) coin, illustrating Astro Boy sitting up after being brought to life, is priced at 147,000 yen (US$1,250) each.

The coin cannot be used in Japan as it was minted in Sierra Leone.

``You can use it in Sierra Leone, but its face value is 500 Sierra Leone dollars, which only amounts to dozens of yen (less than one US dollar),'' a company official said.

The firm will also offer one-kilogramme (2.2-pound) silver coins and other variations. - AFP