€20 Irish coin goes on sale for €40
The Central Bank of Ireland has issued a collectors’ item, gold proof €20 coin today, which will be sold for double its value.
The coin, one of the smallest in the world, is just 11mm in diameter and features a depiction of a Celtic High Cross.
It weighs just 0.5g but will cost collectors €40 to purchase.
The design on the miniature coin is the work of renowned Irish artist Thomas Ryan. It pictures the Celtic High Cross in a monastic setting alongside the Irish Round Tower and bears the Irish Harp in “exceptional detail”, said the Central Bank.
Ryan has previously designed the 1990 £1 coin, featuring the red deer, and the 1988 Dublin Millennium 50 pence coin.
The limited issue 12,000 units goes on sale today. Each coin is displayed in a special presentation case and is accompanied by a numbered Certificate of Authenticity specifying the quality of the coin and the limited issue. The coin can be purchased directly from the Central Bank of Ireland, Dame Street, Dublin.