Lithuania: New heptagonal silver Proof coin marks 700th anniversary of Vilnius

The Bank of Lithuania has unveiled new collector coins, which marks the 700th anniversary of the establishment of the town of Vilnius as the country’s seat of government. A settlement has existed on the site since the 10th century, and the first documented reference to Vilnius dates from 1128. Archaeological findings indicate that Vilnius was the capital of both the Kingdom of Lithuania and later that of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. As such, Vilnius remained both the historic and present-day capital of Lithuania, though with intermittent instances when the city was the subject of border disputes. 

The silver Proof coins are produced by the Mint of Lithuania at their facilities in Vilnius, on behalf of the Bank of Lithuania and designed by Vytautas Narutis. The obverse of this irregularly shaped heptagonal coin depicts the history of the city through artistic representations and essentially, a bird’s eye view of Vilnius’ current skyline. The centre features the Gediminas’ Tower, around which the life of the city revolves, with the images of the city’s well-known landmark buildings portrayed in a kaleidoscopic view along with the year of the founding of the city, 1323, which is incorporated into the design. Below the primary design is the inscription LIETUVA (“Lithuania”) along with the denomination of €10 and the year of issue, 2023. The distinctive mintmark of the Lithuanian Mint is shown just to the upper right. The design seen on the reverse side refers to the legend of the founding of Vilnius with a stylised representation which depicts a reclining Grand Duke Gediminas. According to the legend, Gediminas, then the Grand Duke of Lithuania, following a hunting trip, dreams of a wolf made of iron. His loud cry moved the waters of the Neris River, and a sage fortune teller named Lizdeika explained to Gediminas that a city would be built on this spot, and its name would be heard all around the world. In a vertical direction is the inscription VILNIUS with the numeral 700 shown horizontally. The stylised initials of the author can be seen just to the lower right of the design. A surface replicating granite stone is integrated on the background of both sides connecting both the obverse and reverse of the coin in terms of theme.  

Denom.	Metal	Weight	Dimensions	Quality	Mintage Limit
10 euro	.925 Silver	23.3 g	36.3 mm	Proof	N/A

Available towards the end of the first quarter of 2023, each coin is encapsulated and presented in a custom case, accompanied by a certificate of authenticity. For additional information, please click here.

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