“Coin Constellation” is the only international commemorative coin contest in Russia. Over its long history, it has become one of the most respected in the world. The organizer of the competition is the Russian Water Mark Publishing House. From 15th February till 15th April 2021 mints, national banks and coin distributing companies sent applications for participation. Coins were presented from 22 countries. The professional jury made its choice in 9 nominations:
- Unique concept
- Best artistic solution
- Original technology
- Best circulation coin
- Coin classics
- Souvenir coin
- Silver Coin of the Year
- Gold Coin of the Year
- Coin of the Year
Winners and Diploma Winners of the Contest “Coin Constellation 2021”
The professional jury of the competition includes the largest museums, auction houses, numismatic societies, commercial banks, and specialized publishing houses about coins from different countries. In 2021, the participants of the Coin Constellation were:
- National banks: Central Bank of the Russian Federation, Bank of Latvia, Bank of Israel, National Bank of the Kyrgyz Republic, Bank of Poland, National Bank of the Republic of Belarus, National Bank of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Central Bank of Armenia, Central Bank of Hungary.
- Mints: Moscow Mint and St. Petersburg Mint – branches of Goznak JSC (Russia), ART MINT (France), CIT Coin Invest AG (Liechtenstein), Hungarian Mint, Italian Mint, Kazakhstan Mint, Royal Australian Mint, Royal Netherlands Mint, Polish Mint, Paris Mint, Lithuanian Mint, Gdansk Mint (Poland), Royal Belgian Mint, Royal Canadian Mint, Swiss Federal Mint, South African Mint.
- Coin distributors: Downies (Australia), Numiartis (Germany), Power Coin (Italy), NumisCollect (Netherlands).
Unique Concept
The first place in this nomination was taken by the “Linden Leaf” silver coin, which was presented to the competition by the Bank of Latvia, minted by the Royal Dutch Mint.
In second place is the “Coin dedicated to Hope”, which immortalized people united in the face of a pandemic. It was struck by the Lithuanian Mint.
The third place was taken by the “Mechanical Bee” coin presented by Power Coin (Italy). This is a joint project: idea and technology – Power Coin (Italy), management – CIT Coin Invest AG (Liechtenstein), minting – B.H. Mayer (Germany).
Best Artistic Solution
The collector’s coin in the form of a square with cut corners “Modernism in Latvia. 1960s” presented by the Bank of Latvia.
The second place was taken by the “75 Years of Victory” coin. It was presented by the National Bank of the Republic of Abkhazia, minted by the Moscow Mint.
In third place – the coin “200th Anniversary of the Discovery of Antarctica by Russian Mariners F.F. Bellingshausen and M.P. Lazarev”, presented to the competition by the Bank of Russia and the St. Petersburg Mint.
Original Technology
The first place in the “Original Technology” nomination was given by the jury to the coin “Two Sisters (on the Terrace)”, which was presented to the Power Coin competition (Italy).
In second place is the “Black Panther – Night Hunters” coin, submitted to the CIT Coin Invest AG competition (Liechtenstein).
The jury divided the third place in this nomination between two coins: “The creator of Russian porcelain D.I. Vinogradov, on the occasion of the 300th anniversary of his birth (1720)” (it was submitted to the competition by the Bank of Russia and the St. Petersburg Mint) and “Multifaceted Animal Head: Grizzly Bear” was presented to the competition by the Royal Canadian Mint.
Best Circulation Coin
The first circulation coin from the copper-nickel alloy “Charles de Gaulle” presented by the Paris Mint was recognized in this nomination.
The second place was taken by the “Donation Dollar” coin. It was submitted to the competition by the Royal Australian Mint.
In the top three in this category – the coin “25 Years of Constitutional Democracy in South Africa, 1994-2019”, which was presented by the South African Mint.
Coin Classics
The jury selected the “Turtle” coin presented by CIT Coin Invest AG (Liechtenstein) as the winner.
The second place went to the “175th Anniversary of the Russian Geographical Society” coin. It was presented by the Bank of Russia and the St. Petersburg Mint.
In third place is “Zhansem – 100th Anniversary of Birth” presented by the Central Bank of Armenia.
Souvenir Coin
The first place was taken by the “Voyager Gold Plate” coin presented by Power Coin (Italy).
The second place was taken by the “Year of the Bull” coin, presented by the National Bank of the Republic of Belarus.
In third place is the “Merry Christmas” coin presented by the Polish Mint.
Silver Coin of the Year
The winner in the nomination was the “75th Anniversary of the Victory of the Soviet People in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945”. It was presented by the Bank of Russia and the St. Petersburg Mint.
In second place is the “White Rhino – African Big Five” coin, presented by the South African Mint.
The third place, according to the results of voting by the jury members, was shared by two coins: “Personal Freedom”, presented to the competition by the Bank of Latvia, and “Jan van Eyck – Gothic”, presented by the Royal Mint of Belgium.
Gold Coin of the Year
The winner in the nomination was the “Royal Portraits of Queen Elizabeth II” coin presented by Downies Collectables Pty Ltd (Australia).
The second place was given to the “Polar Wolf” coin presented by the Bank of Russia and the St. Petersburg Mint.
The third place in this nomination was shared by two coins: “Golden Florin of Vladislav I (1440-1444)” (presented by the Central Bank of Hungary and the Hungarian Mint) and “Isfahan Gold” (CIT Coin Invest AG, Liechtenstein).
Coin of the Year
The winner in this category was the “Commemorative Coin Dedicated to the Selfless Labor of Medical Workers”. She was represented at the competition by the Bank of Russia and the Moscow Mint.
The second prize went to the “Smallest Gold Coin” presented by the Swiss Federal Mint.
In third place is the “Tree of Life – Point Art” coin made of 999-carat silver, presented by NumisCollect (Netherlands).
People’s Choice Award
The tenth nomination – “People’s Choice Award” – was determined by the results of voting by visitors on the Golden Chervonets portal, in which everyone could take part from 15th July to 15th September 2021. The winner in this nomination was the “Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin” coin presented by the Central Bank of Armenia.
For further information, visit Golden Chervonets.
The winner coins of the contest can also be found in our online archive Cosmos of Collectibles.
Last year we reported the winner of the XIV Coin Constellation 2020.
