Coin of the Year Awards given in Germany

The Coin of the Year Award trophy for 2015 was accepted by Gerhard Starsich, CEO of the Austrian Mint, Jan. 31 during a special ceremony at the World Money Fair in Berlin, Germany.

It was one of four awards won by his organization in this year’s competition sponsored by World Coin News, sister periodical of Numismatic News, to identify the best coins issued by the world’s mints.

The top award was presented on behalf of World Coin News by Donald Scarinci, member of the COTY nominating committee, COTY judge and member of the federal Citizens Coin Advisory Committee.

The COTY-winning coin is a 50-euro called, “The Expectation.” It is one a series of gold coins honoring the works of artist Gustav Klimt. It is Standard Catalog of World Coins number KM-3218. It also won the Best Gold Coin Award.

Trophy for Most Artistic Coin went to a 100-euro gold coin, KM-3225, issued in the Austrian Wildlife series depicting a Red Deer.

The Best Bi-Metallic Coin trophy was claimed by Austria’s Tunneling themed 25-euro silver and niobium coin, KM- 321.

Coins in seven other categories also were recognized with trophies.

Jon Cameron, director of the Office of Coin Studies at the U.S. Mint, received the trophy for Best Circulating Coin, for the copper-nickel Mount Rushmore America the Beautiful quarter, KM-546.

Designer Svetlana Nekrasova took home the Best Contemporary Event Award given to a copper-nickel ruble, KM-436, issued by Belarus to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the founding of BPS-Sberbank. This category honors historically important events that occurred less than 100 years ago, while the Most Historically Significant Coin category is for the important people and events of more than 100 years ago.

Maarten Brouwer, director of the Royal Dutch Mint, accepted the trophy for the winner of the Most Historically Significant coin category. The coin recognized is The Netherlands 5-euro silver coin marking the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht that ended the War of the Spanish Succession, KM-326.

A coin showing a howling wolf, which is actually a cutout, is the Most Innovative Coin. Mongolia’s gilded silver 500-tugrik, KM-328 won the Most Innovative Coin honor. Accepting the trophy on the country’s behalf was Heimo Steriti of the firm CIT.

Declared Most Inspirational was the Royal Canadian Mint’s silver $3 showing a father and son fishing, KM-1485. Interim President and CEO Marc Brule was given the trophy.

Named Best Crown was Ireland’s silver 10 euro commemorating author James Joyce, KM-80.2. Crowns are coins with a diameter of 37 millimeters to 45mm. Margaret Daly and Barry Fanning of the Central Bank of Ireland took home the trophy.

Best Silver Coin trophy was accepted by Janis Blums, board member of the Bank of Latvia for a 1 lats coin marking the 200th anniversary of the birth of composer Richard Wagner, KM-140.

The final award given at the ceremony was the Lifetime Achievement Award in Coin Design given to Maria Carmela Colaneri of Italy’s Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato.

Scarinci also announced the summer publication of his new book about the COTY Award called, Coin of the Year: Celebrating Three Decades of the Best in Coin Design and Craftsmanship.

All of the winning coins are dated 2013.

The Coin of the Year Award has been given annually since 1984. The first winner was the U.S. 1982 George Washington commemorative half dollar.

Pictures of the ceremony are below: