Five U.S. coins in COTY race

This article was originally printed in the latest issue of Numismatic News.
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The United States leaped out of the starting gate in the competition for 2011 Coin of the Year honors with five nominations garnered in a worldwide field of 93.

The five U.S. nominations are all dated 2009 as are all the coins under consideration.

The Ultra High Relief Saint-Gaudens $20 gold piece was nominated in the Best Gold category. The Formative Years Lincoln cent took a place in the Best Trade Coin category.

The Native American dollar and the Puerto Rican quarter claimed positions in the Most Popular category and the Louis Braille commemorative silver dollar has a spot in the Most Inspirational category.

An international panel of judges will be reviewing these and all of the other nominations to choose winners in 10 categories in a first round of balloting that will conclude in Nov. 7.

This first round ballot was assembled by a nominating panel that met Oct. 1 in Iola, Wis., to review the submissions made by world mints and numismatists from around the world.

A second round of voting will be conducted in which the judges will choose the Coin of the Year from the 10 category winners. This will be held Nov. 15-Dec. 5

The COTY winner as well as the 10 category winners will be recognized Jan. 29, 2011, at a special ceremony in Berlin, Germany, during the World Money Fair. The event is hosted by World Coin News, sister publication of Numismatic News and sponsor of the awards.

A special People’s Choice Award will also be given. The winner will be selected by the public in online voting Nov. 15-Jan. 2, 2011, at www.numismaster.com.

The 2010 COTY winner was a 2008-dated 20 lati gold coin issued by the Bank of Latvia to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the renewal of the lats currency after Latvia regained its independence from the old Soviet Union. The original design was created in 1922 by Teodors Zalkalns but never used.

This year’s nominees in each category follow.

Most Historically Significant Coin

1. Turkish State Mint – 50 lira, silver, Mecca Grand Mosque coin, KM-1257
2. Kazakhstan Mint – 100 tenge, silver, Attila the Hun, KM-125
3. British Royal Mint – 5 pounds, silver, 500th Anniversary of Henry the Eighth
4. Italian State Mint – 5 euro, silver, 300th Anniversary of the Discovery of Herculaneum, KM-315
5. German Federal Ministry of Finance – 10 euro, silver, 400th Anniversary of the Birth of Johannes Kepler, KM-280
6. Netherlands – 5 euro, silver, 400th Anniversary of the Island of Manhattan, KM-282
7. Austrian Mint – 10 euro, silver, Richard the Lionheart, KM-3180
8. Hungarian Mint – 500 forint, silver, John Calvin, KM-827
9. Falkland Islands (Pobjoy Mint) – 1 crown, silver, Charles Darwin
10. Romania – 10 lei, silver, Tropaeum Traiani, KM-257

Best Contemporary Event Coin

1. German Federal Ministry of Finance – 10 euro, silver, Centennial of Aviation, KM-281
2. British Antarctic Territory (Pobjoy Mint) – 2 pounds, silver, 50th Anniversary of the Antarctic Treaty
3. China Great Wall – 10 yuan, silver, Beijing Coin Fair
4. Austrian Mint – 25 euro, silver ring with Niobium center, International Year of Astronomy, KM-3174
5. Royal Australian Mint – 50 cents, Moon Landing, KM-1432
6. Tuvalu (Perth Mint) – One dollar, silver, 50th Anniversary of Barbie Doll, KM-80
7. Monnaie de Paris – 10 euro, silver, Fall of the Berlin Wall, KM-1591
8. Czech Mint – 200 Korun, silver, North Pole Exploration, KM-107
9. Cook Islands (Coin Invest Trust) – 5 dollars, copper-plated silver, Mars Exploration, KM-681
10. Japan Mint – 1,000 yen, silver, Niigata Prefecture Coin, Y-150

Best Gold Coin

1. Royal Canadian Mint – 2,500 dollars, Modern Canada, KM-902
2. Japan Mint – 10,000 yen, 20th Anniversary of the Emperor’s Enthronement, KM-158
3. South African Mint – 100 rand, Natura Gold Rhino Coin, KM-474
4. Israel Coins and Medals Corp. – 10 new sheqalim, Sampson and the Lion, KM-465
5. Turkish Mint – 200 lira, Barrack Obama Visit, KM-1246
6. Mint of Poland – 200 zlotych, 180th Anniversary of the Central Bank, Y-677
7. U.S. Mint – 20 dollars, Saint-Gaudens Ultra-High-Relief, KM-464
8. Kazakhstan Mint – 500 tenge, Biathalon, KM-127
9. Palau (Coin Invest Trust) – One dollar, Fountain of Trevi, KM-241
10. China Gold Coin – 2,000 yuan, Year of the Ox, KM-1885

Best Silver Coin

1. Ukrainian Mint – 5 hryven, International Year of Astronomy, KM-557
2. Turkish Mint – 50 lira, Seedling With Water, KM-1256
3. Mint of Poland – 10 zlotych, Hussar Knights, Y-671
4. Austrian Mint – 5 euro, Tyrolean Freedom Fighters, KM-3177
5. Palau (Coin Invest Trust) – 5 dollars, Wonders of the World, Pyramids, KM-208
6. Italian State Mint – 5 euro, Centennial of Cycling, KM-313
7. National Bank of Macau, 20 patakas, Year of the Ox, KM-145
8. Royal Canadian Mint – 20 dollars, Crystal Snowflake, KM-944
9. Japan Mint – 1,000 yen, Ibaraki Prefecture Coin
10. Bank of Russia – 100 rubles, 300th Anniversary Battle of Poltava, Y-1179

