Slovenia 3 € commemorative coin 2023 -110th anniversary of the birth of Slovenian writer Boris Pahor

Face value: 0.2 $
Issuing country: Samoa
Weight: 25 g
Diameter: 40 mm

As the King of the gods, Zeus‘ connection with Leo is appropriate as it is the "king of the Zodiac signs". The connection gains a lot more weight in mythology: Zeus is closely associated with Helios, perhaps even more so than Apollo, as Helios is referred as "the eye of Zeus" and is referred as Zeus in his own Orphic hymn. Aether (the primordial light that illumines the Heavens) is "Zeus' power", and his role as the god of civilization, justice and law is very similar to that of sun gods like Shamash and Ra (Apollo also shares these traits, as he too is a god of justice and law). Zeus is outright referred as the Sun in some particular Greco-roman religious traditions like Pythagorean philosophy, where he is the supramundane Sun of the Olympians.As the Sun symbolizes the center, so is Leo's position in the Zodiac indicative.

Quality: Uncirculated
Face Value: 10 Euro
Diameter: 32 mm
Material: Copper
Total Weight: 15 g
Mintage: 130 000
Without capsule


As its name implies, the forget-me-not signifies ‘remember me’ in the language of flowers. But alongside other literal meanings of its common name, the forget-me-not is also a symbol of profound love, remembrance, fidelity and constancy. Giving the flowers at the start of an illicit love affair could be a discreet way to convey a need for trust and confidentiality. Although passionate and romantic love are important elements of their meaning, forget-me-nots can signify deep friendship and familial love as well. In addition, forget-me-nots can be used to convey that the bonds of true love transcend time and space and will continue to exist despite physical separation and even death. Each spring forget-me-nots create a delightful froth of intense blue flowers are a particularly welcome sight when not much else is in bloom. Unlike many other symbolic meanings associated with flowers, those of the forget-me-not have endured – rather like the timeless love and constancy they convey.

Face value: 0.2 $
Issuing country: Samoa
Weight: 25 g
Diameter: 40 mm

Hera is described as taking the sign of Aquarius due to her opposition to her husband , which I take both literally meaning their personalities as well as the simple fact that the two signs are opposite in the Zodiac. Leo and Aquarius are the signs most associated with humanitarian traits: Leo is the leader, the king, while Aquarius is associated with intellectual drives and understanding. As represented by the King and Queen of the gods, both are necessary for society’s functioning, for stability and peace to prosper via righteousness and understanding. Both are also associated with personal pride, with Leo being the more emotional narcissism while Aquarius is a more detached vanity. Both are also associated with the natural forces of the sky: whereas Leo is the bright midday Sun, Aquarius is associated with clouds and mist. Fitting, thus, that Hera and Zeus are the gods that rule the heavens and Olympos, Zeus being the bright Aether and Hera the sky rains, both being the main agents of storms and of calm weather.

Face value: 5 €
Diameter: 34 mm
Weight: 19.1 g
Metal: Brass
Mintage: 45,000

The obverse of this euro collector coin is dominated by the head of a brown bear in profile. Centrally positioned above the head is the Slovak coat of arms. The denomination and currency ‘5 EURO’ appear along the lower left edge. Inscribed along the upper edge are the name of the issuing country and the year of issuance: ‘SLOVENSKO 2023’. At the right edge is the mint mark of the Kremnica Mint (Mincovňa Kremnica), consisting of the letters ‘MK’ placed between two dies.

Reverse:
On the reverse is a depiction of a female bear and her two cubs hunting fish. Inscribed along the upper edge are the Slovak name for the brown bear ‘MEDVEĎ HNEDÝ’ and the animal’s scientific name ‘URSUS ARCTOS’. At the lower right edge are the stylised initials ‘TL’, referring to the coin’s designer Tomáš Lamač.

The brown bear is Slovakia’s largest predator. It has a stocky body, small eyes and ears, a short tail, pronounced claws, and thick fur that is 8 to 12 cm long and comes in a wide range of shades from light brown to almost black. The adult male can weigh up to 350 kg. Brown bears in Slovakia are concentrated in the central, northern and north-eastern mountain areas. The brown bear is an omnivore that prefers to live in mixed and coniferous forests. Its diet is 90% vegetable matter with the remaining 10% consisting of carrion, smaller animals, insects and, occasionally, sick or injured hooved game. Bears hibernate in dens from around early November to April. Female bears and their cubs are the first to enter the dens and the last to emerge from them. Male bears seek out females only during the mating season, usually from the end of April to the beginning of August. The cubs are born during January and February in the safety of the winter den. At birth they are blind, have short fur and weigh less than 500 g. Bears in the wild can live to be more than 30 years old.

Issuing Country: France
Face value: 5 €
Metal: Copper/Nickel
Diameter: 29 mm
Quality: B.U.
Mintage: 25 000

The wheel of the zodiac signs is engraved on the coin's gold-colored crown. One sign stands out from the background because it is larger than the others and has a sandblasted background, different from the smoother one of the others. It is the symbol of Scorpio. The lower part of the wheel is embedded in a wave, in reference to water, the element of this sign. A Scorpion, its shell and claws adorned with arabesques, hugs the circular shape of the coin as it arcs into it. In the background, a starry sky features the Scorpio constellation.