A $2 “Honey Bee” coin issued in 2022 between the Royal Australian Mint and the honey bee industry won the Best Circulating Coin or Coin Series at the recent Mint Directors Conference (MDC) held in Ottawa, Ont.
Hosted by the Royal Canadian Mint, more than 250 delegates representing mints and related trades from around the world attended the first MDC conference in five years, since COVID-19. Traditionally held every two years and hosted by a member mint, the 2023 conference was held over three days and concluded with an awards ceremony featuring five categories.
The Honey Bee coin features a central circle printed in honey-coloured ink and protected by an intricated sculptured honeycomb. Two bees surround the circle along with examples of plants they pollinate. The coin was issued to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Australia’s bee industry.
The Best Collectible Gold Coin.
In other award categories, the Austrian Mint won the best collectible gold coin for its “The Gold of the Pharaohs” 100-euro piece. The coin highlights the discovery of the “boy king” – Tutankhamun – one of the most celebrated burials uncovered in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings. The obverse features a collage of Egyptian images, with Akhenaten in its centre, raising his hands in homage to Aten, against a background of a sarcophagus.
The Best Silver Collectible Coin was awarded to the U.S. Mint for its five-ounce proof silver dollar celebrating the 50th anniversary of Apollo II. The reverse features the famous photo of NASA astronaut Buzz Aldrin on the moon showing the reflection in Aldrin’s helmet, including astronaut Neil Armstrong, the U.S. flag and the lunar lander. It was the first time the U.S. Mint produced both a curved coin and a proof polish on a 38.1-millimetre-diameter coin.
The Best Collectible Silver Coin.
The Dior Truck.
The award for Best Packaging of a collectible coin went to Monnaie de Paris, of France, for its trunk-shaped case to house a two-kilogram Dior gold coin. Described as an expression of French luxury know-how, the trunk-shaped case included a pair of gloves, a brochure, a certificate of authenticity and the coin designed and signed by artist Xavier Casalta.
The Best Sustainability Award went to the Royal Dutch Mint for its “Dutch Vault,” the industry’s first energy-neutral mint. Built at a cost of 20 million euros (about $29 million Cdn.) and opened in 2020, the building is self-sufficient in energy and, compared to its previous site, has reduced its waste by around 50 per cent.
The Dutch Vault.