Palau 5 Dollars Silver Coin 2014 The Fall of the Berlin Wall
Distinctive feature: Latent image, with newly developed 3D laser technology: depending on the viewing direction, one of the two driving forces behind the reunification, Helmut Kohl and Mikhail Gorbachev, becomes visible.
The coin’s obverse shows a latent image with a sharp outline, which depicts Mikhail Gorbachev and Helmut Kohl respectively, depending on the viewing angle. The background is dominated by the Berlin Wall, inscribed colourfully and graffiti-like with facts: the theme («Fall of the Wall»), the dates 1989 for the year of the historic event and 2014 for the year of issue, as well as the statesmen’s names «Gorbi» and «Kohl», linked by a red heart. A gap in the wall opens up to a view of the Brandenburg Gate. The microcircumscription reads: «Berlin’s Wall was torn down during the night of Thursday 9th November 1989, leading to hopeful thoughts throughout the whole world and to a new era of confidence, that everything can change not only in Berlin.»
The reverse depicts the coat of arms of Palau with the official state name, Republic
of Palau. Below, the face value, 5 $.
Face value: 5 Dollars.
Year of issue: 2014.
Metal: Silver .999.
Weight: 25 g.
Size: 38.61 mm.
Quality: Proof.
Mintage: 2014 pieces.
The Fall of the Berlin Wall 2014
The Fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 marked the beginning of the German Reunification. The decisive factor enabling the reunification was the support of the Soviet Union’s head of state. 25 years later, the historic event is remembered on this Palauan coin. It’s been designed by Coin Invest Trust with brand new 3D laser technology to produce a latent image on the coin surface. From different angles, the coin renders visible the two major protagonists from 1989: Helmut Kohl and Mikhail Gorbachev.
The Fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 belongs into the category of historical events whose significance can never be overrated. It was the turning point at which the Cold War ended and the reunification of the two German states began. Two men were the driving forces behind the developments. German Chancellor Helmut Kohl and General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev.
Since 1985, Gorbachev had been reforming the communist Eastern states under the slogan of «Glasnost» (transparency) and «Perestrojka» (reorganisation). By granting the Eastern Bloc greater autonomy, he signalled the West that he was welcoming change. Helmut Kohl, who was hoping for a reunification like so many other German politicians, was able to turn these signals into concrete concessions for a reunified Germany. Unlike in 1953, the peaceful demonstrations of discontent citizens were not put down violently. Instead, the two statesmen advanced the reunification of FRG and GDR and in this context emerged Kohl’s ten-point agenda, which he presented during a speech to the German Bundestag in 1989. In 1990, Gorbachev was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his active involvement in promoting the reunification. He in turn nominated Helmut Kohl for this distinction in 2007.
The Fall of the Berlin Wall, as a united effort of both these men, is vividly captured on this commemorative coin thanks to technological sophistication: both portraits are united in one latent image, which, from different angles, shows Mikhail Gorbachev and Helmut Kohl individually.
