Dedicated to the Year of Literature in Russia 15.09.2015

In September 2015 the Moscow Mint of Goznak struck the “Year of Literature in Russia” commemorative coins. The face value of the new coin is 3 roubles. It is made of sterling silver in “proof” quality. The weight of the precious metal in purity is 31.1 g. The coin has the shape of a circle with the diameter of 39.0 mm. its lateral surface is ribbed. The coin was struck in the number of 3 thousand pieces.  
It is the first coin produced at the Moscow Mint of Goznak that combines three applied technologies: the traditional “proof” quality, coloured tampon printing and laser engraving.
According to Sergey Litvinchuk, Deputy Director of the Directorate of Coin and Order Production of Goznak, the tampon printing technology was mastered at the Moscow Mint during the manufacture of the “70th Anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic war, 1941-1945” jubilee medals.
In the center of the coin reverse there is an open book, a part of its pages are of the colours of the Russian flag. According to the customers’ wish, the pages on the right have high relief; that makes the coin more complicated in manufacture to compare with a “flat” coin.  
Below the book there is a relief inscription in three lines: “The Year of Literature in Russia”, in the right part of the background there is a pile of books, and in the center above the book there is the year 2015 (in colour) and a graphic ornament. The application of coloured images on the minted coin was tampon printed, and the image of the pile of books was laser engraved on the polished surface of the punch. During the coin minting the microrelief created with laser is reproduced on the coin.
The author of the coin sketch is Sergey Kozlov, Head of the Sector of Currency Unit Design of the Department of Cash Circulation. The following employees of the Moscow Mint worked upon the “Year of Literature in Russia” coin production: Sergey Sergeev, a field engineer of cold stamping equipment (minting), Marina Polekhina and Kamil Sergeev, relief printers (tampon printing).