Armenia Releases Collector Coin Honoring 150th Birth Anniversary of Artist Edgar Chahine

On October 21, 2024, the Central Bank of Armenia will put into circulation the "150th Birth Anniversary of Edgar Chahine" silver collector coin.

Edgar Chahine (1874–1947) was a famous French-Armenian painter, engraver, graphic artist, and illustrator. He was born in Vienna and studied at the Mkhitaryan School in Constantinople, and later at the Moorat-Raphael College in Venice. In 1893, Chahine moved to Paris, where he attended the Académie Julian School of Fine Arts.

Beginning in 1896, Chahine participated in exhibitions with paintings such as “The Beggar”, “A Street Corner”, and “Suffocation”. In 1899, he began creating etchings, which brought him widespread fame. Works like “Anatole France”, “Louise France”, “The Rag Gathering Woman”, “Promenade”, “Petros Chahine”, “Armenian Evening Program”, “Ghemma”, “The Carriage”, “The Unemployed”, “The Brunette and the Blonde”, and many others are renowned for their depiction of both the misery and splendor of real life. His later works, including “Abbey of Coulombs”, “St. Mark’s Square”, “Beautiful Armenian Nose”, “The Charming Woman”, “The Wonderful Child”, “Francesconi”, and “Palazzo Clary”, are also celebrated.

Chahine employed nearly all printmaking techniques in his works, including drypoint, etching, soft varnish, and aquatint. He also worked on book illustrations and designed books for well-known authors of the time. In 1916, Chahine became a member of the Artists' Union of Armenia and participated in exhibitions in Tbilisi and Yerevan.

Throughout his career, Chahine received numerous honors. He was awarded a gold medal at the Universal Exhibition in Paris in 1900, a gold top prize at the Venice Biennale in 1903, and the Order of the French Legion of Honor in 1932.

Chahine's works are housed in several prestigious institutions, including the National Library of France, the gallery of the Mekhitarist Congregation, the Ca’ Pesaro Civic Museum in Venice, the National Gallery of Armenia (which holds more than 300 of his works), the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow, and various European museums. In 1991, the Edgar Chahine Museum was opened near the Saint-Michel Monastery in France.

The obverse of the new coin features Chahine’s etching “Ghemma” (1910, National Gallery of Armenia), while the reverse displays his portrait and the etching “The Brunette and the Blonde” (1907, National Gallery of Armenia). The coin was designed by Lusine Lalayan and minted at the Mint of Poland.

Technical Specifications:

Face value: 100 dram

Metal/fineness: Silver 9250

Weight: 28.28 g

Size: 28.0 x 40.0 mm

Quality: BU

Edge: Even

Quantity issued: 300 pieces

Year of issue: 2024

Collector coins are made from precious metals and are issued to showcase the national, international, historical, cultural, spiritual, and other values of a country. These coins help immortalize these values in metal and cater to the numismatic market.

Although collector coins have a face value, their value as currency is much lower than their actual cost, which includes the price of the metal, minting, and other production expenses. The low face value and high cost make these coins collectible items rather than regular means of payment. The Central Bank of Armenia also sets a sale price for these collector coins.

Issued in very limited quantities and not reissued, collector coins are highly sought after by numismatists, collectors, and other interested individuals. The Armenian collector coins are available for purchase at the Central Bank of Armenia's "Numismatist" sales salon, which is open to the public.