1167) 37th Coin of the Year 2020 (COTY) Nominees: The Prestigious Kraus Publications Annual Award Competition which selects the winning coins in 10 different Categories & from among the winners - the "Coin Of The Year":

1167) 37th Coin of the Year 2020 (COTY) Nominees: The Prestigious Kraus Publications Annual Award Competition which selects the winning coins in 10 different Categories & from among the winners - the "Coin Of The Year":

To view a few other posts on previous COTY winners, please click on the following links:

1) Did You Know Series (25) : The prestigious Krause Publications Annual World Coin Competition - Winners of the COTY 2015 and other 10 Category winners

2) Krause Publications Awards Coin of the Year and other Category winners - 2016

3) Coin of the Year and winners of the 10 sub-categories- 2017

4) Coin of the Year Awards - 2018 (COTY - 2018): i) A 5 Euro Polymer Coin from Germany is the winner of Coin of the Year 2018; ii) Other category winners.

5) Coin of the Year Awards - 2019 (COTY 2019): i) A 50 Euro Silver coin from France is the Winner of Coin of the Year - 2019; ii) Other Category Winners.

6) 37th Annual Coin of the Year 2020 (COTY) Nominees: The Prestigious Kraus Publications Annual Award Competition which selects the winning coins in 10 different categories & from among the winners - the "Coin of the Year"

The 37th Annual Coin of the Year (COTY) programme has commenced with 100 Coins all dated 2018, from all over the world  having been nominated for these prestigious Coin Awards. 

This prestigious Awards competition has been presented by World Coin News and sponsored by The Journal of East Asian Numismatics.

More than 1,000 coins from 45 coin issuing entities around the world were considered by the panel, which met on 24th and 25th October 2019 at Stevens Point, Wisconsin and selected a total of 100 nominees from 41 countries - i.e. 10 coins in each of the 10 Award categories.

Leading the nominations was coins from Australia with nine nominations, consisting of five coins issued by the Perth Mint and four from the Royal Australian Mint, with nominations in eight categories.

Great Britain's Royal Mint has a total of eight nominations in eight categories, while French coins were nominated in six categories. Some other nominations include five nominations each from Canada, China, Germany and the USA. Italy and Austria have four nominations each. 

With a total of 51 nominations, these nine countries make up more than half of the total nominations.

Some new-comers who have been nominated in various categories include - Barbados, Belgium, Cambodia, Djibouti, Fiji, Greece, Ireland, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Swaziland and Ukraine.

A ballot sheet of these 100 nominees  was sent to an international panel of judges, who will vote for their picks and one coin will come out as the winner in each category. Once the 10 winners are selected, the judges will consider the 10 finalists for the ultimate Coin of the Year Award (COTY-2020).

Category awards and top honour will be presented to winners in February 2020.

Several coins from out of the nominees, already  figure in posts written previously on this Blog.

The following is a complete list of the nominees in each category:

1) Most Historically Significant Coin:

Coins commemorating events, institutions or individuals deemed highly significant in terms of the historical heritage of a people, a country or mankind. The subject or theme must have passed into historical perspective at least 100 years ago:

Great Britain - KM-1575, 5 Pounds Silver, First World War 1918 Centenary - T.E. Lawrence

Germany - KM-372, 20 Euro, Silver, 150th Anniversary of Peter Behrens

Greece - KM-312, 200 Euro, Gold, Greek Colture, Historians - Herodotus.

Ireland - KM-98, 15 Euro, Silver with selective colour, 100th Anniversary of Women's Right to Vote

Australia - KM -2861a (Royal Australian Mint)1 Dollar, Silver, Australia's Convict Era 1788-1868

 Canada - KM 2574, 1 Dollar, Silver, 100th Anniversary of the Armistice of the First World War

  France - KM 2503, 10 Euro, Silver with selective colour, World War I - Armistice

 Japan - Y-267, 1,000 Yen, Silver with colour, 100th Anniversary of the Beginning of the Meiji Period

Tuvalu - KM-406, KM-407, 1 Dollar (each), Silver, Evolution of Industry - Steam and Electricity, Gear Shaped Two Coin Set

