The 2024 COTY 100
The COTY 100 features 10 outstanding coins in each of 10 specific categories.
The process for the 2024 Coin of the Year awards began in early January with a worldwide call for nominations. From roughly 3,400 different coins released in 2023, mints, banks, and coin enthusiasts submitted nearly 600 for consideration.
"The COTY 100 for 2023-dated coins contains candidates from 42 countries around the world. There are 39 mints and central banks represented in this group, making the spectrum very broad and quite illustrative of the various world trends we see evolving over this recent cycle of coin production," said Tom Michael, Senior Analyst of NumisMaster and COTY co-coordinator.
The COTY 100 features 10 outstanding coins in each of 10 specific categories. Voting has already commenced, and our panel of over 100 judges is casting ballots designed to select one coin in each category as a winner. A second round of voting by that same expert panel will then choose one of those 10 category winners as the overall Coin of the Year, the best of the best for 2023-dated issues. The COTY Champion will be honored beside the rest at the American Numismatic Association’s World’s Fair of Money on August 8, 2024, in Rosemont, Ill. We welcome you to attend that ceremony and hope you enjoy the 2024 COTY Awards. The images feature the complete list of the nominees in each category.
Michael shares his thoughts on coins nominated in each of the 10 COTY categories:
Most Historically Significant
Racial, optical, architectural, mathematical, literary, artistic, political, and astronomical arenas were all touched on in the selection of this year’s Most Historical Coin category. The German 20 Euro Wilhelm Schickard calculator coin and Switzerland’s perfect design for the 20 Francs Swiss Shooting Sport Federation are standouts.
Best Contemporary Event
More than 30 coins were seriously considered for nomination in the Best Contemporary category, leading the Nominating Committee into some very passionate discussions before these final 10 were confirmed. Look to the Netherlands 5 Euro 50 Years of Recognition of the COC to set the bar high for LGBTQ+ acceptance.
Best Gold Coin
A full half of the nominators made the case for the United States 100 Dollars Liberty through Perseverance gold coin, making it the most heavily backed and highly thought of coin in this category. However, the artistry exhibited in the Italian 10 Euro Fountain of Diana and Actaeon and Mongolia’s 25000 Togrog Mongolian Falcon should provide ample competition.
Best Silver Coin
Due to the large percentage of commemoratives using silver, this category is always packed with capable contenders. The Latvian Stardust 5 Euro was the final coin selected, while the Austrian 20 Euro Neutron Star competes for the chance to complete this fascinating series with a third COTY trophy.
Best Crown
A tricky category due to its inherent size restrictions, the Best Crown Coin selection held over 30 solid candidates this year. The British Virgin Islands 10 Dollar Pegasus coin was a standout with its special Taya Pobjoy privy mark honoring a family and their company in its last year of service to the coin minting industry.
Best Circulating Coin
In the Best Circulating category, we find some of the strongest overall contenders in this COTY competition. Peking Opera, Jovita Idar, and Sándor Petöfi offer up some of the best designs you’ll ever find on circulating coinage.
Best Bi-Metallic Coin
More than half of the finalists in the Best Bi-Metallic category received multiple nominations, which often means that our Judges Panel will have a difficult time narrowing to a winner. Odds may favor the French 2 Euro Semeuse Pugilat, but keep an eye on the Kazakhstan 500 Tenge Táńirlik Tanym with its unique construction.
Most Artistic Coin
Artistic styles run a wide range in this year’s 10 finalists for Most Artistic Coin, with Latvia’s modern 5 Euro Riga Fashion coin representing an era, Canada’s 250 Dollars Raven Brings the Light presenting a legend, and Portugal’s 10 Euro Bordalo II illustrating a trend.
Most Innovative Coin
High relief Balkhash Perch and deeply incused Grand Canyon, AI-designed Digital World, and Nicola Tesla's electric lighting are joined by complex shapes and vibrant colors to present a massively varied group of 10 contestants for the treasured Most Innovative Coin trophy.
Most Inspirational Coin
What inspires you? I’m guessing that at least one of these 10 coins would hit the mark. Once voting commences, we will discover which of these coins crosses the most borders and touches the most hearts. In our Nominating Committee, the Ukraine and Poland unified heart coins truly did convey that Friendship and Brotherhood are the greatest of riches.
A very special THANK YOU to our sponsors.
You may also like:
