Latvijas Banka dedicates a coin to the 500th anniversary of the first book published in Latvian

On Tuesday, 4 November, Latvijas Banka is issuing a silver collector coin "Latvian Book – 500". 

Five centuries ago, the first book in Latvian marked the beginning of the Latvian people's challenging journey towards their own language and nation. Although this unique book never reached Latvia, others soon followed, heralding the dawn of a new era in our culture. To honour this milestone, artist Anete Melece-Olivadoti has created a coin that intertwines the meaningful story of the first book printed in Latvian with the enduring significance of the reader.

Books hold a special place in the development of modern nations. Their circulation within society fosters a culture of reading – a foundation upon which value systems and shared information spaces are built. The revolution sparked by Johannes Gutenberg's invention was followed by other pivotal turns related to the spread of book-reading practices into everyday life. 

The triumph of the Reformation in 16th-century Europe marked a shift in the evolution of many national languages. As they acquired a written form, these languages also gained a promise of development over the centuries to come. Yet the path towards national book culture was far from smooth. In the era of religious wars, Protestant publications were often subject to persecution and destruction. One such episode unfolded in 1525, when Lutheran handbooks in Latvian and Estonian – describing the order of worship in the Protestant tradition – were confiscated in the port of Lübeck. 

The fate of the first Latvian book reveals that bookmaking is deeply entwined with people's social life, a realm that includes war and the violent clash of ideologies. The confiscated books were burned in Lübeck and never reached Riga – their intended gateway to Latvian and Estonian readers in Livonia. Yet the earliest translations of Christian texts into Latvian were soon followed by others, ushering in a new era of Latvian culture – one that endures to this day, along with the living tradition of reading Latvian books.

Artist Jānis Strupulis is the author of the coin's plaster model.

The silver collector coin will be available for purchase on the website e-monetas.lv/en from 12:00 (noon) on 4 November. The price of the coin is EUR 79.00; the purchase limit for one buyer will be 3 coins. The mintage of the coin is 2500. The coin was struck by Koninklijke Nederlandse Munt (the Netherlands). 

Latvijas Banka thanks the National Library of Latvia for the cooperation in creating the collector coin. The video story of the coin and the artist's narrative are available here: https://youtu.be/x8De9ltQe5k. 

LATVIAN BOOK – 500 

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

Quality: proof
Maximum mintage: 2500
Struck in 2025 by Koninklijke Nederlandse Munt (the Netherlands)

Artists

Graphic design: Anete Melece-Olivadoti

Plaster model: Jānis Strupulis

Obverse

The coin's obverse depicts, in colour print and relief, the face of a reader, with hands holding a book in the foreground. The book cover bears the inscription "LATVIEŠU GRĀMATAI 500" ("LATVIAN BOOK – 500"). The year "2025" and the inscription "5 EURO" are featured on the left side.

Reverse 

The coin's reverse tells, in a sequence of scenes, the story of the first book printed in Latvian – from its printing in a typography and loading into a barrel for transport, to the opening of the barrel and inspection of the shipment at a port, and, finally, the burning of the confiscated books. The year "1525" is positioned at the upper left, the inscription "PIRMĀS LATVIEŠU GRĀMATAS STĀSTS" ("THE STORY OF THE FIRST LATVIAN BOOK") is arranged in a semi-circle along the right side.

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 62 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.