2016-12-22 Thu

On 22nd December, the Bank of Latvia issued a unique coin using both metal and a translucent ceramic material depicting planet Earth. The collector coin called “The Earth,” consists of a translucent PERLUCOR ceramic featuring a colourful curved geophysical map of the world in the centre with a silver outer ring. Earth is enclosed around a diaphanous veil representing the universe.

PERLUCOR is a very innovative ceramic material with unique mechanical, chemical, and thermal resistance as well as excellent optical properties. It is used in optical applications, in laser, military, and medical equipment engineering etc.

The obverse depicts the Eastern Hemisphere of the Earth, and the silver outer ring includes the inscriptions 5 EURO and LATVIJA. The reverse depicts the Western Hemisphere in full colour with the inscriptions ZEME (“Earth”) and 2016. The mintage limit of the € 5 .925 silver 20 g Proof coin with PERLUCOR centre disc is 5,000