Remarkable New Issues

Coin & Mint News™ continues our ‘Remarkable New Issues’ segment, in partnership with CoinsWeekly, by highlighting three new collectible issues that celebrate a national icon or animal – and in the case of Canada, both.

Illuminating the Deep Sea

Austria’s series, Leuchtende Meereswelten (Luminous Sea Worlds), received its tenth entry this year. The latest issue is dedicated to the firefly squid and features a special twist on the reverse. In normal light, you can barely make out more than the deep blue of the sea in the coin’s design. Under UV light, however, the firefly squid on the coin begin to illuminate, just like their real-life counterparts in the waters around Japan.

© Münze Österreich.

Ringing In Spring

Carnival season is celebrated around the world with a wide variety of festivities, often based on long-standing local traditions. Croatia has dedicated a range of commemorative coins to one such tradition, with the latest issue honouring the Halubje Bell Ringers. With animal masks and large bells, they parade through the country to scare away the evil spirits of winter and bring the fertility of spring to the fields.