New Coin Issues

Commemorating Women’s Suffrage in Belgium

A new commemorative €2 coin has been released to mark 75 years since universal suffrage was granted for women in Belgium, in March 1948.

Produced by the Royal Dutch Mint and issued by the Royal Belgian Mint, the obverse features a Venus symbol with the centre filled in with a pencil – symbolising the marking of a voting box on a ballot. ‘Universal women’s suffrage’ has been inscribed above and below the symbol in Dutch and French respectively.

‘75 years’ in both languages appears to the left of the central Venus symbol, with the issuing country, year of issue, mintmaster’s privy mark, and mint mark of the Royal Dutch Mint appearing on the right of the coin. ‘IB’, the initials of coin designer Iris Bruijns, are inscribed below the symbol.

The coin has been produced in BU and Proof quality, with the BU coins set in a coincard. The front of the coincard features images of newspapers announcing the expansion of suffrage to include women 75 years ago, with the reverse portraying several women standing in voting booths, exercising their right to vote.

Two language versions have been produced for the coincard, with 62,500 released featuring a French front and 62,500 featuring a Dutch front – a total mintage of 125,000 coins of this type. Mintage of the Proof quality coins has been limited to 5,000 pieces.

RDM Releases Free a Girl NFT Coincard

On the International Day of Child Rights, the Royal Dutch Mint (RDM) released the Free a Girl coincard featuring its first ever RDM NFT (Non-Fungible Token). The coincard has been produced in partnership with charitable organisation Free a Girl, which fights for a world without child exploitation and supports survivors to bring their perpetrators to justice.

With around 2 million children worldwide trapped in a situation of sexual exploitation, the coincard is intended as a reminder of the work that still needs to be done in order to give children the childhood they deserve. It also pays tribute to the important work that Free a Girl – which marks its 15th anniversary this year – does every day.

According to the RDM, in the overall concept, the digital and physical issues together tell the story of 15 years of Free a Girl; before and after liberation.

The obverse of the physical coin depicts a fictional girl who is still trapped behind bars, whilst the reverse shows a broken chain held in a raised fist on the right, with the Free a Girl logo to the left. Mintage has been limited to 4,000 pieces.

The Mint chose dark shades for the coincard design, to ‘evoke the atmosphere of captivity and an anxious situation’. The reverse of the coincard depicts broken bars in the centre, with a handheld light shining through them. A square, with the coin in the centre, is shown on the right-hand side – representative of the small spaces where young girls are held captive.

The obverse of the coincard depicts a sitting girl in the centre, with a pink bird flying above her. The pink of the bird is a nod to Free a Girl’s characteristic colour and represents the rescue of girls by the organisation’s rescue teams.

By scanning the QR code featured on the coincard, those who buy the coin obtain a free digital wallet containing a unique NFT. The NFTs are claimed via Polygon blockchain, in partnership with THX Network. Each coincard has a different NFT attached to it, thanks to the QR code.

Five of these NFTs have been produced, with each focusing on a different step in the journey available for the freed girls. The amount of each design available varies – with 2,100 School for Justice, 1,361 Lawyer, 496 Judge, and 40 Golden judgement NFTs available. Only three ‘more than exceptional’ titled NFTs have been produced – with the design symbolising justice prevailing for young women freed from sexual exploitation. Those who hold this NFT are also given the opportunity for an exclusive tour of the RDM’s mint building and production spaces.

You can find out more about the collaboration and NFT here: www.royaldutchmint.com/nft.

A Coin for Peace from INCM

The Banco de Portugal has issued its second and final €2 commemorative circulating coin of 2023 into circulation. Titled ‘A Coin for Peace’, the coins have been produced by the Imprensa Nacional-Casa da Moeda (INCM, the Portuguese Mint).

The obverse of the coin depicts an armillary sphere in the centre. A 16-pointed star surrounds the central sphere, formed by the word ‘Peace’ inscribed in the 16 official languages of the 20 countries that make up the Eurozone. The design symbolises different identities, whilst establishing a dialogue converging towards a common goal or agreement – Peace.

As with all other circulating commemoratives issued by eurozone countries, the new coin has the same technical specifications as previous €2 releases, with the reverse design remaining the standard Map of Europe design by Luc Luycx.

The coins are being distributed to the public through credit institutions, the central bank’s cash offices, and INCM shops. Mintage has been set at 500,000 coins.

Kazakhstan Marks 30 Years of the Tenge

The National Bank of Kazakhstan has issued a commemorative 1,000 tenge coin to mark the 30th anniversary of the country’s currency. Titled ‘TEŃGEGE 30 JYL’, the coin forms part of the ‘Outstanding events and people’ series.

‘The coin’s design is made in a modern aesthetic in line with the digitalisation trend, encouraging the choice of this specific concept’, said Almat Bassenov, Chief Designer at the National Bank of Kazakhstan.

‘The design of the coin centres around the tenge symbol, with an ornamental sprout on its left side, symbolising the growth of our national currency and prosperity. At the same time, it adds a touch of national flavour to the coin.’ A total of 2,000 coins have been produced, with 300 of the collector coins comprised of silver with a gilt finish, and another set of silver coins featuring a tantalum insert.

Commemorating Six Decades of 007

The Royal Mint has released the first coin in its latest seven coin series ‘celebrating the incredible legacy of… timeless character’ James Bond. Each coin design will feature a scene from a different decade of the Bond films.

The first coin, ‘Bond Films of the 1960s’, pays tribute to the decade when the eponymous secret agent first hit the big screen. The coin design features a scene from the fifth Bond movie, ‘You Only Live Twice’ in the foreground, where Bond actor Sean Connery flies gyroplane ‘Little Nellie’.

Each 1960s Bond film title has been inscribed in the background, with the ‘007’ logo depicted at the bottom of the coin.

A BU coin with a denomination of £5 has been produced, with six precious metal versions also available – three gold proof and three silver proof coins.

RAM Honours the Second Elizabethan Era

The Royal Australian Mint has commemorated the reign of the late Queen Elizabeth II by releasing a 50 cent coin design in both fine silver proof and uncirculated finishes. According to the Mint, the coins are intended to celebrate the Queen’s seven decades of devotion and service, as well as the indelible mark she left on Australian coinage and coin collecting.

The reverse features six different effigies of the Queen designed throughout her reign by various artists, with her royal cypher detailed below the portraits. Created in-house by the Mint’s design team, the central image is framed with lily of the valley, one of the Queen’s favourite flowers and golden wattle, Australia’s national floral emblem. ‘Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’ and her years of reign are inscribed above and below the central design, respectively.

The obverse of the coin depicts the Queen Elizabeth II Memorial Effigy by Jody Clark, alongside the monarch’s years of reign.

Mintage of the coin has been limited to 25,000 uncirculated coins and 7,500 silver proof coins. As anticipated by the Mint, there has been high demand for the collectible from numismatists, royal enthusiasts, and distributors.