Latvijas Banka will issue a collector coin dedicated to artist Džemma Skulme

On Thursday, 21 August, Latvijas Banka is issuing a silver collector coin "Džemma" dedicated to the distinguished artist Džemma Skulme – a towering figure in Latvian art and cultural life. Her remarkable creative work and civic stance have played a pivotal role in shaping and preserving Latvia's national identity.

The artist was born on 20 September 1925 into the family of painter Oto Skulme and sculptor Marta Skulme. Her artistic legacy intertwines the enduring thread of family traditions, the pinnacle of interwar modernist achievements, and a fearless spirit of creative freedom even within the confines of socialist realism. Džemma Skulme began incorporating national motifs into her work as early as the 1960s, using them as symbols of national self-esteem and spiritual defiance. The triad of figures – the folk maiden, the caryatid, and the princess – became the core of her artistic identity.

The graphic design of the coin was created by artist Juris Petraškevičs. In the collector coin dedicated to the artist, he has sought to immortalise Džemma Skulme's distinctive brushstroke, capturing the essence of her unique "fingerprint" on the landscape of Latvian art and culture.

The silver collector coin "Džemma" will be on display for all interested visitors at the exhibition "Džemma" dedicated to the 100th anniversary of Džemma Skulme. The exhibition will be open to the public at the main building of the Latvian National Museum of Art from 23 August 2025 to 25 January 2026. 

The collector coin will be available for purchase on the website e-monetas.lv/en from 12:00 (noon) on 21 August. The price of the coin is EUR 89.00; the purchase limit for one buyer is 3 coins. The coin has been struck by UAB Lietuvos monetų kalykla (Lithuania).

Latvijas Banka expresses its gratitude to Marta Skulme and Juris Dimiters, as well as to the Latvian National Museum of Art, for their collaboration in the creation of the collector coin.

DŽEMMA

Technical data

Face value: 5 euro
Weight: 27.00 g
Size: 45.00 mm x 28.00 mm

Shape: an irregular, brushstroke-like rectangle with rounded corners
Metal: silver of fineness .999° with colour print on the obverse

Quality: proof
Maximum mintage: 2500
Struck in 2025 by UAB Lietuvos monetų kalykla (Lithuania)

Artists

Graphic design: Juris Petraškevičs

Obverse

A fragment (depicted in colour and relief) of the painting "Dialogue" by Džemma Skulme (Canvas, oil. 140.0 cm x 150.0 cm. LNMM VMM AG-1601).

Reverse

The background features a brushstroke depicted with varying degrees of matte finish and relief. At the top, a facsimile of Džemma Skulme's signature is inscribed. The inscriptions "5 EURO", the year "2025", and "LATVIJA" appear along the right edge, oriented vertically.

Edge

Plain.

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 61 euro collector coins. Overall, more than 50 artists from Latvia and now also 1 artist from Ukraine have participated in designing Latvian coins.

The design of Latvian coins has received 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, whereas in 2018, the collector coin "National Entrepreneur" was named the Most Artistic Coin of the Year. At the competition Coin of the Year Awards (COTY) in 2020, the "Honey Coin", Latvijas Banka's collector coin, was announced the world's Most Artistic Coin and the Coin of the Year.

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.