And the Champion of the 40th COTY Is…

24. August 2023

The Coin of the Year (COTY) program is an internationally conducted competition presented by World Coin News to recognize and encourage outstanding coin design and innovation worldwide. The 40th program, sponsored by the World’s Fair of Money and The Journal of East Asian Numismatics, honored coins dated 2022 in 10 categories of competition as decided by an international panel of judges.

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Austria’s Black Hole 20-euro silver-coin.

Austria’s Black Hole coin, a 20-euro silver piece, has a convex/concave shape. On the obverse, a cone rises from the flat surface to represent the curvature of space-time. It bears the name and solar mass of the first-cited black hole, “CYGNUS X-1.” In German are the inscriptions “SINGULARITAT” meaning Singularity and “EREIGNISHORIZONT” meaning Event Horizon. On the reverse, a funnel shape illustrates a black hole vortex, accompanied by a color-printed spiral. It also includes the inscription “Schwarzes Loch,” German for Black Hole.

The winning team from the Austrian Mint: Andrea Lang and Gerhard Starsich. Photo: UK.

The coin is second in the Austrian Mint’s The Uncharted Universe series. There are three proof silver coins in this series, with each using shape and color to illustrate astrological phenomena. The first coin was The Milky Way, which earned a trophy in the Most Innovative category in the last COTY competition. This time The Black Hole proved unbeatable in the Best Silver category, receiving 60 percent more votes than its closest competitor.

The race was much tighter when it came to balloting for the overall winner.

“The final voting for the 40th Coin of the Year was one of the closest battles between two favored coins we have ever witnessed,” said Tom Michael, COTY co-coordinator. “The lead was traded back and forth three times in the last three days of open balloting. In the end, The Black Hole coin of Austria secured its overall win and championship position by a single vote.”

Alongside The Black’s Hole’s Silver category and overall wins, an Austrian 25-euro silver-niobium coin, “Extraterrestrial Life,” took the win in the Best Bi-Metallic category. Colorful and eye-catching, the Austrian Mint’s silver-niobium coins are frequent winners in this category.

The COTY nominee selection process began with 500 coins from 50 countries, with a judging panel of 100 experts from around the world voting to determine 10 deserving coins in 10 categories of competition. That same panel then narrows it down to 10 finalists: the winner of each category. A final vote determines one of those 10 coins to earn top honors, the Coin of the Year.

“We began with 25 percent more coins and 50 percent more nominators this year and produced a head-turning array of wonderful coinage for the 40th COTY 100,” said Michael. “We’re pleased as can be to honor the 10 that rise to the top.”

Olivier Segalla from the Monnaie de Paris and Michael Chou, founder of the Journal of East Asian Numismatics. Photo: UK.

The team from the Royal Australian Mint, winner of the category “Best Circulating Coin”. Photo: UK.

The team from the Royal Canadian Mint won the category “Most Innovative Coin.” Photo: UK.

The team from the Royal Mint, winner of the category “Best Contemporary Event Coin.” Photo: UK.

The 40th COTY awards ceremony, the first held after a three-year hiatus due to COVID, was held Aug. 9 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, Pa., in partnership with the American Numismatic Association’s World’s Fair of Money®.

“As we mark Coin of the Year’s 40-year milestone of honoring the best of the best in coins from around the world, we are excited to be celebrating with an in-person ceremony,” said Maggie Pahl, COTY co-coordinator. “We welcome the World’s Fair of Money® as a new sponsor and look forward to holding our event in conjunction with one of the world’s premier numismatic shows for years to come.”