Commemorating the Argotti Botanical Gardens Conservatory

On 28 February the Central Bank of Malta issued numismatic coins in gold and silver depicting the Argotti Botanical Gardens Conservatory. The coins are issued under the Europa Programme with the theme The Age of Iron and Glass and bear the Europa Star logo.

The gold coin has a face value of €50, while the silver coin has a face value of €10. The €10 silver coin is of 0.925 finesse and has a weight of 28.28g and a diameter of 38.61mm. The minting limit is 3,000 pieces. The €50 gold coin is of 0.916 finesse and has a weight of 6.5g and a diameter of 21mm. The minting limit is 1,000 pieces. Both coins are struck to proof quality.

The coins were designed and engraved by Noel Galea Bason and were minted at the Royal Dutch Mint. The reverse of the coins depicts the Argotti Botanical Gardens Conservatory. This iron and glass structure, which was designed by architect Andrea Vassallo, was a novelty for Malta. The conservatory was an aesthetically pleasing structure, but its upkeep was very expensive and in 1931 the government decided to dismantle it.

The obverse of the coin features the coat of arms of Malta and the Europa Star logo. This year’s coins will be part of a five-year series dedicated to different periods of European art-forms and history which have been widely grouped as Modern 20th century (2016), The Age of Iron and Glass (2017), Baroque and Rococo (2018), Renaissance (2019) and Gothic (2020).

The coins may be purchased directly from the Malta Coin Centre’s online e-shop facility on www.maltacoincentre.com or from the main building of the Central Bank of Malta. The gold coin is for sale for €340 while the silver coin costs €60. For more information the public is kindly requested to contact the Malta Coin Centre by e-mail on mcc@centralbankmalta.org or tel. (+356) 2550 6006/7.