United States of America - KM-682, 1 Dollar, Silver, World War I Centennial

2) Best Contemporary Event Coin:

Coins commemorating events, institutions or individuals of current or recent events influencing people or mankind. The subjects or issues must have occurred within the past 99 years:

Canada - KM-2649, 20 Dollar, Silver with colour, "Canada's Unexplained Phenomena - The Falcon Lake Incident"

Belgium - KM-373, 2 Euro Bi-metallic, "50th  Anniversary of the First ESRO - 2B Satellite Launch"

China - KM-2395, 5 Yuan, Silver, "70th Anniversary of the Issuance of the Renminbi"

Great Britain - KM-1593a, 5 Pound, Silver, "70th Birthday of the Prince of Wales"

Hungary - KM-950, 5,000 Forint, Silver with colouring, "75th Anniversary of Gyorgy Hevesy, 1885 - 1966"

Italy - KM-418, 5 Euro, Silver with selective colouring, "70th Anniversary of the Italian Constitution"

Japan - Y-263, 1,000 Yen, Silver with colour, "50th Anniversary of the Ogasawara Islands Reversion to Japan

Swaziland - KM-69, 5 Emalangeni, Brass, "50th Anniversary of Independence"

Ukraine - KM-946, 10 Hryvnia, Zinc-based Alloy, "Ukraine's Armed Forces - Defenders of Donetsk Airport"

United States of America - KM-680, 1 Dollar, Copper-Zinc-Manganese-Nickel Clad Copper, "Native American Dollar - Jim Thorpe"

3) Best Gold Coin:

Coins manufactured from Gold, platinum or another exotic precious metal, which have all around artistic appeal, both from aesthetic and a commercial standpoint:

 Australia - KM-2876, (Perth Mint) 150 Dollars, Gold/Platinum, Australian Wedge-Tailed Eagle

Australia - KM-2866, (Royal Australian Mint), 100 Dollars, Gold, 1812 A new Map of the World, Captain Cook, Curved Coin

Austria - KM-3278, 50 Euro, Gold, Vienna Schools of Psychotherapy - Alfred Adler

China - KM-2432, 100 Yuan, Gold, "The Art of Chinese Calligraphy (Seal Script)"

France - KM-2513, 50 Euro, L'aviation Et L'Histoire - Transall

Germany - KM-376, 100 Euro, Gold, UNESCO World Heritage - Castles of Augustusburg and Falkenlust at Bruhl

Great Britain - KM-1604, 10pounds, Gold, Sapphire Coronation 1953-2018

Italy - KM-425, 20 Euro, Gold, "Women in Art - Artemesia Gentileschi"

South Africa - KM-679, 500 Rand, Gold, "Celebrating South Africa - Nelson Mandela Centenary"

Switzerland - KM-172, 50 Franc, Gold, "Wilhelm Tell"

4) Best Silver Coin:

Coins manufactured from silver, which have all-around appeal, both from an aesthetic and a commercial stand-point:

Australia - KM-2874, 8 Dollar, Silver with selective colour, Antiqued, "The ANZAC spirit - The Hall of Memory"

China - KM-2418, 50 Yuan, Silver, The Art of Chinese Calligraphy

Djibouti - KM-75, 250 Franc, Silver with selective colour, "Shapes of Africa"

France - KM-2491, 10 Euro, Silver, "French Excellence - Boucheron"

Germany - KM-371, 20 Euro, Silver, "80th Anniversary of the Hanseatic City of Rostock"

Great Britain - KM-1600, 5 Pound, Silver, "First World War - Armistice - Peace"

Lithuania - KM-236, 5 Euro, Silver with partial colour, "Rasos Svente"

Mongolia - KM-376, 500 Togrog, Silver with selective colour, "Woodland Spirits - Fox"

New Zealand - KM-401, Dollar, Silver with selective colour, "Manuka Honey Bee", Hexagonal Shape

Portugal - KM-891a, 5 Euro, Silver, "100 Years of the Armistice"

5) Best Crown Coin:

Coins with all-round appeal, both from an aesthetic and a commercial stanp-point. Consideration should be given also to the unique theme which the coin reflects, and how the coin fits historically into the "crown" definition, including a minimum size requirement of 37.0 mm and a maximum size of 45.0 mm:

