Value | 5 Latvian lats |
---|---|
Mass | 25 [1] g |
Diameter | 37 [1] mm |
Edge | Inscription "DIEVS SVĒTĪ LATVIJU" (God bless Latvia) with words separated by three six point stars |
Composition | 0.8350 silver, 0.165 copper [1] |
Silver | 0.6711 [1] troy oz |
Years of minting | 1929[1] | –1932
Obverse | |
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Design | The large Coat of arms of Latvia. Denomination and year of issue inscription PIECI LATI (five lats) |
Designer | Rihards Zariņš |
Reverse | |
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Design | Maiden in stylized folk costume with ears of grain over her shoulder. Inscription LATVIJAS REPUBLIKA (Republic of Latvia) |
Designer | Rihards Zariņš |
The 5 lats coin was a Latvian lat coin minted in 1929, 1931 and 1932. It became a popular symbol of independence during the Soviet occupation of Latvia. It was reproduced in several modern commemorative coins of Latvia and is used on the national sides of the Latvian 1 and 2 euro coins. The reverse design was featured on the Ls 500 banknote and in watermarks of all lats banknotes.
In February 1929, the Latvian Ministry of Finance decided to issue a ℒ︁𝓈 5 circulation coin depicting the head of a maiden, which would symbolize the Republic of Latvia and freedom. [2] The coin was designed by Rihards Zariņš. The image of the maiden on the coin is colloquially known as Milda (a Latvian female name). The model was Zelma Brauere (1900-1977), a proofreader of the State Securities Printing House. She served as a model for other works of the artist, including the ℒ︁𝓈 10 and ℒ︁𝓈 20 banknotes and the 50s coin.
In 1939, the Latvian government prepared to mint new ℒ︁𝓈 5 coins to be issued in 1941. The Latvian maiden was to be replaced by a portrait of the authoritarian leader of Latvia, Kārlis Ulmanis. Those coins were never minted as the Second World War broke out. [3]
After the Soviet occupation of Latvia in 1940, lats continued to circulate alongside the Soviet ruble, although silver coins had largely disappeared from circulation. (Even prior to the war, Latvian people had started to hoard silver coins to prepare for the imminent crisis.) On 25 March 1941, all denominations of lats were abruptly annulled. As the general society was given no prior warning, an estimated 50 million lats were never exchanged for rubles. The people were left with suddenly-worthless coins and bills, except for sentimental value and the silver content in the coins. [4] The Soviet authorities, however, did have ℒ︁𝓈 5 coins worth around ℒ︁𝓈 3.6 million after the lat was removed from circulation. In 1960, Soviet authorities reportedly sold silver lats coins to foreign numismatists for 28 DEM [2] around the same time the Soviet Bank started purchasing gold and silver coins of historical currencies. The ℒ︁𝓈 5 coin could be sold for 60 kopeks. [4]
The image of the maiden featured on the reverse of the coin was used in the design of the modern Ls 500 banknote. [4] It is also used as a watermark for all lats banknotes.
The Bank of Latvia has issued two collector coins featuring the imagery of the ℒ︁𝓈 5 coin. The first was struck in 2003 as part of the international series The Smallest Gold Coins of the World. [5] [6] The second was struck in 2012 to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the bank. The Bank of Latvia worked with the British Royal Mint, which minted the original coins, to recreate the coin using electrotypes used in minting the original coins. [6] [7]
In 2004, after a nationwide idea contest, the design was selected for the national side of Latvian Euro coins, and approved as a design for both the 1 and 2 Euro coins issued by Latvia. [8] The edge of the 2 Euro coin features an inscription similar to the one on the edge of the 5 lats coin. [9]
There are eight euro coin denominations, ranging from one cent to two euros. The coins first came into use in 2002. They have a common reverse, portraying a map of Europe, but each country in the eurozone has its own design on the obverse, which means that each coin has a variety of different designs in circulation at once. Four European microstates that are not members of the European Union use the euro as their currency and also have the right to mint coins with their own designs on the obverse side.
The Kwacha is the currency of Zambia. It is subdivided into 100 Ngwee.
The Deutsche Mark, abbreviated "DM" or "D-Mark" ( ), was the official currency of West Germany from 1948 until 1990 and later the unified Germany from 1990 until the adoption of the euro in 2002. In English, it was typically called the "Deutschmark". One Deutsche Mark was divided into 100 pfennigs.
