Malta · Series: From Children in Solidarity – Nature and Environment

Issue date21 Oct 2019

Total mintage320,000

EU maximum320,000

Editions3

Edge lettering2 ✠✠ × 6, alternately upright/inverted

InscriptionMALTA / 2019

DesignerJoshua Stuart

mintMonnaie de Paris, Pessac

Issue occasion

The commemorative coin is dedicated to the theme “Nature and Environment”. The design, created by a student, depicts a fruit tree and a stylised sun, as well as the inscription “MALTA”.

The design

The design was created by a student and depicts a fruit tree and a stylised sun. The issuing country “MALTA” and, below it, the year of issue “2019” are inscribed at the bottom left.
The outer coin ring features the twelve stars of the European flag.

Background on the topic

The issue forms part of the Maltese coin programme “From Children in Solidarity”. In this five-part series, general social issues were addressed from the perspective of children. It began in 2016 and covered, among other topics, solidarity, peace, cultural heritage, nature and the environment, and games. The designs were selected through a competition among school students. The aim was not only to present a child’s perspective on these issues, but also to encourage engagement with social responsibility. The nature and environment issue was the fourth part of the series.

Unlike many commemorative coins, it does not commemorate a specific person, building or historical anniversary. Its occasion is a contemporary social issue. The imagery combines growth, fertility and the dependence of human life on natural foundations. The fact that the design was created by a child is part of the concept of the series as a whole and not merely a distinctive artistic feature.

For Malta, the subject has a specific geographical background. The island state has a small land area, a high population density and limited natural freshwater resources. Agriculture, settlement, transport and tourism compete for scarce space. At the same time, drought, soil erosion, water scarcity and the protection of coastal and marine areas are among the country’s enduring environmental concerns. Traditional cultural landscapes with fields, terraces and fruit cultivation are also affected by changes in land use.

The choice of subject can therefore be explained both by the international debate on environmental and climate protection and by the particular conditions of a densely populated Mediterranean state. Within the coin series, however, the focus was less on a specific political measure than on conveying a generally comprehensible idea: nature is the basis of life and requires responsible action. The coin combines this idea with the educational approach of involving young people themselves in the public presentation of social issues.