Ukraine's National Mint to be represented at Philadelphia convention

by Roman Woronowycz
Kyiv Press Bureau

KYIV - Stocked with a varied and engaging assortment of commemorative offerings, and having recently celebrated its fifth anniversary, Ukraine's National Mint continues to move ahead in its efforts to represent the country in coin.

As it has done every year since 1996, the National Mint will take part in the annual American Numismatic Association (ANA) Convention, which this year will be held in Philadelphia at the Pennsylvania Convention Center on August 9-13.

On display and for sale will be dozens of commemorative coins depicting Ukraine's rich cultural traditions and commemorating key dates and events in its more than 1,000-year history.

Five years ago the National Mint of the National Bank of Ukraine issued its first collector's coin, made of cupronickel, which commemorated the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II (known here as the Great Patriotic War). That issue was followed by a minting dedicated to the Ukrainian "hero cities": Kyiv, Odesa, Sevastopol and Kerch, which were cities given special status by the Soviet government for the suffering they endured during World War II.

Since then the NBU has issued nearly 90 collectible commemoratives in cupronickel, silver and gold, which have been acknowledged by the world numismatic community for their high quality of engraving and minting.

The last five years have been a series of firsts for the Ukrainian commemorative coin and the gradual development of the National Mint of the NBU as a leading producer of collectibles in the world.

The first collectible issued by the NBU that was dedicated to Ukrainian history and its heroes was the 1995 issue in commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the birth of Hetman Bohdan Khmelnytsky, the 17th century military and political leader.

In late 1996, after the introduction of the new Ukrainian currency in September, the Ukrainian mint issued its first hryvnia piece, the two-hryvnia denomination commemorative, recognizing Sofiyivka Park as one of the finest in Ukraine.

The first gold collectible issued by the NBU was minted in 1997 and dedicated to Taras Shevchenko. That soon was followed by another gold commemorative, this one celebrating the long history and tradition of the 11th century Monastery of the Caves.

On April 23, 1998, the NBU opened its own Banknote Printing and Minting Works, which features state-of-the-art printing and minting technology. It has the capability to annually produce 1.5 billion circulation coins, 900,000 commemorative coins and 200,000 orders and medals. The new mint works is the first such operation on a government level in Ukraine in more than 1,000 years.

The first coin struck there was the Kyiv Psalm Book gold commemorative coin, dedicated to the 600th anniversary of the creation of the unique medieval prayer book.

With its own mint works at its disposal, the Ukrainian Mint began to issue coins in series. The several series that have appeared in the last two years have all been struck in silver and gold and include: the "Princes of Ukraine," "Heroes of the Kozak Age" the "Spiritual Treasures of Ukraine," and, most recently, "2,000 Years Since the Birth of Christ."

The high artistic level and quality of the Ukrainian coins has been recognized internationally at forums in Switzerland, Germany, the Czech Republic and China, as well as at the annual ANA conventions in the United States. In January 1999 the MDM Company of Germany paid tribute to the high level of work in a very tangible manner when it ordered the minting of 24,000 coins on two themes for its 2000 Sydney Olympic Series.

In 2000 the ANA will include the NBU Mint and its products in its prestigious Coins of the World guidebook, which is published for its annual conventions. The guidebook features only those mints whose production is in demand and growing.

The National Mint of Ukraine has planned several offerings for the near future, including a commemorative coin, "Baptism of Rus' " and a series on "Monuments of Ancient Cultures," to include five coins representing cultural symbols of the Paleolithic, Trypyllian, Olbian, Scythian and Kyivan Rus' ages.

For more information on the work of the National Mint of the National Bank of Ukraine visit their website at: http://www.bank.gov.ua/.

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, July 30, 2000, No. 31, Vol. LXVIII

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