The ruble or rouble is the currency of the Russian Federation. The ruble is subdivided into 100 kopecks. It is used in Russia as well as in the parts of Ukraine under Russian military occupation and in Russian-occupied parts of Georgia.
The Latvian lats was the currency of Latvia from 1922 until 1940 and from 1993 until it was replaced by the euro on 1 January 2014. A two-week transition period during which the lats was in circulation alongside the euro ended on 14 January 2014. The lats is abbreviated as Ls and was subdivided into 100 santīmi, abbreviated as an s after the santīm amount.
The lev is the currency of Bulgaria. In old Bulgarian, the word "lev" meant "lion"; the word "lion" in the modern language is lаv. The lev is divided in 100 stotinki. Stotinka in Bulgarian means "a hundredth" and in fact is a translation of the French term "centime." Grammatically, the word "stotinka" comes from the word "sto".
The Malaysian ringgit is the currency of Malaysia. Issued by the Central Bank of Malaysia, it is divided into 100 cents.
The Bank of Latvia is the Latvian member of the Eurosystem and has been the monetary authority for Latvia from 1922 to 2013, albeit with a long suspension between 1940 and 1992. It issued the Latvian lats (1922-1940), then a Latvian ruble (1992-1993) and second lats (1993-2013). Since 2014, it has also been Latvia's national competent authority within European Banking Supervision. The Bank of Latvia's administration is located in Riga.
The lira was the currency of Italy between 1861 and 2002. It was introduced by the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy in 1807 at par with the French franc, and was subsequently adopted by the different states that would eventually form the Kingdom of Italy in 1861. It was subdivided into 100 centesimi, which means "hundredths" or "cents". The lira was also the currency of the Albanian Kingdom from 1941 to 1943.
The manat is the currency of Azerbaijan. It is subdivided into 100 gapiks.
The Latvian ruble was the name of two currencies of Latvia: the Latvian ruble, in use from 1919 to 1922, and the second Latvian ruble, in use from 1992 to 1993.
The Transnistrian ruble is the currency of the internationally unrecognized state of Transnistria. It is divided into 100 kopecks.
The koruna, or crown, has been the currency of the Czech Republic since 1993. The koruna is one of the European Union's eight currencies, and the Czech Republic is legally bound to adopt the euro in the future.
The pound, or Manx pound, is the currency of the Isle of Man, at parity with sterling. The Manx pound is divided into 100 pence. Notes and coins, denominated in pounds and pence, are issued by the Isle of Man Government.
The ruble or rouble was the currency of the Soviet Union. It was introduced in 1922 and replaced the Imperial Russian ruble. One ruble was divided into 100 kopecks. Soviet banknotes and coins were produced by the Federal State Unitary Enterprise in Moscow and Leningrad.
There have been three sets of coins in Ireland since independence. In all three, the coin showed a Celtic harp on the obverse. The pre-decimal coins of the Irish punt had realistic animals on the reverse; the decimal coins retained some of these but featured ornamental birds on the lower denominations; and the euro coins used the common design of the euro currencies. The pre-decimal and original decimal coins were of the same dimensions as the same-denomination British coins, as the Irish punt was in currency union with the British pound sterling. British coins were widely accepted in Ireland, and conversely to a lesser extent. In 1979 Ireland joined the Exchange Rate Mechanism and the Irish punt left parity with sterling; coin designs introduced after this differed between the two countries.
The Coat of arms of the Republic of Latvia was officially adopted by the Constitutional Assembly of Latvia on 15 June 1921, and entered official use starting on 19 August 1921. It was created using new national symbols, as well as elements of the coats of arms of Polish and Swedish Livonia and of the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia. Thus, the coat of arms combines symbols of Latvian national statehood, as well as symbols of its historical regions. The Latvian national coat of arms was designed by Latvian artists Vilhelms Krūmiņš and Rihards Zariņš.
The coins of the Australian dollar were introduced on 14 February 1966, although they did not at that time include the one-dollar or two-dollar coins. The dollar was equivalent in value to 10 shillings in the former currency.
The 1 kroon coin was put in circulation from 1 August 1934 to 25 March 1941, during the first independence period of Estonia. The exact number of coins minted is not known, as part of the archives was destroyed in the war, but some data indicate that about 3,406,066 pieces were struck. During the budget year of 1935/1936, 1,586,000 additional 1 kroon coins were minted. Designed by graphic artist Günther Reindorff, it depicts the image of a 13th-century Viking cargo ship.