Krause Publications Presents World Mints with 2008 Coin of the Year Award

Canada’s destiny was in the stars as it won the 2008 Coin of the Year Award sponsored by World Coin News, a monthly periodical dedicated to collectors of world coins.

A four-piece set of $50 palladium coins showing the Big Bear and Little Bear constellations in changing seasonal positions was voted the winner in the second round of balloting by an international panel of judges. They are KM-672-675 in the Standard Catalog of World Coins identification system.

This year for the first time a People’s Choice Award was selected by more than 100,000 coin enthusiasts worldwide, who voted online at NumisMaster.com. The award goes to the Hungarian Mint for its copper-nickel 50-forint that commemorates the 50th anniversary of the1956 Hungarian revolution. It is KM-789.

“The COTY award recognizes the artistic and historic significance of coins worldwide,” said David C. Harper, editor of World Coin News. “Each coin honored tells a unique story that will be shared for generations to come.”

Harper also noted the involvement of coin enthusiasts who were asked to vote for the first People’s Choice Award.

“We saw a lot of national pride exhibited as the votes came in,” Harper said.

The 2008 Coin of the Year award program recognizes coins dated from the year 2006.

It also honors a winning coin in each of 10 subsidiary classes. Where the United States shone was in the Most Historically Significant category where a commemorative silver dollar depicting Benjamin Franklin as an old diplomat and struck to mark the 300th