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CC 304 2018
Coincard
BU
Coincard
Lithuania · Baltic States joint issue: 100 years of independence
Mintage5,000
Issue price€9.00
Issue date31 Jan 2018
PackagingCoincard
Edge letteringLAISVĖ ★ VIENYBĖ ★ GEROVĖ ★
Market price€32.00
Issue occasion
The commemorative coin honours the 100th anniversary of the establishment of Estonia and Latvia and the re-establishment of Lithuania. The shared design depicts the three Baltic states as an intertwined braid, thereby referring to their shared past, present and future. It is complemented by a stylised numeral for the 100th anniversary and the heraldic symbols of all three states.
The design
The three Baltic member states are symbolically depicted as a braid. They are connected by their history: a shared past, present and future. A stylized numeral for the 100th anniversary and the heraldic symbols of all three member states are also depicted. On the left are the name of the issuing country, “LIETUVA”, and the mintmark, and on the right the year of issue, “2018”, and the artist’s mark, “JP”. The coin design was selected following a public vote in all three Baltic countries.
The twelve stars of the European flag are depicted on the outer ring of the coin.
The twelve stars of the European flag are depicted on the outer ring of the coin.
Background on the topic
The state declarations of 1918 emerged in the context of the First World War, the collapse of the Russian Empire and the temporary German occupation of the Baltic region. The three countries established or restored their statehood at different times: Lithuania declared its state independence on 16 February, Estonia on 24 February and Latvia on 18 November 1918.
The different terminology has historical reasons. Estonia and Latvia were founded as modern, independent nation-states for the first time in 1918. Lithuania, by contrast, explicitly invoked an older state tradition. The Grand Duchy of Lithuania (Großfürstentum Litauen) had existed for centuries and later became part of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (polnisch-litauische Adelsrepublik). Following its partitions at the end of the 18th century, the Lithuanian territories came predominantly under Russian rule. The Lithuanian Act of Independence of 1918 therefore referred to the restoration of an independent state.
The declarations were followed by military conflicts over borders, political order and actual sovereignty. Only after wars of independence and diplomatic recognition were the three republics able to consolidate themselves. Their first phase of state independence ended in 1940 with their occupation and incorporation into the Soviet Union (Sowjetunion). German occupation during the Second World War was followed by renewed Soviet rule.
During the final phase of the Soviet Union (Sowjetunion), the independence movements of the three countries worked closely together. A highly visible sign was the „Baltische Weg“ of 1989, a human chain through Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Lithuania declared the restoration of its independence in 1990; Estonia and Latvia followed in 1991. Since then, the states have developed common political interests, including in European and security cooperation.
A joint coin issue was therefore an obvious choice: Although the anniversaries referred to three separate acts of statehood, they also reflected comparable experiences of foreign rule, the assertion of statehood and renewed sovereignty. Since 2004, all three countries have been members of the European Union.
The different terminology has historical reasons. Estonia and Latvia were founded as modern, independent nation-states for the first time in 1918. Lithuania, by contrast, explicitly invoked an older state tradition. The Grand Duchy of Lithuania (Großfürstentum Litauen) had existed for centuries and later became part of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (polnisch-litauische Adelsrepublik). Following its partitions at the end of the 18th century, the Lithuanian territories came predominantly under Russian rule. The Lithuanian Act of Independence of 1918 therefore referred to the restoration of an independent state.
The declarations were followed by military conflicts over borders, political order and actual sovereignty. Only after wars of independence and diplomatic recognition were the three republics able to consolidate themselves. Their first phase of state independence ended in 1940 with their occupation and incorporation into the Soviet Union (Sowjetunion). German occupation during the Second World War was followed by renewed Soviet rule.
During the final phase of the Soviet Union (Sowjetunion), the independence movements of the three countries worked closely together. A highly visible sign was the „Baltische Weg“ of 1989, a human chain through Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Lithuania declared the restoration of its independence in 1990; Estonia and Latvia followed in 1991. Since then, the states have developed common political interests, including in European and security cooperation.
A joint coin issue was therefore an obvious choice: Although the anniversaries referred to three separate acts of statehood, they also reflected comparable experiences of foreign rule, the assertion of statehood and renewed sovereignty. Since 2004, all three countries have been members of the European Union.