The collector coin "The Earth" is made of translucent perlucor with a silver outer ring. The symbolic Earth at the centre of the coin points to its place in the system of human values and its existential integrity. The jewel-like Earth is enclosed by a diaphanous veil representing the Universe where the planet Earth is floating as an island of life.
The author of the coin's graphic design making a debut in coin art is architect M. Kalniņš. The artist's original idea of a translucent coin came out as top winner at Latvijas Banka's competition of innovative euro coins in 2015. The material used is perlucor, an extremely innovative ceramic material with extraordinary mechanical, chemical and thermal resistance and excellent optical properties. It is used in laser, military and medical equipment engineering, optical applications and elsewhere.
The coin has been struck by UAB Lietuvos monetų kalykla (Lithuania). The two-sided diaphanous veil of perlucor is enclosed by an outer ring of silver. A curved image of the Earth, made of silver and featuring geophysical map of the world in colour print, is at the centre.
The collector coin "The Earth" is legal tender in the Republic of Latvia, yet its release in circulation is unlikely, for by nature collector coins are works of art enjoying high demand from the numismatic community and other interested parties. The coin's maximum mintage is limited to 5 000.
The price of this coin at Latvijas Banka Cashier's Offices is 85.00 euro. As of 22 December, it will be on sale at Latvijas Banka Cashier's Offices (K. Valdemāra iela 1B, Riga and Teātra iela 3 in Liepāja). As of 11:00 today, it can also be reserved via the new collector coin and other numismatic product online reservation service of Latvijas Banka under the Banknotes and Coins Section (https://rezervetmonetu.bank.lv) of Latvijas Banka website (www.bank.lv). The most important advantage of the innovative service is the opportunity for customers to buy new collector coins and different numismatic products offered online by Latvijas Banka at the most convenient time and without waiting in lines. It is most likely to suit the needs of customers, e.g. from regions, who are busy on the initial days of new coin issuance or who cannot visit the Cashier's Offices of Latvijas Banka due to other reasons. If the demand for collector coins is high, as has been the case previously, the coin reservation, assisted by the service, proceeds very quickly.
The coin will be available at such traditional points of sale as coin, book, souvenir and jewellery shops (https://monetas.bank.lv/images/stories/pielikumi/nauda/Monetu-tirdzniecibas-vietas.pdf). Latvijas Banka's collector coins and other numismatic products can be obtained online also from the JSC "Latvijas Pasts" ( http://old.pasts.lv/lv/veikals/).
The information about collector coins available from Latvijas Banka Cashier's Offices is provided at https://monetas.bank.lv/iegade. This site shows that a vast range of thematically and artistically diverse coins are available.
The activities with regard to coin art in the coming year will proceed under the sign of Latvia's centenary and promise to be versatile in terms of themes and design solutions. The information about Latvijas Banka's Coin Programme 2017 is available at https://monetas.bank.lv/iegade.