MALTA'S ILLUMINATED LETTER COINS

The Central Bank of Malta has issued numismatic coins in gold and silver depicting an illuminated letter from the L'Isle Adam Graduals. The coins form part of the Europa program with the theme 'Gothic' and bear the Europa Star logo.

The gold coin has a face value of €50 and the silver coin of €10. The €10 coins, which will be limited to 2,500 pieces, will be struck in 0.925 silver. Each coin has a weight of 28.28g and a diameter of 38.61mm.

The €50 coins will be limited to 400 pieces, each struck in 0.916 gold, weighing 6.5g and having a diameter of 21mm. Both the silver and the gold coins are finished to proof quality. The gold coin will be sold for €350, while the silver coin will be sold for €65.

The coins were designed and minted by the Royal Dutch Mint. The obverse of the coin features the coat of arms of Malta and the Europa Star logo. The reverse of the coins depicts an illuminated letter O found in the L'Isle Adam Graduals, which are housed in the museum of St John's Co-Cathedral. Colour printing techniques have been used on the coins to reproduce the chromatic and aesthetic qualities of the original artwork.

The Central Bank of Malta acknowledged the consent given by St John's Co-Cathedral Foundation to reproduce this artwork on the coins.

The L'Isle Adam Graduals, which date to around 1533, are considered to be Malta's finest illuminated manuscripts. They consist of a set of 10 choir books commissioned from a French scriptorium by Grand Master Philippe Villiers de L'Isle Adam.

These graduals were produced quite some time after the advent of printing, epitomised by the Gutenberg Bible of 1455. This reflects the complexity of printing music scores, which ensured that the production of manuscript choir books – largely using medieval techniques – survived into the 16th century.

To read the complete article, see:
Polychromatic coins depicting illuminated letter issued by Central Bank (https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/polychromatic-coins-depicting-illuminated-letter-issued-by-central.790814)

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