The Central Bank will on Friday issue numismatic coins in gold and silver depicting the Order of St John’s Gran Carracca Sant’Anna.

The coins are issued under the Europa Programme with the theme ‘Renaissance’ and bear the Europa Star logo.

The gold coin.The gold coin.

The gold coin has a face value of €50 and the silver coin has a face value of €10.

The €10 coins, which will be limited to 2,500 pieces, will be struck in 0.925 silver.

Each coin has a weight of 28.28g and a diameter of 38.61mm. The €50 coins, which will be limited to just 400 pieces, will be struck in 0.916 gold and each coin weighs 6.5g and has a diameter of 21mm. Both the silver and the gold coins are finished to proof quality.

The coins were designed and engraved by Noel Galea Bason, and were minted at the Royal Dutch Mint. The obverse of the coin features the coat of arms of Malta and the Europa Star logo. The reverse of the coins depicts the Gran Carracca Sant’Anna, a warship renowned for its large size and prodigious firepower.

The carrack was one of the most influential ship designs of the Renaissance. Of robust construction and combining speed with manoeuvrability, carracks could serve as both merchant ships and warships.

The silver coin.The silver coin.

The Order of St John’s carrack Sant’ Anna was launched in December 1522, at about the same time that the knights lost Rhodes. This ship, the pride of the Order’s navy, carried Grand Master Philippe Villiers de L’Isle Adam to Malta in 1530. This event marked the start of the Order’s long sojourn on the island and the start of a new epoch in Maltese history.

This year’s coins will be part of a five-year series dedicated to different periods of European art-forms and history which have been widely grouped as: Modern 20th century (2016), The Age of iron and glass (2017), Baroque and Rococo (2018), Renaissance (2019) and Gothic (2020).

The coins may be purchased directly from the Malta Coin Centre’s online shop or from the main building of the Central Bank of Malta. The gold coin will be sold for €340 while the silver coin will be sold for €60.

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