When American President George H.W. Bush met with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev on Dec. 2 and 3, 1989, aboard the Soviet cruise ship Maxim Gorky, it was a history-making moment.

Many historians identify that Malta Summit as the moment that the Cold War ended. 

The summit is now being honored on two new collector coins from Malta.

The Proof .925 fine silver €10 coin and a Proof .916 fine gold €50 coin both show the two world leaders at the summit. 

President Bush reportedly had to be persuaded to attend, but when the summit convened, was surprised that Gorbachev offered “an arms race in reverse,” according to the National Security Archive at George Washington University. 

There, Gorbachev told Bush: “First and foremost, the new U.S. president must know that the Soviet Union will not under any circumstances initiate a war. This is so important that I wanted to repeat the announcement to you personally. Moreover, the USSR is prepared to cease considering the U.S. as an enemy and announce this openly.” 

Also on each reverse are the flags of America and the USSR, separated by a Maltese cross. A note that the summit was the FALL OF THE IRON CURTAIN also appears.

The obverse of each coin shows the Maltese coat of arms.

The silver coin weighs 28.28 grams, measures 38.61 millimeters in diameter and has a mintage limit of 5,000 pieces.

The gold coin weighs 6.5 grams, measures 21 millimeters in diameter and has a mintage limit of 1,500 pieces. 

Distributor Coin & Currency Institute offers the silver coin for $71.50. The gold coin is available for $422.50.

To order the coin, visit the distributors website.