The Coin of the Year Award (COTY) is an awards program founded and annually conducted by the American publisher Krause Publications of Iola, Wisconsin, and directed at the coin producing industry. Awards are given for numismatic design, artistic vision and craftsmanship. A panel of international judges chooses the coins from those issued two years prior to the year of the award.
The COTY was awarded for the first time in 1984, when coins issued in 1982 were assessed.
Awards are given in ten categories, and three coins are selected in each category:
Most Historically Significant: Coins which commemorate events, institutions, physical entities, or individual which are deemed to be most important in terms of the historical heritage of a people or mankind.
Best Contemporary Event: Coins which commemorate events, institutions physical entities, or individuals which are deemed to be most important in terms of current or recent events influencing a people or mankind.
Best Gold: Coins fabricated of GOLD, Platinum, Palladium, or another exotic precious metal which have all-around aesthetic and commercial appeal.
Best Silver: Coins fabricated of silver which have all-around aesthetic and commercial appeal.
Best Crown: Coins which have all-around aesthetic and commercial appeal, and have a minimum diameter of 33mm..
Best Trade Circulating monetary unit coins which are made of non-precious metals, possess all-around aesthetic and commercial appeal.
Most Popular: Coins with commercial sales and artistic caliber which appeals to the international general public.
Most Artistic: Coins selected solely on the value of their artistic merit.
Most Innovative Coinage Concept: Coins which contain pioneering metallic alloys, non-typical coinage materials, planchet shapes, thickness, sizes, themes, distribution methods or other innovations.
Most Inspirational Coin: Coins featuring themes, events, institutions, physical entities, or individuals that represent peace, freedom, and human rights.
