World Coins

Fiji issues coins for Winter Olympics in South Korea

Snow and ice are the last thing you might think of coming from the country of Fiji, but those elements are precisely the topic of a pair of new coins for the tropical island.

The Reserve Bank of Fiji, with the Pobjoy Mint, issued the pair of silver coins celebrating the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea. 

The XXIII Olympic Winter Games are scheduled for Feb. 9 to 25, the second Olympic Games set in South Korea (following 1988’s Summer Games in Seoul) and the third Winter Olympics in Asia, Japan having hosted them twice (Sapporo in 1972, and Nagano in 1998).


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The Games will feature 102 events across seven sports that include multiple different styles of skiing, such as alpine, cross-country, freestyle and ski jumping. Ice skating is also prominent among the sports and includes speed skating, short track and figure skating. 

Designs for the pair of coins from Fiji celebrate two main fields of events, under the headings Ice and Snow, according to the Pobjoy Mint. The reverse of the Ice coin is split horizontally and features two of the Games’ most popular sports, bobsleigh and figure skating, one in each segment. A lone Olympian is seen traveling down a track on a skeleton sled on the top half, and five skaters are in the lower half. 

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The Snow coin shows an alpine skier slicing through the snow in the coin’s upper half, and a snowboarder shredding down a slope in the lower half.

On both coins, the two depicted sports are segregated by use of different frosting techniques on each sport. 

The upper sport is shown with the athletes frosted, in relief, with a polished background. The sport shown in the lower half of each coin utilizes a reverse frosting technique, with the athletes in polished relief against a frosted background, giving the impression of the snow or ice upon which the sport takes place.

“In 2018 Fiji will compete in all four of these sports,” the Pobjoy Mint said, although Fiji has sent only two Olympians to Winter Games previously, and does not appear to have qualified at press time Oct. 26.

The obverse of each coin features the Fijian coat of arms, a heraldic design consisting of a shield with the Cross of St. George, Fijian warriors, a canoe and a lion on a Proof background.

The Proof .925 fine silver coins weigh 28.28 grams, measure 38.61 millimeters in diameter and have a mintage limit of 2,000 pieces each.

The coins are sold as a two-coin set for $125. To order, visit the Pobjoy Mint website


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