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Gold and silver coins to mark 50th UNICEF anniversary

Wednesday, 13 November 1996: Twenty-four countries are expected to mint gold or silver coins to mark the 50th anniversary of UNICEF. Making up a special series called The Children of the World Coin Collection, the legal tender will highlight half a century of service to children by UNICEF.

Among the issuing countries are Argentina, Belgium, China, Greece, Hungary, Indonesia, Mongolia, Singapore, Thailand and Turkey. Another 14 countries -- the Bahamas, Bahrain, Brazil, Bulgaria, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Fiji, Madagascar, Malta, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, Seychelles, Vietnam and Zambia -- plan to put out silver coins. Several more have indicated a similar interest.

Some of the countries will issue ordinary circulating coins as a tribute to UNICEF's work for children. Depicting children engaged in sports, educational activities, the arts, festivities, or childhood themes of special national significance, their designs will be unveiled in the next few weeks.

First announced in April 1996, this special coin series will be offered for sale to collectors around the world from 1997 until 1999. Mintages for the silver collection will be limited to 25,000 coins for each country, and the gold collection will be limited to 10,000 coins for each country.

UNICEF has appointed a specialist numismatic company, Paramount International Coin Corporation USA, to produce and market the coins worldwide. Royalties from the sales of these coins will help fund UNICEF and issuing governments' programmes in health care, education, clean water, nutrition and protection from ravages of war and environmental hazards.

A similar project managed by Paramount for UNICEF in 1979, the International Year of the Child, generated royalties of over $3 million.

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