The coin celebrates fairy tale about an old man's mitten, with its message being communicated through a seemingly funny and innocent yet somewhat sadly-ending story. The lesson of wise living is presented in a metaphorical form: in the name of universal happiness, every human being must learn to include all living things in the circle of their respect, compassion and empathy, to lend a helping hand to the miserable, to support and to assist.
The author of the coin's graphic design is artist Arvīds Priedīte, and this is his 14th collector coin design. The plaster model has been made by Jānis Strupulis, co-author of many collector coins.
The collector coin "Fairy Tale Coin III. The Old Man's Mitten" has been struck by UAB Lietuvos monetų kalykla (Lithuania). The obverse shows a patterned colourful mitten, with the lower parts of a bear and a wolf protruding from it; featured on the obverse are also a fly, a rabbit and a mouse. The reverse of the coin bears the images of fairy tale heroes bear, wolf, mouse and rabbit joining in a jolly dance and a fly fluttering in between them.
The collector coin "Fairy Tale Coin III. The Old Man's Mitten" is legal tender in the Republic of Latvia, yet its release in circulation is unlikely, for by nature collector coins are works of art, enjoying high demand from the numismatic community and other interested parties. The coin's maximum mintage is limited to 10 000.
The price of the coin at Latvijas Banka Cashier's Offices is 47.00 euro. As of 28 March, it will be on sale at Latvijas Banka Cashier's Offices (K. Valdemāra iela 1B in Riga and Teātra iela 3 in Liepāja). As of 15.00 today, it can also be reserved via the new collector coin and other numismatic products online under the Banknotes and Coins Section at https://rezervetmonetu.bank.lv/ on Latvijas Banka website at www.bank.lv. The most important advantage this innovative service offers to its customers is the opportunity to buy new coins and numismatic products at the most convenient time and without waiting in lines. It is most likely to suit the needs of customers, e.g. from regions, who are busy on initial days of new coin issuances or who cannot visit the Cashier's Offices of Latvijas Banka due to other reasons. If the demand for coin is high, as has been the case previously, coins for reservation are quickly out of stock. Notably, upon launching a safe and convenient system this year, Latvijas Banka will offer coins also via an e-trading platform.
The coin will also be available at such traditional points of sale as coin, book, souvenir and jewellery shops. Collector coins and other numismatic products issued by Latvijas Banka can be obtained online also from the JSC "Latvijas Pasts" (http://old.pasts.lv/lv/veikals/).
The information about collector coins available from Latvijas Banka Cashier's Offices is provided at https://monetas.bank.lv/en/coins-for-sale. This site shows that a vast range of thematically and artistically diverse coins are still available. The information about Latvijas Banka's Coin Programme 2017 is available at https://monetas.bank.lv/en/coins-for-sale.
