The silver commemorative coin “The Courage To Be. UA” has won the Best Contemporary Event Coin category and was named one of the 10 best coins in the world by the prestigious international Coin of the Year contest.
The results of the contest were announced on 8 August 2024 during the World’s Fair of Money in Rosemont (United States).
“We are proud that Ukrainian numismatic products have once again received such high international praise, and we thank the talented artists for their ideas, which impress the world with their expressiveness and conciseness,” said Andriy Pyshnyy, Governor of the National Bank of Ukraine. “The commemorative coin ‘The Courage to Be. UA’ is special for us. It celebrates what unites all Ukrainians. It is courage. Every day during this war, the whole world is watching with admiration the many examples of courage and fortitude of Ukrainians. Undoubtedly, courage is about being Ukrainian. Therefore, on the smooth background of our coin, everyone will be able to see their face and feel part of an unbroken Ukraine.”
About the coin
This coin celebrates the courage of the Ukrainian nation and continues the “My Immortal Ukraine” series.
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 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).
This coin was issued into circulation on 23 August 2023. It has a face value of 10 hryvnias, is made of silver (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 has been minted in a special uncirculated quality, and is 38.6 mm in diameter. The mintage of the coin is up to 5,000 units.
The designers of this commemorative coin, which is iconic for every Ukrainian, are Kyiv designers Volodymyr Taran, Oleksandr Kharuk, and Serhii Kharuk. The engraver is Volodymyr Atamanchuk (an employee of the NBU’s Banknote Printing and Minting Works).
About the international Coin of the Year contest
The international Coin of the Year contest is held annually by World Coin News, an influential numismatic publication, with support from the Journal of East Asian Numismatics. This year, the contest was held for the 41st time.
International experts chose winners from among almost 600 coins from 42 countries that were issued in 2023.
At the first stage, the 100 best coins (10 coins in each of the 10 categories) were selected. Among these were three Ukrainian coins:
- The Courage to Be.UA (silver, UAH 10 face value) in the Best Contemporary Event Coin category
- The Country of Superheroes. We Thank Our Energy Workers! (nickel silver, UAH 5 face value) in the Most Artistic Coin category
- Friendship and Brotherhood are the Greatest Wealth (Ukrainian-Polish set of two silver coins: UAH 10 and PLN 10 face values) in the Most Inspiring Coin category.
This is not the first time that Ukrainian commemorative coins have won the hearts of the authoritative international jury of the Coin of the Year contest.
More specifically, the Ukrainian commemorative coin “The 30th Anniversary – Ukraine’s Independence” (nickel silver, UAH 5 face value) won the international Coin of the Year contest among the coins issued in 2021.
In recent years, the following Ukrainian commemorative coins have also been shortlisted for the contest and won the following categories:
- The Most Inspiring Coin – In Unity, Strength (silver, UAH 10) among the coins issued into circulation in 2022
- The Best Contemporary Event Coin – The 25th Anniversary of the Ukrainian Constitution (silver, UAH 10), among the coins issued into circulation in 2021.