2011-12-12
The Bank of Lithuania wishing fair winds to the Lithuanian sportsmen at the Olympic Games in London after minting a commemorative coin
The 50 litas collector (commemorative) silver coin dedicated to the Olympic Games to be held in London next year issued by the Bank of Lithuania today features an Olympic sport – competitive yachting. There are stylized sails and thrice an inscription VĖJO (WIND WE NEED) on the edge of the coin.
“By raising sails on the coin we are not only paying homage to those representatives of our country who have already won Olympic awards but are also hoping for our Olympic sportsmen to gladden Lithuania with victories again. So fair winds to all in London!”, the Chairman of the Board of the Bank of Lithuania Vitas Vasiliauskas said.
The President of the Lithuanian National Olympic Committee Artūras Poviliūnas rejoiced: “Bank of Lithuanian coins dedicated to Olympic Games always bring great success to our Olympic sportsmen: no matter how many of them are issued on such occasions, we always come back home with medals… Such coins are as if the symbol of victories our youth strives at during Olympic Games”.
This is the fifth collector coin issued by the Bank of Lithuania dedicated to Olympic Games. The coins of the previous issues were dedicated to basketball players, discus throwers, runners, bicyclists whose victories Lithuania had rejoiced at.
On the new coin one can see a latent image incorporated in one of the sails featured on the back of the coin. When the coin is viewed at a certain angle, the changing elements of the image can be seen: the logo of the Lithuanian National Olympic Committee or the Roman numeral XXX reminding of the anniversary Olympic Summer Games to be held in London.
During the presentation of the new coin organised at the Money Museum of the Bank of Lithuania the new coins were gifted to their designers Rūta Ona Čigriejūtė and Rytas Jonas Belevičius, the author of the text for the folder Venantas Butkus, and the representatives of the Lithuanian National Olympic Committee.
The first coin on the subject of sports was the 10 litas coin issued to commemorate the 5th World Lithuanians Sport Games in 1995. The Olympic series was launched in 1996 with the 50 litas silver coin to mark the Olympic Games in Atlanta. Silver coins of the same denomination have perpetuated the subsequent Olympic Games: in 2000 in Sydney, in 2003 in Athens, and in 2007 in Beijing. Two collector coins were issued this summer: 50 litas gold coin and 1 litas circulation coin – both dedicated to Basketball.
The coins were minted at the UAB Lithuanian Mint. The mintage of the coin is 5,000 pieces.
As from the day of issue the new coins can be obtained at the cash offices of the Bank of Lithuania in Vilnius (Totorių g. 2/8), Kaunas (Maironio g. 25), and Klaipėda (Naujoji Uosto g. 16). The price of the coin with a display box is LTL 170, without a display box LTL 150.
Collector coins perpetuate landmark events in the history of our State and the world history, prominent people and architectural monuments. The Bank of Lithuania has already issued collector coins under 71 names and circulation commemorative coins under 7 names.
