Estonian cbank to issue into circulation silver coin for Olympic Games in Beijing

TALLINN - On Thursday, Jan. 6, the Bank of Estonia is to issue into circulation a silver commemorative coin with a nominal value of eight euros for the Estonian athletes at the XXIV Winter Olympic Games in Beijing. 

The coin will go on sale at 11 a.m. on Thursday, Jan 6, in the Omniva online shop, spokespeople for the central bank said on Monday. Each coin costs 45 euros and up to three can be bought at once. Altogether 3,000 of the coins have been minted.

The design by Liis Dvorjanski for the coin is inspired by conifers alongside ski trails and represents the landscape of the Olympic venue. The logo of the Estonian Olympic Committee is in the background of the landscape and the view is encircled by the Olympic rings. The coin has a nominal value of eight euros.

The designer of the coin, Liis Dvorjanski, studied fine arts at the Estonian Academy of Art and applied architecture at TTK University of Applied Sciences. She currently works for the design studio Tuules. Dvorjanski has designed collector coins for the central bank also earlier. Her designs were used for the silver coin for the Olympic Games in London in 2012 and for the commemorative coin in 2008 to celebrate the centenary of the Estonian National Museum.

The silver coin dedicated to the Estonian athletes at the Winter Olympic Games in Beijing is a collector coin. Collector coins are mostly made of precious metals and commemorate important events or people for the issuing country. Collector coins are only legal tender in the country of issue. They are not intended for circulation, but rather for collecting or as gifts, and their selling price usually exceeds their nominal value.