Characters from the animated film Flow will be reimagined on a coin issued by Latvijas Banka

On Wednesday, 10 December, Latvijas Banka will issue a silver collector coin Flow, featuring the characters from the Oscar-winning animated film that have won hearts worldwide. Adding to its uniqueness, the coin's graphic design is the result of a creative collaboration between Gints Zilbalodis, the film's director, and Pēteris Tenisons, the animation artist. 

The coin Flow honours the animated film that has received the most prestigious award in the film industry – the Oscar. Gints Zilbalodis has spent half his life with the story of a solitary cat's relationship with water, progressing from the short film Aqua (2012) to the triumph of Flow (2024). The artist admits that, while he has lived as a loner like the cat, he has learned to collaborate with others, not only in Latvia, but also in France and Belgium. This experience has allowed him to showcase the power of independent animation on the world stage, achieving brilliance with modest resources. 

One side of the coin features the iconic dark grey cat, while the other – five friends, each distinct yet side by side, bound by an unforgettable experience. Between the two sides – a breathtaking odyssey, as they share a single boat, fleeing the floods. This is the animated film Flow, directed by Gints Zilbalodis, that has won more than 80 awards, including an Academy Award ("Oscar") in the United States. 

The film's characters also embark on a journey within themselves: the free-thinking cat learns to confront challenges head-on, the friendly dog frees itself from pack instincts, the noble secretarybird is ready to sacrifice itself for the sake of others, the lemur, a collector of shiny objects, dares to seek friends beyond its tribe, and the loyal capybara remains calm even in a storm. Together, they overcome shared fears for survival, as well as their own individual anxieties: fear of water, of those who are different, of having to share, of the uncertainty of the next moment… A moving testament to the life-saving power of cooperation and friendship. 

The film Flow continues to travel the world's cinemas, wordlessly posing riddles and stirring the waters of the soul, no matter how different we may be in the same boat. 

The silver collector coin will be available for purchase on the website e-monetas.lv/en from 12:00 (noon) on 10 December. The price of the coin is EUR 77.00; the purchase limit for one buyer will be 3 coins. The mintage of the coin is 6000. The coin was struck by Koninklijke Nederlandse Munt (the Netherlands). 

Latvijas Banka would like to thank the team of the animated film Flow for their cooperation in the creation of the collector coin and its accompanying informational materials. 

A video about the coin, along with the film team's own account of the project, is available here: https://youtu.be/xx6sG9BWMLs. 

FLOW

Technical data

Face value: 5 euro
Weight: 22.00 g
Diameter: 35.00 mm

Metal: silver of fineness .999° with colour print on the obverse and reverse

Quality: proof
Maximum mintage: 6000
Struck in 2025 by Koninklijke Nederlandse Munt (the Netherlands)

Artists

Graphic design: Gints Zilbalodis and Pēteris Tenisons

Obverse

The main character of the animated film Flow – a dark grey cat with large yellow eyes. The English inscription "Flow" is arranged in a semi-circle along the lower left edge of the coin, while the Latvian inscription "Straume" is positioned on the lower right.

Reverse 

The heroes of the animated film Flow – a dog, a cat, a capybara, a lemur, and a bird. The inscriptions "5 EURO" and "2025" are arranged in a semi-circle along the upper right edge of the coin.

Edge

The inscriptions "LATVIJAS BANKA" and "LATVIJAS REPUBLIKA", separated by rhombic dots.

Activity of Latvijas Banka regarding the issuance of collector coins and 2 euro commemorative coins 

Since 1993, Latvijas Banka has issued 98 lats collector coins and 63 euro collector coins. Overall, more than 50 artists from Latvia and one artist from Ukraine have participated in designing Latvian coins.

The design of Latvian coins has earned high international recognition. They have received numerous prestigious awards; notably, the "Coin of Latvia" won the international 2010 Coin of the Year Award at the contest organised by the US numismatics publishing house Krause Publications and its magazine World Coin News. In 2015, the silver collector coin "The Baltic Way" was recognised as the Best Contemporary Event Coin at this contest. In 2018, the collector coin "National Entrepreneur" was announced the Most Artistic Coin at this contest, while in 2021, the "Honey Coin", Latvijas Banka's collector coin, was named the world's Most Artistic Coin and the 2020 Coin of the Year. In 2025, the collector coin "Cabbage" issued by Latvijas Banka in 2024 was announced the Best Silver Coin at this contest.

The Coin Design Commission of Latvijas Banka (the former Commission for the Thematic Concept of the Banknotes and Coins), which has been active since 12 November 1993, plays an important role in the coin issuing process. The Commission consists of employees of Latvijas Banka, outstanding experts in Latvian art and culture as well as artists and scientists. 

After the euro changeover, Latvijas Banka has carried on the tradition of issuing collector coin series with motifs characteristic of Latvia and executed in high artistic quality. These coins are legal tender only in the issuing country. They are unlikely to come into general circulation, for, by nature, they are works of art enjoying high demand from the numismatic community and other interested parties. 

The face value of collector coins must differ from that of coins in general circulation (it must be, e.g. 5 euro or 10 euro). Their specifications, including colour, diameter, weight, material, etc. have to be cardinally distinctive from those of the coins in general circulation. 

For information on the collector coins on sale at e-monetas.lv/en and the Cashier's Office of Latvijas Banka, see https://www.e-monetas.lv/en and https://monetas.bank.lv/en/coins-for-sale. 

The issuance of 2 euro commemorative coins (2 euro circulation coins of special design) is another area of coin art. Each year, every euro area country is entitled to issue two 2 euro commemorative coins (similar to 1 lats special circulation coins previously issued in Latvia), featuring events of national, European, or global significance. The euro area countries can additionally produce a third 2 euro commemorative coin, provided that it is issued jointly and that it commemorates events of European Union-wide importance. 

Commemorative coins bear the same features and the same common or European side as the normal 2 euro circulation coins, while their national sides differ and feature a national commemorating motif. 

Euro commemorative coins are legal tender throughout the euro area. This means they can be used – and must be accepted – just like any other euro coin.