Collector coins of the Republic of Armenia-2016
Dear Reader
This journal "Collector Coins of the Republic of Armenia 2016" presents the collector coins issued by the Central Bank of Armenia in 2016. The coins are dedicated to the jubilee anniversaries of prominent Armenians and essential national and international events.
Year 2016 marked the 25th anniversary of foundaton of the Third Republic of Armenia. The independence proclaimed on September 21, 1991 was national achievement, the greatest victory for the Armenian people, and the Central Bank of Armenia issued the nicely designed silver collector coin "The 25th Anniversary of the Republic of Armenia" in celebration of this historical event.
The year saw plenty of important anniversaries of famous Armenians. We had more jubilee issuances under the theme on prominent individuals. The Central Bank of Armenia presented two types of gold collector coins dedicated to the 1625th anniversary of birth of Vardan Mamikonian, a 5th century Armenian commander, prominent politician and privileged leader of Armenians in the fight for national liberation. These coins aroused great interest among numismatists and collectors as well as the general public, marking the historical path of the Armenian people in their struggle for freedom.
The 2016 jubilee issuances were completed with collector coins dedicated to the 150th and 125th
anniversaries of birth of Arshak Fetvadjian and Alexander Bazhbeuk-Melikian, two famous Armenian painters. The blisters to the coins contain useful information about how these men – Arshak Fetvadjian, an art connoisseur, and Alexander Bazhbeuk-Melikian, a skilled portrayer of the inner world of human being - contributed to the development of the Armenian art.
In 2016 the Central Bank of Armenia continued participation in international numismatic programs.We had the pleasure to add the following silver collector coins "Khotakerats Sourb Nshan" ("the Holy Sign"), "Cross with the Relics of St John the Baptist" and "Cross with the Relics of St George" to the series "Treasures of Etchmiadzin", a very popular and beloved theme. These three issuances have also come to represent the world's and Armenia's Christian treasures which are kept in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.
In 2016 we saw the launching of the "World's Labyrinths", a program that addresses landscape structures which are not only venues for entertainment but also exemplify the idea of peace and social harmony in the world. The silver collector coins "Boston Labyrinth" and "Vaals Labyrinth"
issued under the program are unique: the first one is dedicated to the Armenian Genocide victims and embody the revival of the Armenian people, while the second one symbolizes cooperation between the neighboring countries.
I am proud of the fact that the silver collector coin "The Centenary of the Armenian Genocide"
earned the first prize in the category "Coin of the Year" at the 10th international competition "Coin
Constellation - 2016" which was held in Moscow, Russia, in 2016. Not only this achievement is a proof of highly reputable issuances of collector coins of the Central Bank of Armenia in the international arena, but also speaks for the public attitude to rule out and condemn genocides in the world.
Arthur Javadyan
Chairman
of the Central Bank of Armenia