The San Marino Philatelic and Numismatic Office presents the new coins of San Marino for 2021. The 2-Euro commemorative coin is minted on the occasion of Albrecht Dürer’s 550th birthday. Three 5-Euro-Collector-Coins complete the “Zodiac” series that began in 2018.
2-Euro-Commemorative-Coin
San Marino’s 2021 2-Euro-Commemorative-Coin is dedicated to the “550. Anniversary of the birth of Albrecht Dürer”.
Born in Nuremberg in 1471, Albrecht Dürer was an engraver, draftsman, painter and treatise writer. He became the highest representative of the art and culture of the Northern European Renaissance, thanks to the predominance of graphic expression, including drawing, from composition to study from life, to landscape, to portrait.
The obverse of the 2-Euro coin dedicated to the 550th anniversary of the artist’s birth shows the Madonna and Child, a detail taken from the famous painting of the same name of 1526, kept at the Gallerie degli Uffizi in Florence. From the dark background emerges the figure of the Virgin carrying a pear in her hand and holding Baby Jesus in her arms. A strong sense of family intimacy pervades the work, characterized by attention to detail and faithful reproduction of reality, distinctive features of Dürer’s art. The coin is designed by Valerio De Seta and is minted with a mintage of 54,000.
5-Euro “Zodiac”-Series
2021 San Marino concludes the issue of coins dedicated to the zodiac signs, which are part of the series started in 2018 with “Aries” and “Taurus”. The obverse of the coins shows the sun in the center, with the lunar phases around it. The sun in astrology is the most important planet and it is the central point from which the indications concerning temperament are derived and which confers the features of each sign. Moreover, in astrological symbolism the sun corresponds to the ego. The image of the sun is surrounded by three feathers, symbolizing the Republic of San Marino, and by the twelve astrological signs along the perimeter. The reverse of the first coin shows Capricorn, an earth sign and tenth constellation of the zodiac, while on the second coin Aquarius is depicted, an air sign and eleventh constellation of the zodiac. The reverse of the third coin shows Pisces, a water sign and twelfth constellation of the zodiac.
The symbol related to each sign, depicted ten times around the perimeter of the coin, with the year of minting at the top complete the reverses of the three coins. The 5-Euro coins are issued in capsules with a mintage of 16,000 and were designed by Annalisa Masini.
Further information about the coins can be found on the website of the San Marino Philatelic and Numismatic Office.
More issues from San Marino have already been added to our online archive Cosmos of Collectibles.
If you do not want to miss out on any new issues, subscribe to the Cosmos of Collectibles newsletter, which is published every two weeks.
Here you can find more coins of the “Zodiac”-series.
Do you already know San Marino’s new museum for coins and more?
