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• Greek currency Olympic Games 2004
• Athens Olympics Series F

Athens 2004 - Olympic Series F

Starting from March 2003, the Bank of Greece issued a series of six different coin series commemorating the Athens 2004 Olympic Games. The total collection includes 18 coins (6 Gold and 12 Silver) which have been 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. A special series comprising 2 gold and 4 silver coins was also minted to commemorate the Olympic Torch Relay.

Common side - Specifications

The coins have been designed by the painter and engraver Panayiotis Gravalos, while the reliefs were created by the sculptor Kostas Kazakos, who, having worked for five years for the Greek Mint, has put his signature on several of the most beautiful Greek coins. One of these, the 50 drachma coin, was awarded first prize in a competition in Washington D.C., USA, in 1988 and is considered by many to be the most beautiful coin in the world. The Official Coins of the ATHENS 2004 Olympic Games are of unique value to coin collectors, since they will be limited in number of designs and mintage per coin, compared to previous Olympic coin collections.

The designs of the Gold coins have a civilization theme and portray prominent landmarks from the history of Greece. The Silver coins feature sporting themes and each design motif has been rendered using a modern depiction in the foreground contrasted with a classical depiction of the sport in the background. Thus the designs communicate the passage - through - time with the foreground modern depiction rendered in a crisp precise manner, while the classical backgrounds are rendered in such a way that they appear to be worn, much as a coin appears with the passage of time. The Olympic Flame series portrays themes from the Olympic Torch Relay

Diameter (mm): 25 / 40 Weight (g): 10 / 34 Shape: Round Edge: Smooth Mintage: 28,000 / 68,000 (each design) Mintage: 160,000 / 820,000 (total) Face value: 10 / 100 euros Fineness: Proof 999.9 (24K) / 925 (sterling) Price: 440 / 44 euros Description: Features two concentric rings: The outer ring portrays 12 stars, a design motif characteristic of Euro coins, and the inner ring portrays the face value of 100 euros face value for the gold coins and 10 euros for the silver ones, an olive branch, the ATHENS 2004 logo, the five Olympic circles, and the anthemion flower - the symbol of quality of the Greek Mint Certificates of Authenticity: Gold coins - Obverse & Reverse Silver coins - Obverse & Reverse

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.

View / Buy	KM#: 207 Description: 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.
View / Buy	KM#: 205 Description: 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.
View / Buy	KM#: 206 Description: 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.