By decision of the Ministry of Finance, Mint of Finland today released a collector coin in honour of literacy. The Lukuinto theme year of diverse literacies, supported by the Ministry of Education and Culture, will be celebrated in Finland in the 2014–2015 academic year. The Literacy collector coin is the sixth coin to be released in the Ethical collector coins series.
The role of the Literacy collector coin is specified in a decree of the Ministry of Finance, available at (in Finnish) http://www.finlex.fi/fi/laki/alkup/2014/20140290
Several symbols used by humans to communicate throughout history are immortalised on the collector coin. As specified in the decree of the Ministry of Finance, the symbols on the obverse compose concentric circles with the symbol for infinity at the centre. The symbol is encircled by a binary circle composed of zeros and ones, followed by a circle of notes. The next circle consists of Braille. The collector coin's reverse depicts rock paintings composed in the shape of a circle.
The Lukuinto project team received the release of the theme year's collector coin with delight.
”The Literacy collector coin portrays the variety of readers and literacies, as well as the fact that all ways of reading are important, in a fantastic manner. Multiliteracy is one of the key themes of the Lukuinto year. Our dozens of pilot projects around Finland seek to inspire people to read and produce diverse texts in a communal fashion, such as by creating animations based on a book or reading and writing on a tablet,” says Project Manager Eeva Kurttila-Matero of the Lukuinto programme.
The Lukuinto programme aims to promote the reading hobby amongst children and young people and to reinforce the required skills.
The sixth ethical collector coin by decision of the Ministry of Finance
The collector coins Multiculturalism (2013), Equality and Tolerance (2012), Protecting the Baltic Sea (2011), Children and Creativity (2010) and Peace and Security (2009) have been released previously in the Ethical collector coins series.
”Mint of Finland is proud that, each year since 2009, it has been allowed to produce one silver collector coin championing an ethical value. These collector coins are official recognitions issued by the central government. Ethical collector coins raise domestically and internationally important subjects,” says Henna Karjalainen, Communications Director responsible for collector coins at Mint of Finland.
Collector coin struck in two versions
The Literacy collector coin has been struck in nominal values of EUR 10 and 20. The collector coins are available from retailers and the Mint of Finland online shop.
The EUR 10 coin is offered in a gift package. The EUR 10 Literacy coin contains silver in the ratio Ag500, and a maximum run of 10,000 of these coins will be minted. The collector coin's diameter is 28.5 mm and weight 10 g. Purchased from the Mint of Finland online shop, the collector coin costs EUR 38.
A run of only 5,000 EUR 20 Literacy coins will be minted, and the coins contain silver in the ratio Ag925. This collector coin's diameter is 38.6 mm and weight 25.5 g. Purchased from the Mint of Finland online shop, the collector coin costs EUR 61. Both collector coins are minted in proof quality. The collector coin is designed by Pertti Mäkinen.
Mint of Finland will also mint a numbered special run of 100 Literacy coins with a nominal value of EUR 20. These numbered collector coins can be ordered by calling the Mint of Finland customer service at +358 9 89434343 from 28 April, between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. on weekdays. The price of a numbered collector coin is EUR 100.
For more information, please contact:
Katriina Holm
Communications and Marketing Designer
Mint of Finland
+358 400 211 066
katriina.holm(at)mint.fi
Mint of Finland Group designs, markets and manufactures metal coins, blanks, and collector and gift coins along with coin sets. Mint of Finland Group is the strongest mint in the Eurozone as well as one of the biggest exporters of coins worldwide. The company is owned by the Republic of Finland. Saxonia Mint of Finland is a subsidiary of Mint of Finland. You can see how coins are produced at the About a Coin exhibition at the Heureka Science Centre. For more information about the 2014 events, please visit www.mint.fi
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