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Sunday, 5 June 2022

2377) 30th Anniversary of the death of Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino, Judges/Magistrates, Italy: Commemorative €2 (Two Euro) Coins issued by the IPZS on the two national heroes, who convicted hundreds of Mafia mobsters in the "Maxi Trials" of 1987: Date of Coin issue: 17.05.2022:

2377) 30th Anniversary of the death of Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino, Judges/Magistrates, Italy: Commemorative €2 (Two Euro) Coins issued by the IPZS on the two national heroes, who convicted hundreds of Mafia mobsters in the "Maxi Trials" of 1987: Date of Coin issue: 17.05.2022:

The Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato (IPZS) (State Mint and Polygraphic Institute) IPZS (Italian Mint) has released new commemorative €2 coins on 17.05.2022, which mark the deaths of two of the country’s most courageous men who risked their safety, and ultimately their lives, in bringing organised crime bosses to justice. 

2022 marks the 30th anniversary of the death of Giovanni Falcone (1939–1992) and Paolo Borsellino (1940–1992) who soon posed a real threat to the Cosa Nostra (better known as the Mafia), an organised crime group which boasted access to the highest levels of Italian power.

 Together with his friend, the fellow judge and prosecuting magistrate Paolo Borsellino, Falcone spent most of his distinguished professional career trying to overthrow the power of the Sicilian Mafia. 

He and Borsellino were later credited with revolutionising the understanding of the Mafia, working closely with the first informants and compiling evidence for a groundbreaking “maxi-trial,” in which hundreds of mobsters were convicted in 1987. 

Thanks to the efforts and personal bravery of both Falcone and Borsellino, the Sicilian Mafia in particular became a notorious fact, not something that had to be proven to exist at every trial involving organised crime. Sadly, their successes in prosecuting many members of the Cosa Nostra ultimately led to their untimely deaths. 

About the two National Heroes:

Giovanni Falcone (Italian: [dʒoˈvanni falˈkoːne]; 18.05.1939 – 23.05.1992) was an Italian judge and prosecuting magistrate. From his office in the Palace of Justice in Palermo, Sicily, he spent most of his professional life trying to overthrow the power of the Sicilian Mafia. After a long and distinguished career, culminating in the Maxi Trial in 1986–1987, on 23.05.1992, Falcone was assassinated by the Corleonesi Mafia in the Capaci bombing, on the A29 motorway near the town of Capaci.

Paolo Borsellino (Italian pronunciation: [ˈpaːolo borselˈliːno]; Sicilian: Pàulu Borsellino; 19.01.1940 – 19.07.1992) was an Italian judge and prosecuting magistrate. From his office in the Palace of Justice in Palermo, Sicily, he spent most of his professional life trying to overthrow the power of the Sicilian Mafia.

 After a long and distinguished career, culminating in the "Maxi Trial" in 1986–1987, on 19.07.1992, Borsellino was killed by a car bomb in Via D'Amelio, near his mother's house in Palermo.

Both their lives parallel that of each other:

 They both spent their early years in the same neighbourhood in Palermo. Though many of their childhood friends grew up in the Mafia background, both men fought on the other side of the war as prosecuting magistrates. They were both killed in 1992, a few months apart. 

In recognition of their tireless effort and sacrifice during the anti-mafia trials, they were both awarded the Italian "Medaglia d'oro al valore civile" ("Gold Medal for Civil Valour"). 

They were also named as heroes of the last 60 years in the 13.11. 2006 issue of Time Magazine.

The Coins:

Designed by graphic artist Valerio De Seta, the design features the familiar images of the two Italian magistrates Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino inspired by a photograph by Tony Gentile and taken at the height of the prosecutorial activities of the two men. 

The photograph of both assassinated judges has become an iconic symbol of the struggle against la Cosa Nostra. 

It is often used on posters and articles commemorating the fight against the Mafia.

The Reverse of the €2 (Two Euro) Bimetallic Coin, features the portraits of the two Italian magistrates Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino inspired by a photograph by Tony Gentile. 

At the top, arched, is the inscription "FALCONE – BORSELLINO" and below, the dates "1992 - 2022", representing the year of the death of the magistrates and the year of issue of the coin, including the stylised initials "RI" of the "Repubblica Italiana" ("Italian Republic"). 

On the right is the mintmark "R" (Mint mark of the Mint of Rome), along with the initials "VdS" of the coins’ designer, "Valerio de Seta". 

The overall design is surrounded by the 12 stars representing the European Union. 

The Obverse of the €2 (Two Euro) Bimetallic Coin, is that of a standard found throughout all countries of the eurozone. 

The face value of €2 appears in front of a map of Europe.

The specification of the Bimetallic Coin are:

Country of issue: Repubblica Italiana (Italian Republic); Date/Year: 17.05.2022; Coin Theme: "Giovanni Falcone & Paolo Borsellino Judges/Magistrates"; Denomination/Face Value: €2 (Two Euro); Metal Composition: Bi-metallic - Inside: Nickel and Brass - Outside: Copper and Nickel;  Weight: 8.50 grams; Diameter/Size: 25.75 mm;  Coin Quality: Proof (P) & Brilliant Uncirculated (BU) & Circulated (C); Edge: Continuous Knurling with Engraved letters; Mint: Mint of Rome, Italy; Mint Mark "R"; Mintage: 10,000 pieces (Proof) & 12,000 pieces (BU) & 10,000 pieces Circulated (C); Designer: Valerio De Seta.

Packaging: 

- The Proof (P) strikes are encapsulated and presented in an IPZS-branded shaped plastic case accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity (COA). 

- The Brilliant Uncirculated (BU) strikes are enclosed in a card-case format and the Uncirculated (U) coins are available in rolls of 25 coins in specially printed covers. 

































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