In August 2004, the Olympic Games returned to the country where they were born over 2,500 years ago, and to Athens the city of their revival in 1896. Within the framework of the Olympic Coin Program, the Greek Mint issued a series of commemorative coins, Gold and Silver, on which Greek history and heritage were engraved. The sixth and final series of the Official Coins of the Athens 2004 Olympic Games was issued on May 31, 2004 and includes 1 Gold and 2 Silver proof coins (Academy - Handball - Football)
Gold coin: The Academy was the foremost intellectual institution of modern Greece, its mission being to promote the Arts and Sciences. The first discussions regarding its establishment took place during the meeting of the National Assembly at Argos (1826) and construction began in 1859
Silver coin: Handball is one of the world's oldest sports and many civilizations and nations claim its origins as their own. Even Homer in the Odyssey describes the game which was introduced at the Berlin Olympic Games in 1936 as an 11-a-side outdoor game
Silver coin: Football games are common in many parts of the world even in ancient times. Some 2,500 years ago the Chinese played a form of it called Tsu chu, in which they kicked a ball of stuffed leather |