Voting for the best collector coin of 2023 is open

From 19 March to 4 April 2024, Latvijas Banka, in cooperation with the news portal Delfi, organises the traditional public vote "Latvia's Coin of the Year 2023". The vote is the most significant event in Latvia's coin art, already organised for the 20th time.

Everyone is invited to express his/her opinion as to which of the collector coins minted in 2023 is the most appealing in terms of its artistic solution and story. Latvijas Banka invites the public to vote, offering the opportunity to win one of the six coins issued in 2023. The prize pool consists of 18 coins. Anyone can vote for his/her favourite coin on the portal Delfi.lv: https://www.delfi.lv/balsojums/91.

In 2023, six collector coins were issued, each dedicated to Latvia's culture, important events or other significant topics:

- "Stardust" (video); graphic design: Līga Kitchen, plaster model: Ligita Franckeviča;

- "Song Thrills" (video); graphic design: Anna Līva Traumane and Harijs Vucens;

- "100 Years of Basketball in Latvia" (video); graphic design: Paulis Liepa;

- "The Golden Horses" (video); graphic design: Ivars Heinrihsons, plaster model: Jānis Strupulis;

- "Fan of Light Rays" (video); graphic design: Ivars Drulle; plaster model: Ligita Franckeviča;

- "Riga Fashion" (video); graphic design: Alīna Grīnpauka.

The coins "Stardust", "Song Thrills", "Fan of Light Rays" and "Riga Fashion" are still available for purchase on the website www.e-monetas.lv.

The results of the vote will be announced by 19 April 2024 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 a collector coin issued in 2023.

Since 1993, Latvijas Banka has issued 98 lats collector coins and 53 euro collector coins. Overall, more than 50 artists from Latvia and 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 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; 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), operational since 12 November 1993, plays an important role in the coin issuing process. The Commission consists of employees of Latvijas Banka, outstanding Latvian experts in art and culture as well as artists and scientists.