Guangzhou Blood Center has launched a program to reward blood donors who meet specific conditions with a commemorative pure silver medal in order to encourage blood donation. However, due to the continuous surge in international silver prices, the original supplier has refused to provide the materials, forcing the suspension of the commemorative medal program.
According to reports, some blood donors in Guangzhou revealed that on December 21st, they received a text message from the Guangzhou Blood Center stating that due to the ongoing increase in silver prices, the supplier was unable to fulfill the contract, and the distribution of the pure silver commemorative medals to blood donors would be delayed until a new bidding process is conducted.
On December 22nd, a blood donor reposted a related message, stating: “Due to the continuous rise in silver prices, the original supplier is unable to fulfill the contract. Our center has made multiple attempts to coordinate without success and is currently restarting the bidding process…”
A staff member at the Guangzhou Blood Center’s blood donation service hotline confirmed the situation of the pure silver commemorative medals not being distributed, citing the continuous rise in silver prices as the reason for the original supplier’s failure to deliver. The staff member mentioned that despite several attempts to communicate and coordinate with the supplier, they are now in the process of re-bidding. “The distribution period for the exclusive pure silver commemorative medals for blood donors is estimated to be delayed by 4 to 5 months, and the specific distribution time cannot be confirmed at the moment, pending the progress of the bidding process.”
Blood donors who successfully donate blood on any day of their birthday month or when couples, family members, or parent-child pairs donate blood successfully on the same day are eligible to apply for a customized pure silver commemorative medal. Each pure silver commemorative medal weighs 11 grams, and it takes approximately 45 working days to complete production.
According to CCTV Finance news, international silver prices have risen by over 90% since the beginning of this year. Information from the official website of the Shanghai Gold Exchange shows that the average price of silver in January 2025 was 7.714 RMB/gram, which had increased to 11.916 RMB/gram by November. On the morning of December 22nd, the price of silver reached a peak of 15.993 RMB/gram. Therefore, to produce an 11-gram pure silver commemorative medal at the current price requires 176 RMB.