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Saturday, 7 August 2021

1969) "Dante Alighieri - Inferno", (700th Anniversary of his Death (1321-2021), Italy: "Italian Writers Coin Series": A 20 Euro Gold Coin and a 5 Euro Silver Coin issued by the "Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato" (IPZS): Date/Year of Coin Release: 05.08.2021:

1969) "Dante Alighieri - Inferno", (700th Anniversary of his Death (1321-2021), Italy: "Italian Writers Coin Series": A 20 Euro Gold Coin and a 5 Euro Silver Coin issued by the "Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato" (IPZS): Date/Year of Coin Release: 05.08.2021:

This is one of the Celebratory Coins of the Numismatic Collection 2021, issued by the Ministry of Economy and Finance and minted by the State Mint. 

The collection consists of 15 subjects inspired by history, art, sport, science, nature and Italian food and wine excellences

Below are the subjects of the new Collection, 15 works which showcase Italian history:

150th Anniversary of the institution of Rome as the Capital of Italy – 2 Euros

World Alpine Ski Cortina – 5 Euros

Italian Excellences Nutella Series – 5 Euros (White, Red and Green)

Emperors series – Constantine – 10 Euros (Gold)

Prominent writers - Grazia Deledda - 5 Euros

Italian Artists Series – Ennio Morricone – 2 Bimetallic and Silver variants (5 Euros each)

Health Professions – 2 Euros

Food and Wine Series – Emilia-Romagna, tortellino and lambrusco – 5 Euros

Food and Wine Series – Sicily, cannolo and passito – 5 Euros

700th Anniversary of the death of Dante Alighieri – Inferno – 2 Gold and Silver variants (20 and 5 Euros)

450th Anniversary of the Birth of Caravaggio – 2 gold and silver versions (20 and 5 Euros)

150th Anniversary of the invention of the telephone – Antonio Meucci – 5 Euros

Endangered Animals Series - Polar Bear – 5 Euros

Iconic Coin Series - Lira – 2 versions (20 and 50 Euros)

100th Italian Basketball Federation – 10 Euros

The themes, sketches and artistic techniques of the 2021 Collection have been chosen, as every year, by a Commission composed of representatives of the Ministry, the Mint and Masters of Art.

The Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato (IPZS) has released new 20 Euro Gold and 5 Euro Silver Coins on the 700th Death Anniversary of Dante Alighieri:

The Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance has issued, as part of the 2021 Numismatic Collection minted by the Italian State Mint, Gold and Silver coin variants commemorating the "700th Anniversary of the Death of Dante Alighieri - Inferno (1321-2021)".

About Dante Alighieri (1265 – 1321), was an Italian poet, writer and philosopher:

His Divine Comedy, originally called "Comedìa" and later renamed "Divina" by Giovanni Boccaccio, is widely considered one of the most important poems of the Middle Ages and the greatest literary work in the Italian language.

Dante is known for establishing the use of the vernacular in literature at a time when most poetry was written in Latin, making it accessible only to the most educated readers. His "De vulgari eloquentia" (On "Eloquence in the Vernacular") was one of the first scholarly defenses of the vernacular. 

His use of the Tuscan dialect for works such as The New Life (1295) and Divine Comedy helped establish the modern-day standardized Italian language. His work set a precedent that important Italian writers such as Petrarch and Boccaccio would later follow.

Dante was instrumental in establishing the literature of Italy. His depictions of "Hell", "Purgatory" and "Heaven" provided inspiration for the larger body of Western art and literature. 

He is cited as an influence on such English writers as Geoffrey Chaucer, John Milton and Alfred Tennyson, among others. 

In addition, the first use of the interlocking three-line rhyme scheme, or the "terza rima", is attributed to him. He is described as the "Father" of the Italian language and in Italy he is often referred to as "il Sommo Poeta" ("the Supreme Poet"). 

Dante, Petrarch, and Boccaccio are also called the "tre corone" ("three crowns") of Italian literature.

The Commemorative Coins (20 Euro Gold and 5 Euro Silver):


On the Obverse of the 20 Euro Gold Coin and 5 Euro Silver Coin is depicted a profile of Dante Alighieri, (detail inspired by a painting by Sandro Botticelli from a private collection). 

Around, the inscription “REPUBBLICA ITALIANA” with a star at its end.

On the Reverse of the 20 Euro Gold Coin and 5 Euro Silver Coin is a stylised reproduction of Dante's Inferno with the nine corcles described in the Divine Comedy showing the devil's wings, fire and ice. Within the composition, on the left is a detail from Luca Signorelli's frescoes in the Cathedral of Orvieto.

Around is placed the inscription "E QUINDI USCIMMO A RIVEDER LE STELLE" ("and thence we came forth to see again the stars"), the closing verse of the cantina named "Inferno" (Hell) encircled by stars.

 In the centre is the denominational value "20 EUROS" and the dates "1321-2021" (representing the year of Dante's death and that of the coin's issuance respectively).

At centre left is the mint mark of the Mint of Rome "R", and at right is the name of the designer "MOMONI".

i) The specifications of the 20 Euro Gold Variant Coin are:

Country of issue: Italy; Coin Theme:"700th Anniversary of the death of Dante Alighieri - Inferno"; Year: 2021; Denomination/Face Value: € 20.00 (Twenty Euro); Metal Composition: .900 Fineness Gold (Au); Weight: 6.451 grams; Diameter/Size: 21.0 mm; Coin Quality: Proof (P); Edge: Fine Milled; Mintage: 1,500 pieces; Minted by: Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato (IPZS);  Designer: Claudia Momoni.

Each coin is encapsulated and presented in a branded IPZS case accompanied by a Certificate Of Authenticity (COA)

ii)The specifications of the 5 Euro Silver Variant Coin are:

Country of issue: Italy; Coin Theme:"700th Anniversary of the death of Dante Alighieri - Inferno"; Year: 2021; Denomination/Face Value: € 5.00 (Five Euro); Metal Composition: .925 Fineness Silver (Ag); Weight: 18.00 grams; Diameter/Size: 32.0 mm; Coin Quality: Special Uncirculated (SU); Edge: Continuous Coarse Milled; Mintage: 6,000 pieces; Minted by: Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato (IPZS);  Designer: Claudia Momoni.

Each coin is encapsulated and presented in a branded IPZS case accompanied by a Certificate Of Authenticity (COA)









For some other interesting posts from Italy/The Vatican, please visit the following links:













12 comments:

  1. Santosh Khanna has commented:
    Awesome. Thanks for sharing."

    ReplyDelete
  2. Rajan Trikha has commented:
    "Excellent post".

    ReplyDelete
  3. Rsanker Sharma has commented:
    "Great post."

    ReplyDelete
  4. Satish Srivastava has commented:
    "Interesting information on European literature history. Thanks."

    ReplyDelete
  5. Vinod Khurana has commented:
    "Very good information."

    ReplyDelete
  6. Ashok Borate has commented:
    "अच्छी ईनफारमेशन👌"

    ReplyDelete