Greece: Latest €100 And €50 Gold Proof Coins Continue With Greek Mythology And Cultural Heritage Series

The latest gold coins releases are continuations of two popular series focusing on traditional topics such as mythological stories, ancient history, landmarks and culture which Greece is renowned for.

Both the €50 and €100 coins are produced by the Hellenic Mint at their facilities in Athens on behalf of the Bank of Greece and designed by Maria Antonatou.

€50 Gold. Begun in 2012, the first coin in the series featured the Archaeological site of Pella. For 2024, the temple of Apollo Epikourios, also known as Apollo the helper is the focus. Standing at an elevation of 1,130 metres above sea level on the Arcadian highlands at Bassae, which today is part of the Prefecture of Ilia, the temple of Apollo Epikourios is one of the boldest and most original monuments of 5th-century classical architecture. According to the Greek writer and geographer Pausanias, it was commissioned by the Arcadian city of Phigalia and was designed by Iktinos, famed architect of the Parthenon. The name Epikourios refers either to the healing powers of Apollo, who was believed to have saved the Phigalians from the plague, or to his patronage of Arcadian mercenaries or, epikouroi. The structure combined all three traditional design orders such as Doric with a total of ninety columns of the same name. The Ionic style is seen in the interior as it was adorned with Ionic half-columns and a frieze with scenes of Greeks fighting Amazons and Lapiths battling Centaurs. Lastly, Corinthian elements were seen in the inner sanctuary where one column stood with the earliest known Corinthian capital or crown.

The Temple was first excavated by a team of foreign travellers in 1812 and today its frieze is exhibited at the British Museum. Due to its isolated location, the temple has survived in a fair state of preservation, albeit with serious static problems. The difficult restoration project has been entrusted to the Committee for the Conservation of the Temple of Apollo Epikourios and has been a UNESCO-listed since 1986.

The obverse side depicts an image of a corner view of the Temple, centred with the commemorative text Ο ΝΑΟΣ ΤΟΥ ΕΠΙΚΟΥΡΙΟΥ ΑΠΟΛΛΩΝΟΣ (the Temple of Apollo Epikourios) placed above the primary design and along the upper rim. Below the primary design is the distinctive palmette mintmark of the Greek Mint and the year of issue, 2024. The reverse side includes a stylised and centred image of a statue known as the Piraeus Apollo, an ancient Greek bronze sculpture in the archaic style from the 2nd or 1st century BC. To the left is the coin’s denomination of €50 and to the right, the crest of the Hellenic Republic and along the right rim is the text ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΗ ΔΗΜΟΚΡΑΤΙΑ (Hellenic Republic). The €50 gold coin is available from the 15th October.

€100 Gold. First launched in 2014, the latest coin in this popular series features Hephaestus, the God of blacksmiths, metalworking, forging and craftsmanship in general, of fire and volcanoes, which were so named after Vulcan, his counterpart in the Roman pantheon. Hephaestus was son of Zeus and Hera, but was such an ugly infant that Hera hurled him down from heaven in a rage. He landed on Lemnos, with both his feet crippled, and set up his smithworks on the island. The ancient Greeks believed that Hephaestus’ workshop lay beneath volcanoes. As master craftsman to the world of the Gods, he was credited with creating the chariot of the Sun, Achilles’ shield, automata robots mentioned in tales about Jason and the Argonauts and other mythological artefacts. Hephaestus was married to Aphrodite, but she was later unfaithful with Ares. His cult was widespread in volcanic areas such as Aetna and the Lipari Islands, while the entire island of Lemnos was sacred to him. In Athens, the so-called Theseum was actually a temple dedicated to Hephaestus, where he was worshiped as patron of craftsmen together with Athena Ergane.

The obverse side depicts a seated image of Hephaestus along with an anvil, as he holds a traditional Athenian helmet of a soldier. Just above the primary design is the distinctive palmette mintmark of the Greek Mint and the year of issue, 2024. Surrounding the primary design is a Greek-key border, within this border is the inscription ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΗ ΜΥΘΟΛΟΓΙΑ (Greek Mythology) shown to the upper right and the name ΗΦΑΙΣΤΟΣ (Hephaestus) placed to the left of the design. The reverse side includes illustrations of the tools of the Smith trade such as an anvil, hammer, forging tongs and elements of fire, essential to forge metal. Above the collection of tools is the crest of the Hellenic Republic and along the left rim is the text ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΗ ΔΗΜΟΚΡΑΤΙΑ (Hellenic Republic). Below the primary design is the denomination of 100 ΕΥΡΩ.The €100 gold coin is available from the 20th November.

Each proof quality gold coin is encapsulated and presented in a custom Bank of Greece-branded hardwood case accompanied with a certificate of authenticity. Collectors residing in Greece can visit the Bank of Greece’s headquarters in Athens. For additional information, please visit the numismatic webpage of the Bank of Greece.