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CC 73 2009
Blister pack
BU
Blister pack BU
Italy · 200th birthday of Louis Braille
Mintage15,000
Issue price€12.00
Issue date15 Oct 2009
PackagingBlister pack
Edge lettering2 ★ × 6, alternately upright/inverted
Market price€19.00
Issue occasion
The coin commemorates the 200th birthday of Louis Braille (1809–1852). The design shows a hand reading an open book in Braille; the index finger points to the vertical inscription “LOUIS BRAILLE 1809–2009”. Two birds symbolise freedom through knowledge; beneath the book, the name Braille is written in Braille.
The design
The inner part of the coin depicts a hand reading an open book in Braille. Above the index finger, which points to the vertical inscription “LOUIS BRAILLE 1809—2009”, two birds symbolise freedom through knowledge. The issuing country’s designation “RI” is visible at the top right, and the engraver’s “R” at the bottom right. The name Braille appears in Braille beneath the book. At the very bottom, the initials “MCC” of the artist Maria Carmela Colanéri are visible.
The coin’s outer ring depicts the twelve stars of the European flag.
The coin’s outer ring depicts the twelve stars of the European flag.
Background on the topic
Louis Braille was born in Coupvray near Paris and was the son of a saddler. As a small child, he injured one eye in his father’s workshop. An infection spread to the other eye as well, leaving him completely blind. He later attended the Royal Institute for Young Blind People in Paris. There, books with raised Latin letters were used. They could be read by touch, but reading was slow; moreover, the books were large and laborious to produce.
A starting point for Braille’s own writing system was a “night writing” system developed by the French officer Charles Barbier. It was intended to enable soldiers to transmit messages without light or speech. Braille fundamentally simplified Barbier’s system. His characters are based on a cell of six tactile dots arranged in two columns. Different combinations of dots represent letters, punctuation marks and other characters. This means that texts can not only be read but also written independently with suitable aids.
Braille also developed systems of notation for mathematics and music. This was particularly important for education and vocational training. He later worked as a teacher at the Paris institute for the blind and was also active as an organist. His writing system initially gained acceptance there only slowly and was not officially introduced at the institute until after his death. During the further course of the 19th century, it spread internationally.
To this day, Braille is used in numerous languages and adapted to their respective particularities. It appears, among other places, in books, on medication packaging, in elevators and in public orientation systems. Digital Braille displays also reproduce screen contents through movable pins that can be read by touch.
The anniversary thus gave Italy an occasion to commemorate a cultural technique used throughout Europe and internationally. The focus is less on a national achievement than on blind people’s access to writing, education and independent communication.
A starting point for Braille’s own writing system was a “night writing” system developed by the French officer Charles Barbier. It was intended to enable soldiers to transmit messages without light or speech. Braille fundamentally simplified Barbier’s system. His characters are based on a cell of six tactile dots arranged in two columns. Different combinations of dots represent letters, punctuation marks and other characters. This means that texts can not only be read but also written independently with suitable aids.
Braille also developed systems of notation for mathematics and music. This was particularly important for education and vocational training. He later worked as a teacher at the Paris institute for the blind and was also active as an organist. His writing system initially gained acceptance there only slowly and was not officially introduced at the institute until after his death. During the further course of the 19th century, it spread internationally.
To this day, Braille is used in numerous languages and adapted to their respective particularities. It appears, among other places, in books, on medication packaging, in elevators and in public orientation systems. Digital Braille displays also reproduce screen contents through movable pins that can be read by touch.
The anniversary thus gave Italy an occasion to commemorate a cultural technique used throughout Europe and internationally. The focus is less on a national achievement than on blind people’s access to writing, education and independent communication.