25 Euros Maltese Cross

Malta's Maltese Cross predates the Knights of St. John's arrival on the island — the eight-pointed form derives from the cross used by the Amalfitan merchants who founded the Hospitaller order in 11th-century Jerusalem. The Knights formalized it as their heraldic device after 1126, and it remained the dominant symbol of Maltese identity through the Great Siege of 1565, French occupation, British colonization, and independence in 1964.

The .9999 fineness places this above the more common .9167 gold standard used in most bullion sovereigns — a purity level that requires exceptionally controlled refining and is increasingly favored by smaller issuing authorities competing in the international collector-bullion market.