• Three thousand of the coins have been minted
• Each coin will cost 95 euros and have a nominal value of 15 euros
• The coin will go on sale at 09.00 on 22 April in the Omniva online shop and at 12.00 in the Eesti Pank museum shop
• Eesti Pank will present the coin on 22 April at 14.00 at a mini-conference at the Väike-Maarja Community Centre at Pikk tn 2 to mark the 150th anniversary of the birth of world champion Georg Lurich. The event, which is organised by the local council in Väike-Maarja, will discuss the legacy and the importance of the legendary wrestler Georg Lurich. Coins will be on sale at the event and the designer of the coin will be present to sign the coin certificates. The event is open to everyone.

Eesti Pank will issue a silver collector coin on 22 April to mark the 150th anniversary of the birth of the wrestler Georg Lurich.

Georg Lurich (1876–1920) was one of the most famous Estonian wrestlers, and his achievements brought international success and fame. The multi-talented strongman was a cultural ambassador for Estonia and promoted a healthy lifestyle, and he was an inspiration for many.

The design of the silver coin uses a portrait of Georg Lurich and figures of wrestlers in bas-relief together with the text “GEORG LURICH”, the years that he lived, and the nominal value of the coin 15€.

The centre of the coin is based on a portrait from the early 20th century of the young fighter with the determined gaze, whose stance radiates energy and strength. Designer Riho Luuse explained that the portrait was artistically a very well realised photograph. The face that was hand-sculpted for the coin is not an exact replica of the photograph, but an aggregated portrait of Georg Lurich composed from detailed analysis of many different images made at different times. The wrestling figures in the background are taken from a postcard from 1901 showing Georg Lurich and Aleksander Aberg demonstrating wrestling.

The bas-reliefs of the portrait and the background figures were created by the sculptor Aime Kuulbusch-Mölder.

The coin was minted by the Lithuanian Mint.

The silver coin was designed by Riho Luuse. Riho Luuse is a designer and the founder of the design bureau Umbra, and he has designed stamps for Eesti Post and Omniva, and several coins for Eesti Pank, including the two-euro coin for Paul Keres, the gold and silver coins for Hanseatic Tallinn, the gold coin for the Livonian Diet, the silver coin for the Estonian farming couple, and more besides.

Further information:

• The coin for Georg Lurich is a collector coin. Collector coins are mostly made of precious metals and commemorate important events or people for the issuing country. Collector coins are only legal tender in the country of issue. They are not intended for circulation, but rather for collecting or as gifts, and their selling price usually exceeds their nominal value.
• The Omniva customer service can be contacted by telephone on 661 6616 or by email at [email protected]. Customer service operates on working days from 09.00-20.00, and at weekends and on national holidays from 09.00–15.00.
• The Eesti Pank museum shop can be contacted on 668 0650
• The collector coins will be packaged in plywood boxes. Eesti Pank has tested coin boxes made of plywood and has packaged coins in cardboard, and continues to work to find a permanent packaging solution that is stylish, local and sustainable.

Additional information:
Gerli Rauk
Communications officer
Eesti Pank
668 0842
[email protected]
Press enquiries: [email protected]