Latvijas Banka is issuing a collector coin dedicated to the science theme

On Thursday, 26 September, Latvijas Banka will issue a collector coin dedicated to the role of science in our lives and the scientists' persistence in seeking answers to questions about the future of humanity. 

By symbolically representing the process of nuclear fusion, the "Energy Coin" tells us about the biggest challenge of the modern world – the search for an inexhaustible source of energy to protect natural resources and achieve a balance between the whims of our age and the interests of future generations. 

When developing the design of the coin, world-renowned designer Germans Ermičs consulted scientists to find the visual solution for depicting the fundamental laws of physics that allow for the existence of an almost limitless source of energy – the nuclei of light chemical elements. When smaller nuclei combine to form larger ones, a tremendous amount of energy is released in the form of heat, but to start and maintain this fusion reaction, a temperature of millions of degrees and the pressure to hold the matter together for a long enough time are needed. In nature, such extreme conditions occur in stars. 

It is the fusion of hydrogen nuclei that powers the Sun and thus indirectly drives all the renewable energy sources on Earth. Nuclear fusion energy has two major advantages: virtually inexhaustible fuel resources and a neutral impact on the climate. 

Turning the principle of nuclear fusion into a practical and widely available technology is a major scientific and engineering challenge that tens of thousands of researchers around the world have already been working on for a long time. Their task is the mission of Prometheus – to bring down the spark of the Sun from the heavens to serve people. The Treaty of the European Atomic Energy Community is one of the oldest European cooperation frameworks. Latvian scientists also participate in it with their contribution to the creation of the prototypes of the world's largest nuclear fusion reactors – ITER and its successor DEMO. 

The silver collector coin issued by Latvijas Banka depicts the particles involved in the hydrogen fusion reaction. The beads depicted on the coin represent elementary particles that make up nuclei: the silver hollows are neutrons, while the gold-plated beads are protons. Hydrogen nuclei with one proton are the raw materials, while a helium nucleus with two protons and a free neutron are the products of the fusion reaction. 

The main conditions for nuclear fusion are high temperature and pressure. In stars, the conditions for nuclear fusion are ensured by a strong gravitational field, while in nuclear fusion reactors, the hot plasma is held together by special magnetic fields. The arrangement of lines on the coin resembles both the magnetic fields of large space objects and the stylised cross-section of a toroidal fusion reactor – the so-called tokamak. The relief of the coin with a recess in the centre also echoes the gravitational potential near a star or a black hole. 

The coin will be issued on Thursday, 26 September. Honouring the contribution of Latvian scientists to the research of nuclear energy, the University of Latvia, in cooperation with Latvijas Banka, is organising a lecture dedicated to nuclear fusion "How to Tame the Energy of the Future" and the presentation of the Energy Coin. At the event, the lecture will be delivered by researcher of the Europe's largest nuclear fusion experiment project ITER (France) Bertrand Roques, while the author of the Energy Coin and artist Germans Ermičs will delve into the process of creating its design. An expert discussion moderated by quantum physicist and Professor of the University of Latvia Vjačeslavs Kaščejevs is also to be held at the event to address the future of Latvia's nuclear fusion and the synergy of science and art. Anyone interested is invited to attend the event free of charge at 14:00 on Thursday, 26 September, at the House of Nature of the University of Latvia in Riga, Jelgavas iela 1. 

The collector coin will be available for purchase only on the website e-monetas.lv/en from 12:00 (noon) on 26 September. The price of the coin is 77.00 euro; the purchase limit for one buyer is 3 coins. The mintage of the coin is 3000. The coin was struck by Koninklijke Nederlandse Munt (the Netherlands). 

Video about the coin is available here https://youtu.be/Jari9bi-1HU. 

ENERGY COIN

Face value: 5 euro

Weight: 18.00 g

Diameter: 30.00 mm

Metal: silver of fineness .999°; with gilding

Quality: proof

Maximum mintage: 3000

Struck in 2024 by Koninklijke Nederlandse Munt (the Netherlands)

Artist

Graphic design: Germans Ermičs

Obverse

The obverse of the coin depicts the main nuclear energy production reaction. Nuclear components are depicted as silver hollows – neutrons and gold-plated beads – protons. The nuclei of two hydrogen isotopes – deuterium and tritium – fuse to form a helium nucleus and a free neutron. The opening in the centre of the coin represents the site of the reaction. The inscription "5 EURO" is placed on the right.

Reverse

The reverse of the coin depicts two groups of circle lines meeting at the central opening and marked with degrees of frosting and gilding. They represent the physical fields necessary to sustain nuclear fusion both in nuclear fusion reactors on Earth and in stars in space. The inscription "LATVIJA" is placed in a semicircle at the upper left, the inscription "2024" is at the bottom on the right. 

Edge

The edge features n; 2H; 3H; 4He – the symbols for the free neutron and isotopes.

Activity of Latvijas Banka regarding the issuance of collector coins and 2 euro commemorative coins 

Since 1993, Latvijas Banka has issued 98 lats collector coins and 55 euro collector coins. Overall, more than 50 artists from Latvia and now also 1 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. In 2015, the silver collector coin "The Baltic Way" was recognised as the Best Contemporary Event Coin at this contest, whereas in 2018, the collector coin "National Entrepreneur" was named the Most Artistic Coin of the Year. 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 employees of Latvijas Banka, outstanding experts in Latvian art and culture as well as artists and scientists. 

After the euro changeover, Latvijas Banka carries on the tradition of issuing collector coin series with motifs characteristic of Latvia and executed in high artistic quality. These coins are legal tender only in the issuing country. They are unlikely to come into general circulation, for, by nature, they are works of art enjoying high demand from the numismatic community and other interested parties. 

The face value of collector coins must differ from that of coins in general circulation (it must be, e.g. 5 euro or 10 euro). Their specifications, including colour, diameter, weight, material, etc. have to be cardinally distinctive from those of the coins in general circulation. 

For information on the collector coins on sale at e-monetas.lv/en and the Cashier's Office of Latvijas Banka, see https://www.e-monetas.lv/en and https://monetas.bank.lv/en/coins-for-sale. 

The issuance of 2 euro commemorative coins (2 euro circulation coins of special design) is another area of coin art. Each year, every euro area country is entitled to issue two 2 euro commemorative coins (similar to 1 lats special circulation coins previously issued in Latvia), featuring events of national, European or global significance. The euro area countries can additionally produce a third 2 euro commemorative coin, provided that it is issued jointly and that it commemorates events of European Union-wide importance. 

Commemorative coins bear the same features and the same common or European side as the normal 2 euro circulation coins, while their national sides differ and feature a national commemorating motif. 

Euro commemorative coins are legal tender throughout the euro area. This means they can be used – and must be accepted – just like any other euro coin.