Australia - KM-2873, 5 Dollar, Silver with applied colour, "The Earth and Beyond - Earth", Curved shape

Canada - KM-2655, 20 Dollar, Silver with selective colour, Elizabeth II's Maple Leaves Brooch

China - KM-2408, 10 Yuan, Silver, "The Opening of the Hong Kong Zhuhai-Macao Bridge"

Cook Islands - KM-1861, 5 Dollar, Silver with applied colour, Salvatore Dali's "Money Heist Revolutionary Masks"

Finland - KM-280, 20 Euro, Silver, Finnish Sauna Culture

France - KM-2488, 10 Euro, Silver, "The 7 Arts - Guillaume Apollinaire"

Great Britain - KM-1657, 2 Pound, Silver, "Britannia:

Kazakhstan: KM-393, 500 Tenge, Silver, partial gilt with diamond eye. Cult animals figure on totem poles of Nomads - "Kokbori (Blue Wolf)"

Palau - KM-579, 10 Dollars, Silver with applied colour, "Daisy Flower"

South Africa - KM-655, 2 Rand, Silver, "South African Inventions - Computed Tomography"
 
6) Best Circulating Coin:

Coins that are made of non-precious metals, possess all-around appeal, both from aesthetic and commercial viewpoints and best meet the basic considerations of actual circulating monetary units:

Australia - KM-2863, 2 Dollar, Aluminium Bronze, "Invictus Games"

Austria - KM-3275, 2 Euro, Bi-metallic, "100th Anniversary of the Founding of the Austrian Republic"

Canada - KM-2580.2, 2 Dollar, Bi-Metallic, Colorised, "100th Anniversary of First World War Armistice"

Finland - KM-273, 5 Euro, Bi-Metallic, "Finnish National Landscapes - Olavinlinna Castle and Lake Pihlajavesi" 

Germany - KM-370, 5 Euro, Copper-Nickel, Polymer Insert, Tri-Material Coin - "Climate - Subtropical Zone"

Great Britain - KM-1546, 10 Pence, Nickel-plated Steel, "great British Coin Hunt - Letter U (Union Jack)"

Peru - KM-411, 1 Sol, Copper-Nickel-Zinc, "Endangered Wildlife of Peru - Jaguar"

Portugal - KM-886, 2 Euro, Bi-Metallic, "250th Anniversary of the National Printing Office"

Slovenia - KM-134, 2 Euro, Bi-Metallic, "World Bee Day"

United States of America - KM-670, 25 Cent, Copper-Nickel, "America the Beautiful Quarters - Apostle Islands National Lakeshore


7) Best Bi-Metallic Coin:

Coins which reflect the concept of a ring coinage, where the outer ring and inner centre are made of different, contrasting metals. This includes struck-through inserts, but excludes appliques. Coins should have all-around artistic appeal, both from aesthetic and a commercial standpoint:

Austria - KM-3289, 25 Euro, Bi-Metallic (Silver-Niobium centre ring), "Anthropocene"

Cambodia - KM-160, 200 Riel, Tri-metallic (Brass, Copper, Cupro-Nickel), "60th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relationship between China and Cambodia" Coin minted by the Singapore Mint

China - KM-2391, 10 Yuan, Bi-Metallic, "Fixing - China High-Speed Rail"

Fiji - KM-723, 1 Dollar, Bi-Metallic, "Celebrating Love" (Heart Shaped Coin)

Great Britain - KM-1565, 2 Pound, Bi-Metallic, "Captain James Cook - 1768-2018"

Greece - KM-299, 2 Euro Bi-Metallic, "70 Years from the Union of the Dodecanese Islands with Greece"

Italy - KM-419, 5 Euro, Bi-Metallic, "Artistic Treasures of Amatrice"

Kenya - KM-46, 5 Shilling, Bi-Metallic, "Addition of Kigali Legends - Rhinoceros Head"

Poland - Y-1011, 5 Zlotych, Bi-Metallic, "100th Anniversary of Poland Regaining Independence"

Switzerland - KM-169, 10 Franc, Bi-Metallic, "Alpine Flora -Stemless Carline Thistle"

