5 euro – International Year of Light

The UN general Assembly declared 2015 “International Year of Light and Light-based Technologies - IYL 2015”. A global initiative which has the aim to underline the importance of light as a source of energy, for educational development, for telecommunications, health and agriculture. Light not only as a scientific element, but also as cultural, ethic and esthetic element. The Ufficio Filatelico and Numismatico of San Marino dedicates the divisional coin set 2015 with a 5€ silver uncirculated coin to the theme of the International Year of Light. The creative designer, Matthew Dent, comes from Walles and he is known for the last restyling of the English pound sterling. On the reverse of the 5€ coin the typographical design presents the word “light” in the six official languages of the UN (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish) in addition to Italian. The text forms a sun design where the boldest letterforms at the centre gradate to the lightest lettering at the edge. The obverse depicts the silhouetted peak of Mount Titano with the three Towers of San Marino and their feathers with the sun behind. The landscape echoes the visual effect when one looks towards the direction of the sun.