Banks, Culture, Financial Services, History, Lithuania

‘Since our neighbours will commemorate the anniversary of the re-establishment of their states in 2018 as well, we are going to issue the 2 euro commemorative coin, dedicated to this anniversary, jointly with Latvia and Estonia, and the design for the national side of all of them will be the same. The residents of all the three states will be invited to select the best design for that coin. This would be the first coin issued jointly by the central banks of the three Baltic States. There will be more novelties in coin issuance: we are planning to issue once a year a coin the theme for which will be selected by the public,’ said Deivis Stankevičius, Director of the Cash Department at the Bank of Lithuania, Chairman of the Coin Design Commission.

In drawing up a new two-year programme of the issue of collector and commemorative coins, Lithuanian coin minting tradition and the good international practices were followed, proposals from various institutions and private persons were analysed; the Bank of Lithuania received more than a hundred of them.

For the 2 euro commemorative coins, the following themes, which are included in the UNESCO List of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Mankind, have been planned: for the 2018 coin – Song and Dance Festival, for the 2019 coin – Lithuanian polyphonic songs. 

It is also planned to issue five collector coins in 2018, one of which, in continuation of the series of gold coins ‘Lithuanian Science’, will be dedicated to technological sciences. Coins dedicated to St John’s (Rasos) Festival (‘Traditional Lithuanian festivals’series) are planned to be minted from non-ferrous metal alloys in addition to precious metals. The silver coin will be dedicated to a prominent person – Vilhelmas Storosta-Vydūnas, philosopher, writer, publicist, cultural figure, namely to his 150^th birth anniversary. The theme for one coin will be selected by the public.

In 2019 it is planned to issue two silver coins, dedicated to the significant themes in our history: Lithuanian Sąjūdis movement, which was aimed at restoration of independence of the Lithuanian State, and the 800^th anniversary of the agreement between Lithuania and Volhynia – the diplomatic act of the Lithuanian State in the process of formation, i.e. the first foreign policy agreement of the Lithuanians and important historical source. 

Collectors will be pleased in 2019 at the coin to commemorate the city of Šiauliai in continuation of the series 'Lithuanian cities'', with coins from copper and nickel alloy, dedicated to Vilnius, Kaunas and Klaipėda, issued earlier. The silver coin will be dedicated to the Sapieha Palace and will continue the series ‘Lithuanian palaces and manors’, dedicated to palace styles. The coins dedicated to Užgavėnės (‘Traditional Lithuanian festivals’ series), smelt fishing by luring (‘Lithuanian Nature’ series), as the other coins from this series, are planned to be minted from non-ferrous metal alloys in addition to precious metals. One coin will be issued on the theme proposed by the public.