2012-06-15
Two coins issued by the Bank of Lithuania gained recognition in the international contest “Coin Constellation”
Two coins issued by the Bank of Lithuania – the gold coin dedicated to Basketball and the silver coin dedicated to Theatre – gained recognition in the international commemorative coin contest “Coin Constellation” organised this week in Moscow, Russia. Over 250 coins and 28 coin series from 29 countries were submitted to the contest.
In the opinion of the contest jury, the 50 litas gold coin issued last year for the first time is the best gold coin of the year. The graphic designs of the coin were created by Liudas Parulskis, the plaster models by Giedrius Paulauskis. The 10 litas silver commemorative coin dedicated to Theatre won the third place in the nomination “Successful Artistic Solution”. In the design of the reverse of the coin, its author Giedrius Paulauskis used an art work “Theatre” created by a famous graphic artist Stasys Krasauskas. Both coins were minted at UAB Lietuvos monetų kalykla (Lithuanian Mint).
“We are pleased that two more coins of the Bank of Lithuania attracted the attention of the international numismatists community and gained recognition in the world coin contest. It is not only a recognition of diligent work of the coin’s creators and the mint, but also an incentive for new creative quests”, said Mr. Audrius Misevičius, Member of the Board of the Bank of Lithuania, Chairman of the Currency Design and Production Commission.
The coin contest “Coin Constellation” was organised for the sixth time. According to its rules, the coins issued into circulation from 1 January to 31 December 2011 participated in the contest this year. The organiser of the event is the company “Watermark Publishing House” established in Russia.
Recently, the 1 litas coin dedicated to Basketball has won the award of the most beautiful circulation coin in the Mint Directors Conference, which takes place every two years in Vienna, Austria.
Seven other coins have been awarded in international contests earlier: 50 litas silver coin dedicated to XXVII Olympic Games in Sydney, 50 litas silver coin dedicated to the 425th anniversary of the Vilnius University, 100 litas gold coin from the series dedicated to the millennium anniversary of the mention of the name of Lithuania, 10 litas gold coin issued for the participation in the international programme “Smallest Gold Coins of the World. History of Gold”, 50 litas silver coin issued for the participation in the silver coin programme “Europe. European Cultural Heritage”, 50 litas silver coin dedicated to the Tytuvėnai Architectural Ensemble (from the series “Historical and Architectural Monuments of Lithuania”), 500 litas gold coin dedicated to 600th anniversary of the Battle of Grünwald.