COTY Award Coins – The Perfect Starter Set

Starting your first set as a novice coin collector can sometimes be intimidating. Where do you start? You find that while you like U.S. coins, you also like coins from around the world. And, as a beginner, you want to keep the price point at reasonable levels. Which set in the PCGS Set Registry® offers both U.S. coins and world coins, has coins with beautiful designs, and has many coins you can purchase at reasonable prices? Consider the Coin of the Year by Krause Publications (1982-present) set found in the Multi-Country category in the Registry.

Every year Krause Publications sponsors the COTY Awards. There are 10 categories and of those 10, one overall winner is selected as Coin of the Year. The awards began in 1984, recognizing coins minted in 1982. To date there are 298 coins required. Four coins are listed but not required, because PCGS is not able to encapsulate them due to their unusual design. Winners of the 10 awards are selected from a list of nominees by a panel of international judges. Award winners are announced in November. Then in December the Coin of the Year is selected from the category winners. The representatives of the winning countries are presented with their trophies in February at the World Money Fair in Berlin.

Currently, the 10 categories are as follows:

• Best Bi-Metallic Coin – commonly minted in silver and gold or Copper Nickel and Aluminum Bronze which have all-around aesthetic and commercial appeal

• Best Contemporary Event Coin – honoring persons or events less than 100 years old

• Best Crown – coins with a minimum diameter of 34 mm, usually in silver or clad which have all-around aesthetic and commercial appeal

• Best Gold Coin – minted in gold, platinum, palladium, or precious metals which have all-around aesthetic and commercial appeal

• Best Silver Coin – minted in silver which have all-around aesthetic and commercial appeal

• Best Circulating Coin – circulating coins made of non-precious metals which have all-around aesthetic and commercial appeal

• Most Artistic Coin – selected solely on the value of their artistic merit

• Most Historically Significant Coin – honoring persons or events of 100 or more years in the past

• Most Innovative Coin – Coins which best merit the term "innovative concept in coinage." Pioneering metallic alloys issues, non-typical coinage materials, planchet shapes or thickness or sizes, visual themes, distribution methods or other innovations

• Most Inspirational Coin – featuring themes, events, institutions, physical entities, or individuals that represent peace, freedom, and human rights

One of the best things about this set is that through the years, it shows the progression in design by the world mints. In 1982, there was no colorization or unusual planchet sizes or shapes. But as the years went by, creativity by the mints began to blossom. Below are some of the most interesting issues.

It was not until 1991 that a non-traditional coin won an award, the 1989 Australian Holey Dollar. This coin won for Best Silver Coin. It has a diameter of 40mm and is one ounce of silver. It was issued with a 25C silver plug, commonly called the "Dump."

In 1992, the 1990 Isle of Man Crown Penny Black won three awards: Coin of the Year, Best Crown and Most Innovative. The design honors the 150^th anniversary of the first pre-paid adhesive stamp. This unusual issue was struck in copper-nickel and layered in a "pearl-black" finish.

Not the first bi-metallic coin to win an award, but certainly the most unique to date, the 1995 Austrian 500 Shilling, symbolizing Austria in the European Union, won the 1997 Most Innovative coin. The stars circling the circumference are completely punched through.

In 1998, the first triangular shaped coin was awarded. This was the 1996 Bermuda $60 gold coin which won Coin of the Year, Best Gold and Most Innovative. Containing just a little over one ounce of gold, the coin’s subject is the Bermuda Triangle. A map, compass, and sinking ship are engraved on the reverse.

One of the most unusual coins to ever win an award is Kiribati & Western Samoa’s 1997 Silver $5, 5 Tala War and Peace, 1999’s Most Innovative coin. Take one round coin which features on the reverse the Samoa shield on the right and Kiribati shield on the left and then split the coin in half with a jagged edge to form two half coins. These coins were sold as a set. PCGS grades the coins as one under the Samoan banner.

Latvia’s 1999-2000 millennium silver Lats was awarded in 2001 as Most Innovative. The coin looks just like a button with two holes vertically punched in the center. The coin has a 28mm circumference and is .925 silver.

In 2003, France won Coin of the Year and Most Innovative for its 2001 Silver Franc – The Last Franc. Here the design gets as minimalist as you can get, which confirms the old adage, "less is more." The obverse has the legend "UN ULTIME FRANC." The reverse has the number 1 on a polished field. The coin has an intentionally warped field and the edge inscription is faint.

Color plays a role in Australia’s 2001 Silver $10 Evolution of the Calendar, which was voted 2003’s Most Historically Significant. This large 75.5mm silver coin features a colored solar system on the center of the reverse. It contains 311.04 grams of silver.

The Cook Islands has never been shy about trying new design concepts. So, it was no surprise when the islands came up with a completely original design idea in 2003. There is no question that the Cook Islands deserved 2005’s Most Innovative award for its Silver-Emerald $1 Gemstone Zodiac Locket. Encapsulated in the center of the obverse are five emeralds. In addition to the Cancer version, the other signs of the Zodiac were minted with their corresponding gemstones.

In 2005, Australia introduced a WWII commemorative coin with an interesting new concept called lenticular imaging. On the reverse of the coin are multiple frames of a dancing man which "dances" by rotating the coin. This won awards in 2007 for Best Contemporary Event and Most Innovative.

Mongolia was awarded Coin of the Year and Best Silver coin 2009 for its 2007 Wildlife Protection Silver 500 Tugrik. The obverse is a high relief portrait of a wolverine with Swarovski crystal eyes. The coin was struck in mint state with an antique finish.

In 2011, the Royal Dutch Mint issued the first coin with a QR code embedded in the metal. Scanning the code would send you to the Mint website, where a memory game was available. For stepping out of the box, the Netherlands won Coin of the Year and Most Innovative in 2013.

Over the years, the United States has won many awards. The States Quarters, Eagles and commemoratives have been recognized. In 2016, the U.S. was awarded Coin of the Year and Most Innovative Coin for its 2014 Baseball Hall of Fame half dollar. The $5 gold version won for Best Gold. The innovative design was the first curved coin from the U.S. Mint. The glove on the obverse is concave in design and represents the curvature of a baseball mitt. The reverse is a convex baseball, representing the curve of a ball.

The list above is just a small sampling of some of the beautiful and unique coins that have been awarded. Assembling this wonderful set presents the collector with the opportunity to own some of the best coins minted worldwide. One collector has a great start on this set. The Brandywine Collection is 90.27% complete with a weighted GPA of 68.529. The collector has provided images and flags of the countries which have been awarded. Click here to take an enjoyable walk around the world.