2005 Italian Olympic Coins
On 17th March 2005, a series of 11 coins were announced by Italy for the 2006 XX Torino Winter Olympics.
There are to be 5 gold coins, including €50 and €20 gold proofs, and six silver coins of €10 and €5 denominations.

17 March 2005

Eleven legal tender commemorative coins, six silver and five gold, issued on four different dates starting in March 2005: such, in a nutshell, is the coin programme of the XX Olympic Winter Games in 2006 in Turin, which was presented on 16 March in Rome at the Italian National Olympic Committee's Salone d'Onore (Salon of Honour).
Tradition
The Numismatic Programme has become a tradition at almost all the editions of the Olympic Games: the first coin was issued in Finland on the occasion of the Helsinki 1952 Games. Since then, the Games have seen many coin productions, usually based on themes related to sports or to the territory, fauna, art and culture of the host country.

First coins in Italy But the 2006 Olympic Games coins are the first ever issued in Italy's Olympic history: no coins were minted for the Cortina Games in 1956, nor those in Rome in 1960.

Pictograms and emblematic monuments The coins, whose principal aim is still to promote the Olympic event, will feature the official pictograms representing the Olympic winter sports, and several prominent monuments in Turin. The final issue, scheduled for January 2006, is intended to illustrate the Olympic Torch Relay.

Promoting the Games "Eleven months out from the XX Olympic Winter Games," commented Mario Pescante, the Supervisor of the 2006 Games in Turin, "issuing commemorative coins is a key moment in the promotion of the Games, winter sports and Italy as a whole. The coins will also be part of the characteristic Look of the 2006 Games."

The first Italian Olympic coins in history will be produced by the State mint and distributed by the Gruppo Sanpaolo IMI (16/03/2005)
Starting from Helsinki 1952, the commemorative coin programmes of the Olympic Games have always met with great popularity among collectors all over the world. Also for the coin collection dedicated to the Olympic Winter Games of Torino 2006, great success is expected in the bookings, thanks to the high artistic content of the coins produced by the Zecca dello Stato (State Mint), and to the desire of the international public to contribute to the support of Olympic sport.

The numismatic programme of Torino 2006, presented today at the Salone d'Onore of the CONI, plans for the issue of 11 commemorative coins (6 silver and 5 gold), with legal value, in four successive phases starting from March 2005; their nominal value will extend from 5 euro to 50 euro. "Eleven months from the 20th Olympic Winter Games - said Member of Parliament Mario Pescante, under-secretary for the cultural heritage with delegation for Sport and Supervisor of Torino 2006 - the commemorative coins, realised with great skill by the Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato will represent a very important moment of promotion of the Games, of winter sports and of the territory. Since the early 1950s the issues of Olympic commemorative coins has played an important role, merging the world of sports, of art, of culture and collecting, and acting as precious ambassadors of the Olympic Movement. The coins of Torino 2006, moreover, also represent the typical design of Torino 2006, for which the IOC itself has already shown its appreciation".
"For the State Printing Office and the State Mint - affirmed the president of the Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato S.p.A Silvano Boroli - this is a commitment of great artistic and cultural value; a prestigious assignment, giving life to this important numismatic programme as ambassadors of Italian Art and Sports in the world, through a collection that gives honour in its preciousness also to the commitment of our athletes. The opportunity we were offered by the Olympic Games of 2006 was accepted readily, and welcomed as a real sports challenge: our "Maestri della Zecca", three master artists of great fame, were able to transfer into their works the genuine spirit that animates the Olympic Games". On the coins made of 925 silver, official pictograms will be reproduced that represent the Olympic Winter disciplines, while the coins made of gold 9000 will feature some of the most famous monuments of Torino and its territory - except for the last coin to be produced, a gold coin worth 50 euro, scheduled for January 2006, that should bear the effigy of the Olympic Torch Relay.
All the coins will be produced by the Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato according to an agreement underwritten with the Organising Committee of the Olympic Games of Torino 2006. The coins will be distributed in Italy by the Sanpaolo IMI Group, Main Sponsor of Torino 2006, through the branches of the banks belonging to the group (Banco di Napoli, Cassa di Risparmio di Padova e Rovigo, Friulcassa, Banca Popolare dell'Adriatico, Carisbo, Cassa di Risparmio di Venezia), and by the State Printing Office through its regular channels (sales points of the State Mint, the "Libreria dello Stato" - State book shop, and the Internet site www.ipzs.it).
The issue schedule plans for March 2005 the release of the coins with a face value of 5 euro in silver portraying the figure skating pictogram, the 10 euro silver coin with alpine skiing and the 20 euro gold coin with the effigy of Torino's ancient Porte Palatine.

• In June 2005, the second issue will be distributed consisting of 5 and 10 euro coins in silver, portraying respectively cross country skiing and ice hockey, and the 20 euro gold coins with Palazzo Madama.
• In November it will be the turn of the 5 euro silver coins with ski jumping, the 10 euro silver coins with speed skating, the 20 euro gold coins with the Hunting Palace of Stupinigi and the 50 euro gold coins portraying the equestrian statue of Emanuele Filiberto.
• The last issue, still in its development phases, is scheduled for release in January 2006, with the distribution of the gold coins with a face value of 50 euro that should depict the effigy of the Olympic Torch Relay. The versions of the coins made of silver will be sold in pairs as a diptych, while the gold coins will be distributed individually.

The measurements of the coins, all of "proof" quality (mirror background), according to their nominal value, are 32 millimetres and 18 grams for the 5 euro silver, 34 millimetres and 22 grams for the 10 euro silver, 21 millimetres and 6.451 grams for the 20 euro gold, and 28 millimetres and 16.129 grams for the 50 euro gold.
The coins of Torino 2006 will have a maximum mint-run of 40,000 pieces in the case of the silver diptych of the first issue, and 35,000 for the following ones; the maximum mint-run for the 20 euro gold coins will be 10,000, and for the 50 euro gold 6,000: this limited availability will increase the value and the interest in the Numismatic Programme of the 20th Olympic Winter Games. These are the first official commemorative coins ever issued in Italy for an Italian edition of the Olympic Games: commemorative coins were not produced on the occasion of the Olympic Winter Games of Cortina 1956 nor for the Summer Games of Rome 1960.

Prices & Availability
The prices quoted in the US $ column may be out of date due to currency fluctuations.

Olympic Gold Our index page of Olympic gold coins and medals.

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Italian Silver and Base Metal Coins
For silver and base metal coins of Italy, please look at our original Chard Coins website.

See Also
Italian States
San Marino