This time, the contract is also of symbolic value. Picchiani & Barlacchi in Florence has won the tender for the coinage of the official Expo 2015 coin, to be donated to the heads of State and major Italian and international institutions visiting Milan during the exhibition period.
This is no ordinary coin, let it be clear. While the basic version of the Expo coin presented in May had already sparked the interest of numismatics and coin collectors alike thanks to its “eco” and “smart” qualities, made from recycled materials and fitted with a microchip, this coin, to be coined by the Florentine company, will be sure to have heads talking, most of all because of its size.
The medal, in rose-coloured bronze, will in fact feature a 150 millimetre diameter. A decidedly “non-standard” decision, beyond the capabilities of most mints throughout the world. Suffice it to think that, as stated by Sandro Sassoli, the general coordinator of the official numismatic programme for Expo Milan 2015: “Neither the Italian nor French state mints coin on flans larger than 85 millimetres in diameter.”
And that’s where the decision to assign the services to Picchiani & Barlacchi also becomes symbolic. In terms of the fact that in this case, Expo 2015 is doing exactly what it had promised to do: make room for Italian excellence, above all those companies with fewer opportunities for visibility in the greater public. Exactly like this family-run company, in business since 1896 and managed today by two sisters, standing firmly on its feet thanks to the professionalism of 15 employees. To make the coin, a rocker arm will be used, working at a capacity of 600 tonnes of pressure.
Source: Official website EXPO 2015