Coin dedicated to the 300th birth anniversary of the Vilna Gaon (Elijah ben Solomon Zalman)

Obverse

The obverse of the coin bears the sign of Lithuanian Jews (Litvaks) – the community identity symbol representing the identification of Lithuanian Jews, as citizens, with the State of Lithuania since the reign of Gediminas, the Grand Duke of Lithuania; above it – the denomination (€10), below – the inscription LIETUVA (LITHUANIA), the year of issue (2020), the mark of the creative team of the graphic project and the mintmark of the Lithuanian Mint. The main design of the coin is surrounded by the inscription “The Year of the Vilna Gaon and the History of the Jews of Lithuania” in the Lithuanian and Hebrew languages as well as the number 5780 which stands for the year 2020 in the Jewish calendar.

Reverse

The reverse of the coin bears two signs: ש – the Hebrew crown-shaped letter Shin which in gematria represents the number 300, and גר"א – an acronym for “Ha Gaon Rabbi Elyahu”, meaning “Gaon (Genius) Rabbi Elijah”. A pad-printing technology was used to highlight the abbreviation of his name and the letter Shin – commemoration of his 300th birth anniversary. The bottom of the coin features a symbolic Torah scroll with the engraved number 300. The reverse also bears the inscriptions “the Vilna Gaon” and “Rabbi Elijah ben Solomon Zalman” in the Lithuanian and Hebrew languages.