2021 latvian €5 Key coin
- May 24, 2021
- by
- Pierre
Latvian cultural heritage, the lock and the fittings of a hope chest, beautifully crafted by ancient artisans, served as the artistic inspiration for the small gold coin “The Key“. A key bears a special, one may even say, a slightly mystical symbolic meaning. It has the ability both to unlock and to lock: to open the door to a particular room, grant access to riches or to deny these opportunities. A key has the power that elevates it above all the other objects in the world.
In Japan, the key is seen as a sign of luck as it symbolically opens the doors to hidden treasures of the soul. In artworks related to Christianity, two keys reflect St. Peter’s power to open the gates of paradise and hell. There are two keys also on the coat of arms of the Pope. In the Medieval period, the ritual of handing over the keys played a symbolic role: it was a complete takeover of power. In fairy tales and stories, the key often symbolises a variety of obstacles that need to be overcome in order to solve a secret.
The obverse of the coin features a key and elements of a hope chest fittings, while fittings of a lock are depicted on the reverse.
The coin was struck by Koninklijke Nederlandse Munt (the Netherlands Mint).
Mintage will be limited to 2000 coins.
The collector coin’s graphic designer is Laimonis Šēnbergs, the author of many collector coins, is one of the most outstanding Latvian poster artists and graphic designers of all time, promoter of the concept of collector coins. Ligita Franckeviča is the author of the coin’s plaster model.
Sources: Bank of Latvia and NUMISMAG©