News Item: Coin of the Month March 2010: Lithuania 1 Litas 2009 Vilnius, Cultural Capital of Europe
(Category: Coin of the Month)
Posted by Nicholas
Saturday 06 March 2010 - 15:55:10

Region: Europe Country: Lithuania Denomination: 1 Litas Year: 2009 Pricing & Coin Info
	The first written mention of Lithuania is found in a medieval German manuscript, the Quedlinburg Chronicle, on February, 14 1009. By the end of the 14th century, Lithuania was the largest country in Europe. After World War II, Lithuania became part of the U.S.S.R. until it achieved independence in 1992. Although Lithuania joined the European Union in 2004, it still uses it's own currency. The Euro was to be adopted by January 1, 2010, but due to the current rate of inflation and the economical crisis, this date will be delayed for another three years until 1 January 2013. The currency of Lithuania is the litas (the plural form is litai). 1 Litas is broken down into 100 centai (centas is the singular form). March's Coin of the month is a circulating commemorative coin made of 75% copper and 25% nickel from Lithuania. In 2009, the capital of Lithuania, Vilnius was awarded the title European Capital of Culture. To commemorative this, Lithuania has created this 1 Litas coin. Only 1 million of these coins were minted. The reverse reads: "Vilnius, Europos Kulturos Sostine." A woman is shown painting. The easel she is using is shaped like the Gediminas Tower, the only remaining part of the Gediminas Castle, located in Vilnius. Like most Lithuanian coins, the obverse has the coat of arms of Lithuania, consisting of a knight on horseback holding a sword and shield, is also known as Vytis, or "the Chaser". "Lietuva" is written at the top of the obverse, meaning "Lithuania" written in the native language. Vytautas Narutis is the artist who designed the 2009 1 Litas coin.

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