Coins of the Baltic States

The map to the left is drawn by me and includes coins of the countries shown. To enlarge this image, right-click and open in new tab or window, or simply drag the image to a new tab. Detailed images are near the end of this post.

Baltic States is the term for three countries that are located to the east of the Baltic Sea. The three countries are ESTONIA, LATVIA, and LITHUANIA. All three were former-Soviet countries that re-gained their independence in the early 1990s. Estonia's capital is Tallinn, Latvia's is Riga, and Lithuania's is Vilnius. In my numismatics collection, I have one coin from each - and all of them came from the 100-coin set that I mention in previous posts.

Estonia 10 Senti — Minted in 1998, this coin is approximately 16 mm in diameter. The obverse features the date and the three lions that appear on Estonia's coat of arms. 19 is left and 98 is right of the middle lion. On the reverse, the 10 denomination is in the center, while SENTI is written below it and EESTI VABARIIK arches around the number. Eesti Vabariik means Republic of Estonia in the Estonian language.

Latvia 1 Santims — This coin was minted in 1997 and is 16 mm in diameter. The obverse features the shield that is the centerpiece of Latvia's complete coat of arms. The date is on the bottom, while LATVIJAS REPUBLIKA is inscribed as an arch around the shield. The reverse features a large 1 in the center with SANTIMS below. An arch of five lines appears above the denomination. Two diamonds appear at the ends of the arches, kind of like a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow!

Lithuania 2 Centai — The largest of the three, this 1991-dated coin is at least 21 mm in diameter. The obverse features a slightly different image from the current coat of arms. The date and LIETUVA appears below the central image. The reverse has a large 2 located towards the right side, an ornamental design that looks somewhat like a windmill, and CENTAI in the bottom.