Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
50 Liri Statue of Neptune
| Issuer | Central Bank of Malta |
|---|---|
| Year | 1972 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 30.00 g |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | The coat of arms of Malta occupies the central field, consisting of a vertically striped shield charged with the George Cross at its centre, flanked by two dolphins rampant as supporters, and surmounted by a mural crown. A ribbon scroll beneath the shield bears the Latin motto VIRTUTE ET CONSTANTIA. The national name MALTA is inscribed in widely spaced capital letters along the lower periphery of the coin. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | A full-length standing figure of Neptune, modelled after a classical bronze statue, dominates the central field, the deity depicted holding an upright trident in his left hand while his right hand is lowered, standing upon a pedestal set above a stylised wave motif. The denomination £M 50 is inscribed to the left of the figure and the date 1972 to the right, the two elements flanking the statue in symmetrical composition. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Malta's 1972 gold issues were produced to capitalize on the newly established republic's first flush of commemorative coinage programs following independence from Britain in 1964. The Neptune piece was part of a deliberate strategy by the Central Bank to generate foreign exchange through numismatic sales rather than circulation — these were never intended to pass through Maltese hands as currency.
The Fontana del Nettuno in Valletta, from which this issue takes its subject, was originally installed in 1615 during the reign of Grand Master Alof de Wignacourt.