8) Most Artistic Coin:

Coins are selected solely on the value of their outstanding artistic merit. No consideration is given to their commercial potential, theme or popularity:

Australia - KM-2875, 8 Dollar, Silver with patina, "Rare Earth"

Cook Islands - KM-1867, 5 Dollar, Silver with partial colour, "Night Animals - Eagle Owl" 

France - KM-2487, 10 Euro, Silver with selective gold plating. "The Ages of Europe - The Baroque & Rococo Era"

Hungary - KM-943, 2,000 Forint, Brass, "National Memorials - Fiumei Cemetery"

Italy - KM-417, 5 Euro, Silver, "Italy of the Arts - Houses of Veneto"

Latvia - KM-200, 5 Euro, Gold plated silver, "Honey Coin"

Netherlands - KM-396, 5 Euro, Silver, "Leeuwarden Fryslan European Capital of Culture"

Republic of Palau - KM-593, 5 Dollar, Silver, "Alligator Bite"

Portugal - KM-890a, 5 Euro, Silver, "Europa series - The Baroque Age"

 South Africa - KM-663, 5 Rand, Silver with colour, "Crinum Gaminicola of the Waterberg Biosphere Reserve"

9) Most Innovative Coin:

Coins best fitting the term "Innovative concept in coinage". Pioneering metallic alloy issues, non-typical coinage materials, planchet shapes, distinct visual themes or other innovations. Special consideration to be given to technological advancements that forward minting ideas and mechanics:                             

Australia - KM-2872, 2 Dollar, Silver, "Figure of Eight Dragon".                       

Barbados - KM-101, 100 Dollar, Gold, Rum Coin, embedded is a capsule with drop of 1780 Harwood Rum

British Virgin Islands - KM-516, 10 Dollar, Queen Elizabeth II Sapphire Coronation - Two portraits in Ultra High Relief and Incused

Canada - KM-2692, 25 Dollar, Silver, "Lest We Forget - Helmet-shaped"

Fiji - KM-725, 1 Dollar, Silver, "Antonio Vivaldi", Playable CD Coin

Lithuania - KM-237 to KM-240,5, 10, 20 , 50 Euro, 3 Silver, 1 Gold, "100th Anniversary of Restoration of Lithuania's Independence" (4-Coin set)

Mongolia - KM-382, 2,000 Togrog (Tugrik), Silver with Red Rock Finish, "Prehistoric Beasts - Velociraptor".

Niue - KM-1570,  5 Dollar, Silver with Rubber, "130 Years of Pneumatic Tyres, Spoke Wheel Coin with Rubber Tyre"

Palau - KM-597, 20 Dollar, Silver, Gilded, "Tutankhamun's Mask" 3-D, High Relief

United States of America - KM-683, 5 Dollar, Gold, Copper/Zinc, Rose Gold,  "Breast Cancer Awareness"

10) Most Inspirational Coin:

Coins must feature deasigns devoted to ideas, events, institutions or individuals that best exemplify man's eternal aspirations for peace, freedom and human rights, with a particular reference to the theme, design and artistic merit:

Australia - KM-2867, 1 Dollar, Silver with partial Colour, "100th Anniversary of the End of World War I"

Austria - KM-3288, 20 Euro, Silver with applied Colour, "200th Anniversary of Silent Night"

Republic of Cameroon - KM-140, 3,000 Franc, Silver, 3D-Horseshoe, "Good Luck"

France - KM-2459, 2 Euro, Bimetallic, "Simone Veil"

Germany - KM-369, 20 Euro, Silver, "275th Anniversary of Gewandhaus Orchestra"

Great Britain - KM-1600, 5 Pound, Silver, "First World War Armistice"

Hungary - (Magyar Nemzeti Bank), KM-952, 10,000 Forint, Silver, "Year of the Families"

Kyrgyzstan - KM-79, 1 Som, Cupro-Nickel with Colour - "Yurt,  a portable Kyrgyz Tent/House"

Latvia - KM-198, 5 Euro, Silver with Colour, "Garden of Destiny"

United States of America - KM-684, 100 Dollars, Platinum, "Preamble to the Declaration of Independence - Life"