Athens 2004 - Series F coins

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 total collection includes 18 coins (6 Gold and 12 Silver) which were released in 6 quarterly issues, each consisting of 1 Gold and 2 Silver coins. The themes were selected by the Minister for the National Economy and the Governor of the Bank of Greece, from a set of proposals presented by a national technical and artistic committee.

The sixth and final series of the Official Coins of the ATHENS 2004 Olympic Games was issued on May 31, 2004. The coins can be purchased individually, in sets of two silver coins and a complete set including all three coins, the gold and the two silver ones.

ItemMerchantDescription: 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). The building, designed by the Danish architect Theophilos Hansen, began construction in 1859 on a site ceded by the Petraki Monastery and the municipality of Athens, with funds offered for the purpose by the Greek public benefactor, Baron Simon Sinas, which is why it is also known as the 'Sinaea Academia'. The Academy began to operate in 1926, and is constituted by three departments, Exact Sciences, Fine Arts Letters and the Moral and Political Sciences.

The Academy is the subject of the sixth gold Olympic coin. The intention here, is to highlight the premise that in the city of Athena, the Olympic Games should not only be the most important athletic event, but also to be accompanied by intellectual and cultural activities, equivalent to the style and character of the city that was the birthplace and the matrix for the revival of the modern Olympic Games of 1896.

Year	Mintage	Shop
2004	28,000 pieces	View / Buy

ItemMerchantDescription: 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. On the coin, the modern athlete directs the ball in his hands towards his target, while in the background the ancient athlete is just about to throw a ball, in a game known as cheirosphaira, in a representation taken from a black figure vase of the Archaic period.

Year	Mintage	Shop
2004	68,000 pieces	View / Buy

ItemMerchantDescription: 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. Natives of Polynesia are known to have played a variation of the game with a ball made of bamboo fibres, while the Inuit had another form using a leather ball filled with moss. In most cases, the ball was a symbol for the sun and "conquering" it would ensure fertility and a good crop. The design of this coin represents a modern football player ready to hit the ball, his ancient counterpart demonstrates his technique by bouncing a ball on his thigh, his hands tied behind his back. The representation was taken from a 4 century b.C. marble relief.

Year	Mintage	Shop
2004	68,000 pieces	View / Buy