Best Crown Coin

1. National Bank of Lithuania – 50 litu, silver, Tytuvenai Church, KM-164
2. Hungarian Mint – 3,000 forint, silver, 250th Anniversary of Birth Ferenc Kazinczy, KM-817
3. Cook Islands – 5 dollar, silver, Anteater coin, KM-674
4. Royal Canadian Mint – 15 dollars, silver, George VI, KM-922
5. Mint of Finland – 20 euro, silver, Peace and Security coin
6. Monnaie de Paris – 10 euro, silver, International Year of Astronomy, KM-1621
7. Royal Australian Mint – 5 dollars, silver, Antarctic Explorers
8. Italian State Mint – 10 euro, silver, Marconi, KM-317
9. Japan Mint – 1,000 yen, silver, Nagano Prefecture, Y-148

Best Trade Coin

1. National Bank of Lithuania – 1 litas, copper-nickel, Vilnius – European Capital of Culture, KM-162
2. Latvian Mint – 1 lats, copper-nickel, Namejs Ring, KM-101
3. Japan Mint – 500 yen, nickel-brass, 20th Anniversary of the Emperor’s Enthronement, Y-157
4. National Bank of Slovakia – 2 euro, bimetallic, First Year of Euro Issuance, KM-102
5. National Bank of Sweden - 1 krona, copper-nickel, Horizontal Waves, 200th Anniversary of Separation from Finland, KM-916
6. Banco de Mexico – 5 pesos, bimetallic, KM-912
7. Mint of Poland – 2 zlote, brass, Czeslaw Niemen, Y-684
8. U.S. Mint – 1 cent, copper-coated zinc, New Lincoln Seated on Log, KM-442
9. British Royal Mint – 50 pence, copper-nickel, Kew Botanical Gardens, KM-1114
10. National Bank of Panama – 50 centesimos, copper-nickel, 100th Anniversary of the National Bank, KM-139

Most Popular Coin

1. Hungarian Mint – 200 forint, bimetallic, Danube Ridge, KM-826
2. U.S. Mint – 1 dollar, copper-zinc-manganese-nickel clad, Sacagawea dollar, KM-467
3. Kazakhstan Mint – 50 tenge, copper-nickel, 100th Anniversary of T. Bassenov Birth
4. Latvian Mint – 1 lats, silver, Pig, My Dream Coin, KM-100
5. Royal Australian Mint – 1 dollar, aluminum-bronze, Steve Irwin, KM-1429
6. Austrian Mint – 10 euro, silver, Basilisk coin, KM-3176
7. National Bank of India – 5 rupees, nickel-brass, St. Alphonsa, KM-365
8. U.S. Mint – 25 cents, copper-nickel clad, Puerto Rico Quarter, KM-446
9. Royal Canadian Mint – 50 cents, silver, lenticular, Montreal Canadiens Hockey, KM-847

Most Artistic Coin

1. Italian State Mint – 5 euro, silver, 300th Anniversary Discovery of Herculaneum Under Volcanic Ash
2. Palau (Coin Invest Trust) – 10 dollar, silver, Tiffany Art Baroque, KM-219
3. Cook Islands (Coin Invest Trust) – silver Cloisonne, The Pansy Coin, KM-684
4. Royal Canadian Mint – 300 dollars, gold, Summer Moon Mask, KM-877
5. China Gold Coin – 50 yuan, silver, Outlaws of the Marsh, KM-198
6. National Bank of the Republic of Belarus – 20 rubles, silver, Honeybees and Apple Trees, KM-203
7. Monnaie de Paris – 10 euro, silver, Modern Sower, KM-1580
8. National Bank of Latvia – 1 lats, silver, Water Droplet coin, KM-104
9. Austrian Mint – 20 euro, silver, Electric Railway, KM-3178
10. National Bank of Singapore, 10 dollars, silver, Year of the Ox, KM-297

Most Innovative Coin

1. Palau (Coin Invest Trust) – 5 dollars, silver, Heat Sensitive Thermo Chick
2. Democratic Republic of the Congo – 25 Francs, acrylic, His Majesty’s Bark Endeavor
3. British Indian Ocean Territory (Pobjoy Mint) – 2 pounds, silver and crystal, Life of the Sea Turtle
4. Monnaie de Paris – 200 euro, colorized gold, International Year of Astronomy convex coin, KM-1624
5. Cook Islands – 10 dollars, silver, pop-up coin, Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, KM-693
6. Cook Islands – 5 dollars, silver, Star of the Magi, star-shaped, KM-644
7. Palau (Coin Invest Trust) – 5 dollars, silver, Scent of Paradise, KM-179
8. Cook Islands (Coin Invest Trust) – 5 dollars, silver, Fly Me to the Moon with piece of moon

Most Inspirational Coin

1. Monnaie de Paris – 20 euro, silver, Mother Teresa and Child
2. Royal Canadian Mint – 50 cents, copper-nickel, Six-String Nation Guitar, KM-887
3. U.S. Mint – 1 dollar, silver, Louis Braille, KM-455
4. Mint of Poland – 10 zlotych, silver, World War II Polish Underground, Y-708
5. Israel Coins and Medals – 1 new sheqel, silver, Masada UNESCO Heritage Site, KM-453
6. Andorra Mint – 2 diners, Gold, Charlemagne
7. Kazakhstan Mint – 500 tenge, silver, Nur Astana Mosque, KM-139