2017-03-07 Tue

Malta issued gold coins with a face value €50 and silver coins with a face value €10, celebrating the Argotti Botanical Gardens Conservatory on 28th February 2017 under the theme “the Age of Iron and Glass'. The mintage limit of the Proof 0.925 fine silver 28.28g coin is 3,000 pieces while that of the 0.916 fine Proof gold 6.5g coin is 1,000 pieces.

Struck at the Royal Dutch Mint, the reverse features the iconic iron and glass structure of the Argotti Botanical Gardens Conservatory that was designed by architect Andrea Vassallo. It was very expensive to maintain this beautiful structure due which it was dismantled in 1931.

The obverse features the coat of arms of Malta and the Europa Star logo. It is a part of a five-year series based on different themes: Modern 20th century (2016), The Age of Iron and Glass (2017), Baroque and Rococo (2018), Renaissance (2019) and Gothic (2020). The gold coin costs €340 while the silver coin costs €60.