Banks, Financial Services, Latvia

The Blaumanis coin has been designed by Aigars Ozoliņš and modelled by Ligita Franckeviča. It was struck by "RegiaAutonomǎ Monetǎria Statului (Romania) within the "European Silver Programme", a collector coin programme of the EU Member States.

The author of the graphic design for the Baby coin is Anita Paegle while the plaster model has been created by Jānis Strupulis. The coin has been struck by UAB Lietuvos monetų kalykla in Lithuania.

Rūdolfs Blaumanis' drama, prose and poetry rank among the masterpieces of Latvian literature. They provide an impressive depiction of Latvian country life, characters and way of thinking at a time when Latvians became aware of themselves as a nation and the foundation was laid for future statehood.

A homestead surrounded by trees, nestling on a tree leaf, is depicted on the obverse of the Blaumanis coin; the inscriptions "LATVIJAS REPUBLIKA" arranged in a semicircle and "1 LATS" are placed above and beneath it. The reverse features the portrait of Rūdolfs Blaumanis on the background of the titles of the writer's works, with the inscription "Rūdolfs Blaumanis" placed in the lower part of the coin.

The averse of the Baby coin features a baby in a cradle, which is held by a bird, and a semi-circled inscription "LATVIJAS REPUBLIKA"; there is a little mouse pulling a chest full of sweet dreams and the inscription "1 lats" beneath it on the reverse of the coin.

Both collector coins are legal tender in the Republic of Latvia. The maximum mintage of both coins is limited to 5000 each.

The majority of euro area countries also issue collector coins, and after the adoption of the euro Latvia will proceed with issuing collector coins, and the coin denomination in euro will be the only distinctive feature.