NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh National Bank issued a limited edition coin collection Nov. 27 in denominations of 100 tenge (US$0.26), 200 tenge (US$0.52) and 500 tenge (US$1.30).
The 100 and 200-tenge coins are named Kόbelek (butterfly) and the Lasiommata maera, made of nickel and silver, and are part of the flora and fauna series. The 500-tenge Quraq kórpe coins, from the Treasures of the Steppe series, are all silver.
The Quraq kórpe are named in honour of the Kazakh kurpe, patchwork bedding with a distant history. The quilts accompany Kazakhs from early childhood – first as a bright blanket to cover the baby, then as a soft carpet on which a growing person can run. Some families give kurpes as a bride’s dowry, decorating them with symbolic ornaments for a happy life.
The 500-tenge coins are manufactured with colour printing technology. The Kazakh emblem, framed with the inscription “Qazaqstan Respublikasy – Republic of
Kazakhstan,” is on the face. The denomination and information denoting the metal from which it is made, its fineness and weight are also shown. On the reverse is an image of a handmade patchwork quilt and the Quraq kórpe inscription, year and Kazakh Mint trademark.
The coin weighs 31.1 grammes, is 38.61-centimetres in diametre and of proof (higher quality) workmanship. Only 1,500 coins will be circulated.
The 100 and 200-tenge coins are lighter and smaller. Only 2,000 will be minted.
The coins are issued in souvenir packages including a numbered certificate confirming the quality of Kazakh National Bank in three languages – English, Kazakh and Russian.
The coins were produced at the Kazakh National Bank Mint and can be purchased in all its regional departments and through www.nationalbank.kz.
