Aesop’s Fables, or the Aesopica, is a collection of fables credited to Aesop, a slave and storyteller who lived in ancient Greece between 620 and 564 B.C.

The Greek Mint’s first coin in a series of Proof Nordic gold (aluminum-bronze) €1.5 coins that will retell the best-known and loved of the fables recalls the fable of the tortoise and the hare.

Tortoise and the hare

In this story, a hare kept mocking a tortoise for being slow.

One day the tortoise, tired of the hare showing off, challenged him to a race and the hare accepted. The tortoise set off, moving slowly but steadily. The hare soon left the tortoise behind and, confident of winning, took a nap midway through the race.

When he awoke, however, he found that his competitor, crawling slowly but steadily, had arrived before him. The fable’s moral is that diligence and perseverance can trump talent when it fails to work hard.

The 2024 coin obverse features the namesake animals crossing the finish line, and the denomination. The reverse depicts the same two animals, but in color.

Specifications, details

The coin weighs 21.9 grams and measures 40 millimeters in diameter. It has a mintage limit of 3,500 pieces and comes in a book-like printed folder.

U.S.-based distributor Royal Scandinavian Mint offers the coin for $27.25 (but it was temporarily unavailable as of Dec. 10). To order, or learn more, visit the website www.rsmint.com.

Connect with Coin World:  
Sign up for our free eNewsletter
Access our Dealer Directory  
Like us on Facebook  
Follow us on X (Twitter)

Whether you’re a current subscriber or new, you can take advantage of the best offers on magazine subscriptions available in digital, print or both! Whether you want your issue every week or every month, there’s a subscription to meet your needs.