Collector Coin
Glass and Iron Age
This commemorative collector coin is the 2017 portuguese contribution to the European Silver Programme (also known as The Europa Coin or Eurostar Programme), an initiative dedicated to celebrating European identity through the issuance of legal tender coins in precious metals, especially oriented for collectors.
Continuing the plan dedicated to the “Ages of Europe", featuring relevant european artistic movements, the theme for 2017 was the “Age of Iron and Glass”. France, Italy, Spain, Greece, Belgium, Malta, Ireland and Portugal joined the call. Our response to the National Mint and Printing House commission for the portuguese coin was inspired by the iron structure of the entrance to the old Crystal Palace in Porto (inaugurated in 1865 and demolished in 1951), following the british influence that was strongly felt in the city in the 19th century.
A numismatic innovation, only possible with the dedication and technical support of the Mint House’s team, this is the first coin in Portugal to articulate two different materials - metal and acrylic - in the special silver and gold versions, searching to recreate the interplay of iron and glass in 19th century architecture. In September 2017 the Bank of Portugal issued also a cupronickel-alloy circulation coin, with face value of €5.