From 14 March to 27 March 2023, Latvijas Banka, in cooperation with the news portal Delfi, organises the traditional public vote "Latvia's Coin of the Year 2022".
Everyone is invited to express his/her opinion as to which of the collector coins issued in 2022 is the most appealing in terms of the artistic solution, emotional impact, originality and thematic aspect, and win one of the coins. Anyone can vote for his/her favourite coin on the portal Delfi.lv: https://www.delfi.lv/latvijas-gada-moneta-2022/.
Four collector coins dedicated not only to the Latvian culture and developments but also to Ukraine's fight for freedom were issued in 2022.
- "Satversme 100" (video); graphic design: Aigars Ozoliņš;
- "Vilhelms Purvītis" (video); graphic design: Frančeska Kirke;
- "Upward" (video); graphic design: Krista and Reinis Dzudzilo;
- "For the Freedom of Ukraine" (video); graphic design: Sergiy Maidukov (Ukraine; this is the first time that a collector coin of Latvijas Banka has been designed by a foreign artist), plaster model: Ligita Franckeviča.
The four coins have been minted by Lietuvos monetų kalykla (Lithuania). The coins "Upward" and "For the Freedom of Ukraine" (this coin is of a practical significance as the income earned from its sale is donated to Ukraine) are still available for purchase on the website www.e-monetas.lv/en.
The results of the vote will be announced by 14 April 2023 and published on Latvijas Banka's website bank.lv, as well as on the portal Delfi.lv. The vote will conclude with a draw where the registered participants will have a chance to win one out of a pool of 12 collector coins, all issued in 2022.
Since 1993, Latvijas Banka has issued 98 lats collector coins and 47 euro collector coins. Overall, more than 50 artists from Latvia and now also one artist from Ukraine have participated in designing Latvian coins.
Latvian coins have received high international recognition and a number of prestigious awards; moreover, the "Coin of Latvia" won the international 2010 Coin of the Year Award at the contest organised by the US numismatics publishing house Krause Publications and its magazine World Coin News. Latvian coins have excelled at this contest several times: in 2015, the silver collector coin "The Baltic Way" was the winner in the nomination the Best Contemporary Event Coin, meanwhile, the collector coin "National Entrepreneur" was announced the winner in the category the Most Artistic Coin. At the competition Coin of the Year Awards (COTY) in 2020, the "Honey Coin", Latvijas Banka's collector coin, was announced the world's Most Artistic Coin and the Coin of the Year.
The Coin Design Commission of Latvijas Banka (the former Commission for the Thematic Concept of the Banknotes and Coins), which has been active since 12 November 1993, plays an important role in the coin issuing process. The Commission consists of the employees of Latvijas Banka, outstanding Latvian experts in art and culture as well as artists and scientists.
For reference
The "Coin of Luck" was named Latvia's Coin of the Year 2021 (video). In the public survey, organised by Latvijas Banka and the news portal Delfi.lv, a record number of voters took part – more than 35 000. The graphic design of the "Coin of Luck" has been created by Arvīds Priedīte, an experienced coin artist and the author of many collector coins issued by Latvijas Banka, whereas the author of the plaster model is Jānis Strupulis. The message of the coin is that luck may very well be accidental. Unlike fortune, however, it requires you to grab opportunities when they present themselves.
Since 2004, when Latvijas Banka organised the first public vote, the following coins have been named Latvia's Coin of the Year: "Coin of Time", "Baron Münchhausen", "Coin of digits", "Coin of Time II", "Lucky coin", "Coin of Water", "Amber coin", "Fog mists the pane", "5-lats Silver Collector Coin", "Baby coin", "Baroque of Courland", "Fairy tale coin I. Five cats", "Fairy Tale Coin II. Hedgehog's Coat", "Smith Forges in the Sky", "Honey coin", "Cat's Mill" and "Linden leaf".