The National Bank of Ukraine has presented new commemorative coins entitled “The Courage To Be. UA.” The coins, which celebrate the bravery of the Ukrainian nation, were symbolically issued into circulation to mark the 32nd anniversary of Ukraine’s independence.
“The National Bank of Ukraine has issued commemorative coins entitled ‘The Courage To Be. UA’ into circulation,” said NBU Governor Andriy Pyshnyy. “These coins are special because as a rule coins celebrate people, events or material things. However, we tried to find something that unites us and is worth being engraved on a coin. And we found a common feature, which is recognized by the entire world, a feature which essentially become synonymous with the word ‘Ukrainians.’ This is courage! Every day during this war, we see many examples of courage, bravery, and fortitude of Ukrainians. Not only we, but the entire world! This coin celebrates the brave and indomitable Ukrainian people. Now everyone knows that courage is about being Ukrainian. So in order to emphasize this, we added some mirror surface to the silver coin. Bring it closer to your face, see your reflection, and feel yourself a part of the unyielding Ukrainian nation. This is a tribute to you personally! To each of you!”
Design of the new coins
The commemorative coins continue the My Immortal Ukraine series. The silver coin, which has a face value of 10 hryvnias, is made of Ag 925 and weighs 31.1 g (one troy ounce). What is more, the coin features a decorative element – local gilding, with fine gold no less than 0.00009 g. The coin is made in special uncirculated quality, and is 38.6 mm in diameter. The mintage of silver coins is up to 5,000.
The coin’s obverse features a stylized composition that symbolizes Ukraine. The country is represented by the symbol of the trident, which stands for the cutting edge and embodies modern trends, societal processes, global attention, and the creation of a new world history. Against an absolutely smooth background is the blade of a sword, with Ukraine's small coat of arms above it.
The reverse of the silver coin depicts a composition that stands for the phenomenon of Ukrainian courage and heroic resistance. In the center of the composition is a gold star which is shining with new hope (a symbolic parallel is drawn here with the Star of Bethlehem), thanks to the unbelievable courage and determination of Ukrainians. This courage has destroyed the “unbreakable” ideological (mythical) “set-in-stone” belief that the russian army is invincible – a myth that had been spread by russian propaganda across the entire world for many decades. There is also the following legend: СМІЛИВІСТЬ БУТИ. UA (THE COURAGE TO BE. UA).
The nickel silver commemorative coin has a face value of 5 hryvnias. Its design repeats the general stylized composition of the silver coin. The difference is that the blade of the sword on the coin’s obverse is placed on a matte background, symbolizing the readiness of Ukrainians to defend their independence with weapons in their hands. The mintage of nickel silver coins is 75,000.
The designers of these commemorative coins, which are iconic for every Ukrainian, are Kyiv designers Volodymyr Taran, Oleksandr Kharuk, and Serhii Kharuk. Engraver – Volodymyr Atamanchuk.
About the presentation of the coins
The new commemorative coins, which celebrate the courage of the Ukrainian people, were presented by the Governor of the National Bank of Ukraine Andriy Pyshnyy on 23 August 2023, during the ceremony at which the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy awarded distinguished Ukrainians with the presidential award “The National Legend of Ukraine.”
The President of Ukraine has been giving The National Legend of Ukraine Awards for three years in a row for outstanding personal contributions to the development of independent Ukraine, strengthening the country’s statehood, defending the country and serving the Ukrainian people, making a significant contribution to the development of national education, art, sports, health care, and for many years of fruitful civil activism. This year, eight Ukrainians received these awards, two of which were awarded posthumously. The award winners also received the first examples of the The Courage To Be. UA silver coins from the NBU Governor Andriy Pyshnyy.
Sale of Coins
These commemorative coins will be sold from 24 August 2023 through the NBU’s online numismatic store. Overall, 1,000 silver coins and 15,000 nickel silver coins will be sold through the online store. All the coins will be available from the first day of sale.
In addition, starting in September, the coins will be also sold by in distributing banks (UKRGASBANK JSB, RADABANK JSB, TASCOMBANK JSC, and CB PRIVATBANK JSC) as they are delivered from the NBU’s Banknote Printing and Minting Works. You can find more details about the starting date of sale and points of sale on the official websites of the distributing banks.