Colombia’s new .50, .100, .200, .500, and 1.000 coins won an international ‘Excellence in Currency’ prize for the ‘Best New Coins’ of 2013, and were exalted for promoting biodiversity.
Tuesday’s conference, held in Berlin, Germany by the International Association of Currency Affairs (IACA), chose Colombia’s coins for their singularity, quality and design. The conference also noted the videos that were used to promote the new coins at the launch of the campaign.
In addition, the award committee took into account other factors such as the range of circulation, the metallic content, the sizes, and the difference between these and past coins.
The coins were praised for their promotion of biodiversity as well, as all have a natural theme to them. Many Colombian species of animals and flowers, referred to colloquially as ‘la fauna y la flora colombianas,’ are featured such as the South American ‘spectacled bear’ on the .50 piece and a giant turtle on the 1.000 piece.
The new coins launched on June 13, 2012.