On Thursday, 8 October, Latvijas Banka will issue a silver collector coin with gold-plated details entitled "Chestnut", which symbolically depicts one of the heralds of autumn. The coin is a rebirth of an artist's work that won the open design competition on a nature theme organised by Latvijas Banka last year.

Chestnut trees were initially introduced to Latvia around the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries and were mostly found in manor parks. One of the great chestnuts served as the prototype for Edvarts Virza's major prose work "Straumēni", where masters and their guests are depicted celebrating or enjoying rest under this tree after a day's work. In the early 20th century, the classic Latvian landscape painter Vilhelms Purvītis captured a grove of these trees in his painting "Blooming Chestnuts". A small number of sweet chestnuts (Castanea sativa) also grow in Latvia, mainly in Kurzeme.

Little figures made from chestnut fruits have become beloved playmates for children, and chestnuts are also viewed as having healing properties for physical ailments. There is a belief that carrying a chestnut in one's pocket protects against various threats. In Latvia, good fortune is traditionally associated with carrying a chestnut in the left pocket for women, and in the right pocket for men.

The chestnut coin acts as a talisman, encapsulating all the positive qualities of this tree and its fruit. Latvians use both the masculine (kastanis) and feminine (kastaņa) grammatical genders for the chestnut tree. This means that the tree – and now the coin – is suitable for everyone. However, the reasons for carrying one are unique to each person.

The "Chestnut" collector coin was created by artist Kaspars Līdums, who participated in and won the design competition on a nature theme with his design proposal in 2025.

The collector coin will be available for purchase exclusively via the website e-monetas.lv starting from 8 October at 12:00.

The price of the coin is 147.00 euros, with a purchase limit of 3 coins per person.

The mintage of the coin is 3,000 pieces. The coin was minted at the Lithuanian mint, UAB Lietuvos monetų kalykla.