The author of the coin's graphic design is Laimonis Šēnbergs, and Ligita Franckeviča created its plaster model. It has been struck by Koninklijke Nederlandse Munt (the Netherlands).
The front side of this silver collector coin bears the obverse of the ferding struck in 1515, featuring the family coats of arms of Riga Archbishop Jasper Linde and Master of the Livonian Order Wolter von Plettenberg as well as some elements of the Livonian Order cross. The other side of the coin replicates the reverse of the ferding struck in 1515, with an image of standing Virgin Mary holding a child and sceptre in her hands on it. The shining outer ring bears the inscriptions "2015", "VĒRDIŅAM" and "500".
The coin "500 Years of Livonian Ferding" commemorates the anniversary of a significant historical event and a currency unit of Latvia – the Livonian ferding. This silver ferding is not exactly a circulation coin for everyday use but rather a little miracle, empowered to promote national distinction and understanding of interrelatedness of the European monetary system. This is not the first collector coin dedicated to the history of Latvian money: four years ago, the 800 year anniversary of Bishop Albert's pfennig was celebrated with a collector coin featuring a new image of the pfennig.
The collector coin "500 years of Livonian Ferding" is legal tender in the Republic of Latvia (yet hardly to be found in circulation, as collector coins in general are miniature works of art, highly admired and demanded by the numismatic community and other interested parties). Its maximum mintage is limited to 7 000 coins.
The price of the coin at Cashier's Offices of Latvijas Banka is 28 euro. As of 8 December, it will be on sale at Latvijas Banka Cashier's Offices (K. Valdemāra 1B in Riga and Teātra 3 in Liepāja) and such traditional points of sale as coin shops, book stores and souvenir and jewellery shops (https://monetas.bank.lv/images/stories/pielikumi/nauda/Monetu-tirdzniecibas-vietas.pdf). As of 1 December 2015, collector coins issued by Latvijas Banka and other numismatic products are for sale also online from the JSC "Latvijas Pasts" (http://old.pasts.lv/lv/veikals/).
"500 Years of Livonian Ferding" will launch the online new collector coin and other numismatic products reservation service, which Latvijas Banka offers to customers (accessible under the Banknotes and Coins Section (https://rezervetmonetu.bank.lv) of its website (www.bank.lv) as of 7 December 2015).
The first and foremost advantage of the innovative service is the opportunity for clients to buy new collector coins and different numismatic products offered online by Latvijas Banka at the most convenient time for them. It is most likely to suit the needs of customers, e.g. from regions, who are busy on the initial days of launching a new coin or due to other reasons cannot visit the Cashier's Offices of Latvijas Banka.
It has been ruled that the reserved coins and numismatic products shall be picked up from Latvijas Banka within a period of 30 days but not earlier than as of the 10th day after start of the reservation process. For instance, reservations for the collector coin "500 Years of Livonian Ferding" will be accepted from 7 December to 13 December 2015; the ordered coins shall be picked up at Latvijas Banka Cashier's Offices from 16 December 2015 to 14 January 2016.
Information about the collector coins for sale at the Cashier's Offices of Latvijas Banka is available at https://monetas.bank.lv/en/coins-for-sale. This site shows that a vast range of thematically and artistically diverse collector and commemorative coins are still available, among them several coins denominated in lats, four of the euro silver collector coins issued in 2014, and such euro collector coins issued in 2015 as "150 Years of Firefighting in Latvia", "500 Years of the Riga Castle", "Rainis and Aspazija", "ValseMélancolique" (a dedication to Emīls Dārziņš).
