Latvia 2015 Fairy Tale Coin I. Five Cats Proof Silver Coin

Description:

Fairy Tale Coin I. Five Cats is the first coin in a new series dedicated to the great fairy tales of Latvia. It features the story of Muris, Nuris, Incis, Mincis and Puncis – five cats that live and work together about as well as you’d expect five cats to live and work together. One day, the cats are hungry and decide to make some porridge. They have the ingredients, they have a bowl and mixer, all they need is some firewood to start a fire. So the five cats go into the forest to get some, but when they get there, everyone wants to cut the wood–nobody wants to carry it back.

Needless to say, the cats come home empty-handed.

But they’re still hungry and they really want that porridge, so Muris, Nuris, Incis, Mincis and Puncis swallow their pride and try again. This time, however, they work together and each cat carries one of the logs home with them.

Having gotten the firewood, the cats start a fire and cook some porridge. They lap it up like they’ve never heard of table manners and are so full that they go to bed and fall asleep.

Most Latvian fairy tales and folktales follow a similar pattern, imparting a practical kind of social or ethical moral.

The 5-euro coin consists of .925 fine silver and is available in Proof.

Obverse:

The obverse features all five cats laying in the same bed, with the headboard appearing larger (and thereby closer to the viewer) than the foot of the bed. This reverse perspective produces a quaint effect that greatly adds to the charm of designer and children’s book author Anita Paegle’s take on the five cats themselves.

Five tiny pairs of boots sit on the floor around the bed, with one pair seemingly haphazardly thrown to the ground – implying much about the character of one of the cats in comparison to the others (perhaps the one that is still awake).

A crimson, magenta and grey colorized blanket covers the quintet.

The names MURIS, NURIS, INCIS, MINCIS and PUNCIS are inscribed in a cursive font along the right rim of the coin. Rhombic dots are used to separate each name. The year 2015 is found on the part of the bed facing the viewer, underneath what appears to be a rooster with its talons in a small flower pot, and a heart is located on the headboard above the resting felines.

Reverse:

The reverse features the cats as they are getting ready to eat.

One cat stands in the center of the design facing the viewer. This cat is dressed in an old-fashioned formal style of clothing for young boys perhaps most associated with Europe in the late 19th century or early 20th. He is holding the bowl of porridge and a large spoon with which to dish it out. His pleasant, friendly expression (indeed, he appears to be smiling) underlines the fact that he is in charge of dispensing the cats’ well-earned riposte. His bowtie is colored with red enamel, while the bowl and the porridge are colored a jade green and maize yellow, respectively.

Traditional Latvian motifs decorate both the spoon and the bowl.

Two cats, similarly attired, are practically jumping into the scene from the left, and the remaining two cats stand awaiting their turn on the right. KAKI and 5 EURO are inscribed along the upper portion of the coin.

It should be noted that the cats are wearing pants.

Edge:

The edge of the coin is smooth and contains the following edge lettering: LATVIJAS BANKA for the Bank of Latvia and LATVIJAS REPUBLIKA for the Independent Republic of Latvia.

Designer(s): Anita Paegle is a well-known graphic artist and author of several illustrated children’s books in Latvian. Jānis Strupulis was responsible for sculpting Ms. Paegle’s artwork into a working coin design. The coin was minted at the UAB Lietuvos monetų kalykla (Lithuanian Mint).

Coin Specifications:

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