On 30 January Eesti Pank will issue into circulation a two-euro coin with a special design dedicated to 500 years of books in Estonian. The centre of the coin for the 500th anniversary of the Estonian book shows four stylised books forming the letter E and the design is encircled by the words “Eesti raamat 500” and the years 1525 and 2025.
“The written word was one of the main paths of communication that allowed integration with the rest of Europe, but it was also a social bond that encouraged Estonians to see themselves as a single, united nation”, notes linguist Jüri Viikberg on the coin card. “Estonians became a cultured people through the written word and their general literacy. The 500th anniversary of Estonian as a written language is then also the anniversary of the Estonian book”.
A total of 850,000 coins have been minted, of which 8500 are BU (brilliant uncirculated) quality and are sold on a coin card. The coins were minted by the Lithuanian mint. The two-euro commemorative coins with the special design are valid as legal tender throughout the euro area and they are issued into circulation through banks and shops.
