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2 Euro Maltese Honey Bee
| Issuer | Central Bank of Malta |
|---|---|
| Year | 2024 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Milled |
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| Obverse description | The inner core depicts a detailed rendering of a Maltese honey bee (Apis mellifera ruttneri) in three-quarter view, shown alighting upon a honeycomb structure rendered in the lower field. A large stylised flower with radiating petals fills the upper portion of the inner core behind the bee, symbolising the bee's pollinating role. The inscription MALTA appears in the left field and the date 2024 in the right field, flanking the central motif. The mintmaster's initials MAF appear below the primary design. Twelve five-pointed stars encircle the design on the outer ring in accordance with standard Eurozone coinage specifications. |
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| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
Malta's 2024 commemorative programme has leaned heavily into ecological themes, and this issue fits that direction — the Maltese honey bee (*Apis mellifera ruttneri*) is a subspecies endemic to the Maltese islands, formally described by Friedrich Ruttner in 1975 and now protected under national conservation legislation. Genetic isolation over millennia produced a bee distinctly adapted to the island's semi-arid climate and native flora.
The subspecies faced serious dilution pressure through the 20th century as commercial beekeepers imported foreign strains, a problem Maltese authorities have worked to legislate against since the 1990s.