Italy joins the 50th anniversary of the moon landing celebrations with a new €5 silver coin

REVERSEOBVERSE

As you can see from our toggle list lower down, the 1969 Apollo 11 Moon landing has certainly created strong interest in numismatic circles. Some fine designs have appeared, from the small independent producers, and also from  national mints, not least of which, obviously, the US Mint. Even so, we were quite surprised to find that Italy had a coin planned and here it is.

Familiar motifs are present. The footprint on the lunar surface and the blue sphere of the planet Earth on the horizon, are both common elements, but we particularly like the reverse face with the Earth and the Moon seated in the midst of a geometric pattern. Best of all, this 18.0 gram sterling silver coin is very affordable compared to much of the higher-end competition. More mints should remember that not everyone has €250+ to splash on commemorative coins. The Claudia Momoni designed coin has a mintage of 6,000 and sells for €47.00. Available from 05 July and boxed with a C.O.A.

REVERSE: colour composition of the Earth and the Moon; in the background, the network of space-time. Above and below, the inscriptions “REPUBBLICA” and “ITALIANA” respectively.

OBVERSE: in the foreground, a representation of the footprint left by astronaut Armstrong in lunar soil after the landing on 20th July 1969, with the Earth in colour rising on the horizon. Above, “R” identifying the Mint of Rome; in the centre, the value “5 EURO”; on the right, the dates “1969” and “2019”, the year of the Moon Landing and that of the coin’s issue respectively; below, the name of the designer “MOMONI”; around, the words uttered by the astronaut soon after landing on the moon: “ONE SMALL STEP FOR A MAN, ONE GIANT LEAP FOR MANKIND”

SPECIFICATION
DENOMINATION €5 EURO
COMPOSITION 0.925 silver 18.0 grams
DIMENSIONS 32.0 mm
FINISH Proof
MINTAGE 6,000
BOX / COA Yes / Yes