Obverse: The centre features the small coat of arms of Riga based on the 1368 secret seal of the Riga City Council – crossed city keys surmounted by the cross of the Livonian Order. The inscription from the historic seal surrounds the design, while the year “1998” and face value “10 LATU” appear below.
Reverse: Features a motif from the 1354 coat of arms of Riga's Great Guild – a sailing ship with the city's symbol on its mast: two crossed keys surmounted by a cross. The inscription “RĪGA-800” appears below.
About the coin: In 1998, the Bank of Latvia issued this collector gold coin to commemorate the approaching 800th anniversary of the founding of Riga. It was also part of the international “History of Gold” coin programme. The design was created by Laimonis Šēnbergs, with models by Ligita Franckeviča and Jānis Strupulis. The coin was struck by Switzerland's Valcambi SA from .9999 fine gold, weighs 1.2442 g (1/25 troy ounce), measures 13.92 mm in diameter, has a Proof finish and a maximum mintage of 25,000 pieces.
