Banks, Financial Services, Lithuania

"This is the 66th collector coin by subject and image issued by the Bank of Lithuania. The coins have perpetuated landmark events in our state and world history, prominent people and architectural monuments. Already five coins of the Bank of Lithuania have been dedicated to nature with all the depicted representatives of flora and fauna included in the Red Data Book of Lithuania. I believe, the splendid coin featuring a loach will not only be attractive to collectors but to those with fishing as a leisure time hobby as well", a member of the Board of the Bank of Lithuania, Chairman of the Currency Design and Production Commission Audrius Misevicius said.

The graphic design for the coin was created by Vytautas Narutis, the plaster model by Giedrius Paulauskis, reports LETA/ELTA.

The European weather loach (Misgurnus fossilis) is one of the 546 species of freshwater bony fish caught in European waters and one of the 53 species caught in Lithuanian waters. It is picturesquely described by the author of the leaflet to the coin, naturalist Egidijus Bacevicius: "For the loaches, span-long 'pond-eels', the name has been given after their twisting body. It often happened that a small fish wriggling on a palm would blow an air bubble from its throat, at the same time a drawling, pant-like sound would be heard. From this come the other names of the fish, cyplys or pyplys. After one of the said characteristics, furthermore – by the same cognate words of Slavic origin (vjun, pischik), the loaches are named in a number of neighbouring countries. They have been known as storm predictors. A day prior to weather change, the fish would start swimming wildly about, which was a reliable sign of heavy rains accompanied by thunderstorms imminent".

The coins were minted by the UAB Lithuanian Mint. The mintage of the coin is 10,000 pieces.

The new coins can be obtained at the cash offices of the Bank of Lithuania in Vilnius (Totoriu g. 2), Kaunas (Maironio g. 25), and Klaipeda (Naujoji Uosto g. 16). The price of the coin without in a display box is 130 litas, with a display box 150 litas.

The first collector coin dedicated to Lithuanian Nature was issued by the Bank of Lithuania in 2002 when it participated in the "Endangered Wildlife" international program (designer Giedrius Paulauskis). It features a barn owl (Latin Tyto alba). On the coin which appeared in 2006 (designed by Rimantas Eidejus) we see a lynx (Latin Lynx lynx). A coin (designed by Vladas Orzekauskas and Alfonsas Vaura) with the image of a humble-bee was issued in 2008. A coin making famous the Lithuanian campion (Latin Silene lithuanica) was issued in 2009 (the author Giedrius Paulauskis).