The head of Minerva, goddess of wisdom, on the 200 lire is one of the most recognisable images of San Marino’s 2000 annual set. This turn-of-the-millennium series sets out across eight coins the values with which humanity enters the third millennium.

Each denomination names one of them. The 10 lire is devoted to love, the 20 lire to solidarity, the 50 lire to equality, the 100 lire to ecology. On the 200 lire Minerva embodies knowledge, the bimetallic 500 lire stands for work, the bimetallic 1000 lire for freedom. The silver 5000 lire completes the line.

The set was struck in Rome, like all the republic’s lire, which were at par with Italian ones and circulated throughout Italy. It is the penultimate annual lira set of San Marino: on 1 January 2002 the republic switched to the euro.

UNC condition: never circulated, no wear, mint lustre intact. In a San Marino date run the set fills the symbolic year 2000, and its theme of values makes it an easy gift to explain: every coin has its own word, love, solidarity, knowledge, freedom.

The VPcoins catalogue brings together coins from many countries and eras, from circulation issues to commemorative series, so a collection is easy to continue.