There will be a presentation at 11.00 on 31 January in the Independence Hall of Eesti Pank of the two-euro circulation coin with a special design dedicated to the centenary of the three Baltic states. The coins with the Estonian national design will enter circulation on the same day and can be bought as individual coins or with a presentation coin card from the shop of the Eesti Pank museum or the Omniva online shop.
The small Baltic states have been constant in their defence of their independence, and all three will celebrate their 100th anniversary in 2018, Lithuania on 16 February, Estonia on 24 February and Latvia on 18 November. To honour this the central banks of the three countries are issuing commemorative coins with a single shared design to mark the shared history, values and efforts of the three countries and act as a reminder of those values to the people of the rest of the euro area. The jointly designed commemorative coin will be presented on 31 January in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The only differences between the coins issued in the three countries will be the name of the issuing country and the text around the edge.
The design of the coin shows the common past, present and future of the Baltic states as a single plaited braid. The coin is named ‘The hair of the Baltic sisters plaited together’ and was designed by the Lithuanian designer Justas Petrulis, who designed a coin for the first time. The design for the coin was chosen last spring in an open public vote held jointly in the three Baltic states.
A two-euro commemorative coin is a circulation coin with the usual common side and a special commemorative design on the national side. Eesti Pank is issuing 500,000 of the coins, 10,000 of which will have a brilliant uncirculated finish and be packaged as souvenirs with a coin card at a price of 10 euros. The coins were minted by the Lithuanian Mint and the coin cards were made by Kurowski Group Sp. z o.o. of Poland. The coin card was designed by Vladimir Taiger. Eesti Pank will start to release the coins to banks from 31 January. After that they will start to enter general circulation through retailers. The coins and coin cards will also be on sale in the Omniva online shop from midday on 31 January and the Eesti Pank museum shop during opening hours.
Each purchaser may buy up to five coin cards. The coins and coin cards cannot be booked in advance. Individual coins and rolls of coins will be sold at their face value. Up to 50 coins, or two rolls, can be bought from the Eesti Pank museum shop in each purchase, and up to 125 coins, or five rolls, per purchase from the Omniva online shop. Eesti Pank retains the right to change the amounts on sale in response to demand.
The Eesti Pank Museum at Estonia pst 11, Tallinn is open from Tuesdays to Fridays 12.00-17.00 and on Saturdays 11.00-16.00.
The official presentation of the two-euro coin with the special design dedicated to the centenary of the Baltic states will be held in the Independence Hall of Eesti Pank on 31 January at 11.00. Speakers at the presentation will be Governor of Eesti Pank Ardo Hansson, Ambassador of the Republic of Latvia Raimonds Jansons and Ambassador of the Republic of Lithuania Giedrius Apuokas. The shared history of the Baltic states will be discussed by historian Küllo Arjakas.