The Gold Chervonets
Coins caught Olympic fire
For numismatists summer Olympic games began ahead of schedule
In April this year the Bank of Russia brought into circulation two memorable coins of the sport series "XXVIII summer Olympic games in Athens, Greece (13-29 of August 2004)": 3-ruble silver and 50-ruble gold.
The coins are minted at Moscow Mint. Proclaimed by the Bank of Russia the printing of silver coins is to 20 thousand units, the printing of gold coins is to 2 thousand units.
Interest for new "Olympic" coins is demonstrated by not only Russian but foreign collectors too. The main painter of Moscow Mint Viktor Erochin tells about working over the draft of the coins.
Time links
— The assignment was planned, and I had a chance to work not hastily. There were no special difficulties in the work. Because XXVIII summer Olympic games take place in Athens, it is impossible not to reflect symbols of Ancient Greece on the coins.
Initially there was a wish to express just time links through the rank of symbols: Greek culture, Greek sportsmen, and images of Greek people about Olympic games and modern achievements of Olympic men, connected everything with timeless symbol-Olympic fire. And, of course, while working I couldn"t pass by one of the most famous in the world Greek ornament, e.g. legendary meander.
On the representation of the coins there is some metaphoric "super-idea": if all roads lead to the temple, all sport roads lead to Olympic temple any way.
The modern subject is presented on the coins thanks to summarized image of sportsmen. Initially in the draft there was a wrestler, other variants were drawn up also, but in the conclusion of the work there was a fragile girl-gymnast left, who is a distinctive "contrast" to the legendary Greek disk man.
One more metaphor of the "Greek" series is Olympic rings. We didn"t use the traditional Olympic emblem (five plaited rings) due to some reasons: a field, limited by the size of the coin, completely worked out Olympic symbols on Soviet coins. That"s why we made this decision: a symbol of fire, a part of the emblem became going through decision of the composition, symbolizing the eager of Olympic traditions to eternity. The basic part of the space of the coin was given to figures of sportsmen.
Creative competition
How long has the work over the exterior of the coins lasted? Due to the words of Viktor Erochin, it"s impossible to answer the question exactly: "Creative time isn"t measured in hours, spent over the drafts. From the very beginning, as soon as the assignment was received, the ideas about what and how it should be done were circulated in the mind. And the ideas were being put on paper for three weeks until tens variants were born." Among these variant a customer, the Bank of Russia, made a choice.
Not used but successful drafts will be a base for other orders, devoted to sport subject: medals, souvenirs, memorable signs.
Memorable coins are being minted all over the world for Athens Olympic games, so if the painter wanted it or didn"t he was working over the assignment in the conditions of distinctive creative competition:
- I was interested to take part in the competition. There is no wish "to spit over everybody", no envy to other painters" success. There is creative process and tend to make your work completely. And then, due to the results, to estimate creative success and failure, including your own. And possibly, after coming to the subject back next time, to do everything in another way.
Ahead the schedule
Initially the issue of "Olympic coins" was planned by the Bank of Russia for June this year. But the coins appeared ahead the deadlines- in April. Why? As the head of the sector of memorable coins of Department of emission-cash operations of the Bank of Russia Vasiley Gerasimov explained, it was caused by enlarged interest, which foreign distributors demonstrate to these coins. But they need certain time for "promotion" of Russian coins.
For last years memorable coins, devoted to big sport events, appear in international numismatics market some months or even years before the event itself. So, for example, memorable coins, devoted to XXVIII summer Olympic games in Athens, appeared in the market in 2002 already, but the subject of the world football championship in Germany (which will be held in 2006) has been circulated on coins of about fifteen countries since last year. The matter is that for successful realization of this or that sport monetary series it"s necessary to supply the peak of the market demand by the beginning of the event exactly. So, distributors plan and carry out wide-scale advertising campaign over promotion of these coins beforehands",- Vasiley Gerasimov says.
Yelena Kiseleva
