Malta issues €2 coins for honey bee, walled city of Gozo

Malta on Aug. 26 issued both of its commemorative €2 coins for 2024, celebrating the honeybee and the walled city of Gozo.

Both Brilliant Uncirculated coins were struck at the Royal Dutch Mint.

The bee coin depicts the native Maltese honeybee, seen near half of a flower, a partial honeycomb shown below the flower to balance the design, which was created by Maria Anna Frisone.

Gozo is an island in the Mediterranean Sea, one of 21 that make up the Maltese archipelago. Inhabited for thousands of years, it shows evidence of historic immigration and rule by the Phoenicians, Romans, Arabs, Sicilians, French and British, among others.

The coin for Gozo, designed by Noel Galea Bason, depicts an aerial view of the Citadel of Gozo and the inscription CITTADELLA GOZO and MALTA followed by the year of issuance 2024.

All €2 coins are on ringed bimetallic planchets, weigh 8.5 grams, measure 25.75 millimeters in diameter, and bear the 12 stars of the European flag on the outer ring.

The common reverse for each coin since circulation began in 2002 is the European map design created by Luc Luycx.

Both coins are available in a blister folder. The bee coin has a mintage limit of 80,000 pieces, and the Gozo coin is limited to a mintage of 90,000 pieces.

United States-based distributor Royal Scandinavian Mint offers either of the €2 coins for $32.05.

To order, or learn move, visit the distributor web site, www.rsmint.com.