A silver numismatic coin marking the centenary of the 1921 self-government Constitution is to be issued by the Central Bank shortly.

A coin will be presented by the governor of the bank, Edward Scicluna, to Speaker Anġlu Farrugia at the end of a symposium being held in Parliament to mark the anniversary on Friday.

On April 30, 1921, hundreds of Maltese congregated in Valletta to witness the proceedings connected with the promulgation of the new Constitution, which granted the Maltese responsible government.

The Constitution established a diarchy through which an elected Maltese government was responsible for local affairs, while the imperial government was responsible for ‘reserved matters’ which included defence and foreign policy.

Elections were held in October 1921 and the first Maltese Parliament was inaugurated by Edward, Prince of Wales, on November 1, 1921.

The Maltese experiment with self-government was short-lived, as the Constitution was withdrawn in 1936.

Nevertheless, it paved the way for further constitutional development, which culminated in Malta achieving political independence from Britain in 1964.

Only 1,500 coins are being issued, with a face value of €10.

They were minted by the Royal Dutch Mint.

Each coin is struck in 0.925 silver, has a weight of 28.28g, a diameter of 38.61mm and is finished to proof quality.

The coins were designed and engraved by Noel Galea Bason. The obverse of the coins features the coat of arms of Malta, while the reverse depicts Melita, an allegory of Malta. 

The coins, which will be sold for €65, may be purchased from the Malta Coin Centre's online e-shop facility as from Friday at 3pm and from the Malta Coin Centre counter at the Central Bank of Malta premises at Castille Place, Valletta, as from Monday at 8.30am.