Croatia: World’s smallest gold coin marks farewell to kuna currency as Croatia adopts euro

The Croatian National Bank has released new gold coins as both a tribute and farewell to the country’s national currency, the kuna, which has been in use since 1994.   

The new gold coins are produced by the Croatian Mint at their facilities in Sveta Nedelja, on behalf of the Croatian National Bank. 

One-kuna gold: This extraordinary minuscule numismatic tribute appropriately pays homage to the world’s smallest city, known as Hum. This very small city changed hands many times as it was absorbed into the Venetian Empire; it came under the authority of Napoleon and was then awarded to the Austrian Empire in 1815. Due to wars and shifting borders, it was once part of Italy until becoming part of Croatia after the First World War, where it has remained ever since. Today, Hum is administered by its own elected authority and is known in the region for its completely preserved city walls and towers. 

Recognised as the world’s smallest coin and designed by Ana Divković, the obverse side depicts the world’s smallest city and its historic structures from a bird’s eye view. Above the primary design is the text HUM 2022 with additional commemorative text below, which reads NAJMANJI GRAD NA SVIJETU (“the world’s smallest city”). The reverse side features a front-facing depiction of the head of an Istrian steer with long horns that are typical of this breed. Placed between the long horns is the denomination 1 KUNA, along with the Croatian coat of arms. Below the steer’s head is the word “Hum” shown in Glagolitic script separating the text REPUBLIKA HRVATSKA. 

100-kuna gold: The last 1000-kuna commemorative coin of Croatia for 2022 is dedicated to the Višnjan Observatory, currently one of the most renowned institutions of its kind in the world. 

Designed by Nikola Vudrag, the obverse side features an image of the old Višnjan Observatory as seen under a starry sky. To the right is an additional image designed to show the night sky through a telescope while outlining the observatory on a map of stars. Encircling the primary design along the edge is the legend ZVJEZDARNICA VIŠNJAN (“Višnjan Observatory”), along with the technical latitude and longitude coordinates of 45º 17’ 26,9” N 13º 44’ 56,6” E. The year of issue, 2022, is seen just to the lower right. The reverse side features a side view of an Istrian steer with long horns typical of this breed standing on a stone structure. Above and behind the steer is a view of the Višnjan municipality’s medieval skyline with the Croatian coat of arms shown below the denomination of 1000 KUNA. The text REPUBLIKA HRVATSKA VIŠNJAN is placed along the left and top edge above the primary design. 

Denom.	Metal	Weight	Diameter	Quality	Mintage Limit
1 kuna	.9999 Gold	0.05 g	1.99 mm	Uncirculated	199
100 kuna	.9999 Gold	31.1 g	32 mm	Uncirculated	199

The two Uncirculated encapsulated coins are only available as a two-coin set. The custom presentation case was created by the Croatian design studio Izvorka Jurić. The case incorporates spot LED lights to recreate a night sky, enhancing the coins’ view and display. The box and presentation also contain a magnifying glass, which should be used to admire the world’s smallest coin properly. For additional information, please click here.

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