In the public?s eyes, Hungary has created the Coin of the Year.
This year for the first time a COTY People?s Choice Award was selected by more than 100,000 coin enthusiasts worldwide who voted online at NumisMaster.com. The award goes to the Hungarian Mint for its copper-nickel 50-forint that commemorates the 50th anniversary of the 1956 Hungarian revolution. It is KM-789.
?The COTY award recognizes the artistic and historic significance of coins worldwide,? said David C. Harper, editor of World Coin News, which sponsors the COTY awards. ?Each coin honored tells a unique story that will be shared for generations to come.?
Fifteen coins were selected by a panel of expert judges for the People?s Choice Award online ballot.
?We saw a lot of national pride exhibited as the votes came in,? Harper said.
Canada?s destiny was in the stars as it won the 2008 Coin of the Year Award sponsored by World Coin News, a monthly periodical dedicated to collectors of world coins.
A four-piece set of $50 palladium coins showing the Big Bear and Little Bear constellations in changing seasonal positions was voted the winner in the second round of balloting by an international panel of judges. They are KM-672 through 675 in the Standard Catalog of World Coins identification system.
The 2008 Coin of the Year award program recognizes coins dated from the year 2006.
Awards were presented Feb. 2, at the World Money Fair in Berlin, Germany. For coverage, go to www.numismaster.com.
