„The lines [to buy the new coin] are still long,” the Latvian central bank’s spokesman, Janis Silakalns, told BNS early in the afternoon.
On Tuesday morning several hundred people were queued up at the Bank of Latvia to buy the new commemorative coin on its first day of issue. One person is allowed to buy no more than 50 special coins of the ordinary issue. There is also a counter selling the commemorative coins in special souvenir packaging.
The commemorative coin is the contribution of the Bank of Latvia to raising public awareness of the Latvian Presidency of the Council of the EU in Latvia and abroad.
The volume of the issuing is one million units. In addition, 5,000 coins of Brilliant Uncirculated quality in special souvenir packaging as well as sets of the euro circulation coins dedicated to the Latvian Presidency of the Council of the EU have been issued – 15,000 sets with coins of Brilliant Uncirculated quality and 5,000 sets of proof coins.
The national side of the coin features an archetypal image of a millstone, the logo of the Latvian Presidency of the Council of the EU.
The graphic design of the national side of the coin was created by Gunars Lusis. Janis Strupulis is the author of the plaster model. The new EUR 2 coin was struck by "Staatliche Munzen Baden-Wurttemberg" in Germany, the same mint commissioned to strike Latvia's euro circulation coinage and the first EUR 2 commemorative coin dedicated to Riga, European Capital of Culture 2014, which was put into circulation in summer 2014.
The common or European side of the commemorative coins (with the nominal displayed; artist - Luc Luycx), material, size and edge do not differ from normal EUR 2 circulation coins. What makes them different is the national side
.Every year, each euro area country is entitled to issue two special 2-euro commemorative coins, featuring events of national, European or global significance. Latvia’s first special 2-euro coin that was issued last year was dedicated to Riga as the European Capital of Culture 2014.
