Finland Children and Creativity Silver Coin Issued

The Mint of Finland recently released the Children and Creativity silver coin, the second issue in its "Ethical Collector Coins" series.

A few milestones are represented by this strike, including the fact that its design was the first chosen by popular vote. Over 1,000 visitors to the Mint of Finland’s website selected it over ten others that were submitted by students attending special senior secondary schools dedicated to the arts.

Secondly, and perhaps more important for the life of the designer, it marked the first work of seventeen year old Roope Määttä who is an art student at Kajaani Upper Secondary School. His design is entitled Taivaanrannan tuolla puolen (Over the Horizon), and "depicts a moment when an impossible thing comes to pass and another goal is set." The work also is meant to symbolize "the importance of always remembering one’s roots" according to Määttä.

The Ethical Collector Coin series debuted last year with the release of the Peace and Security silver coin which was dedicated to the theme of international peace. Each new theme in the series is chosen by the Finnish Ministry of Finance who then requests design submissions from interested individuals. Last year’s coin received 72 submissions.

Children and Creativity Silver Coin Design and Specifications

On the obverse of the Children and Creativity silver coin is an image of a young person holding the moon in their hands. Shown to the right are stars in the background and the inscriptions "Suomi," "Finland" and 2010.

The reverse contains a design of the surface of the moon with the footprints of a person left in its dust. To the side is a colorized planet. The elements are meant to represent the importance that creativity has in the world.

Each new Children and Creativity silver coin features a face value of 20 € and is struck from .925 silver to a diameter of 38.6 mm with a weight of 33.62 grams. The silver coins are available in both proof and uncirculated condition but feature a mintage cap of 10,000 and 3,500 respectively.

Those interested in obtaining one of these unique coins may do so via the Mint of Finland’s website (http://www.suomenrahapaja.fi/) for 89.00 € for the proof or 75.00 € for the uncirculated, plus shipping and handling.