W.B. Yeats €15 Silver Proof Coin 2015

W.B. Yeats is widely considered to be one of the greatest poets of the twentieth century. Fascinated by the history, mythology and culture of Ireland, his work reflected these themes and brought Irish culture to a wider audience. W.B. Yeats was born in Dublin on June 13, 1865, the son of a well-known Irish painter, John Butler Yeats. Yeats was one of the leading figures in the Irish Literary Revival and his writing was deeply influenced by Irish mythology and folklore. Promoting Ireland’s native heritage, he became an important cultural leader, a major playwright (he was one of the founders of the famous Abbey Theatre in Dublin), and one of the greatest poets of the century. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in 1923 and died in 1939 at the age of seventy three.

The Central Bank of Ireland now honours W.B. Yeats with the issue of these magnificent coins minted to proof quality in Sterling Silver. These historic €15 collector coins are beautifully minted and are a fitting tribute to the celebrated Irish poet William Butler Yeats. The design features W.B. Yeats as the artist, the poet and the romantic. The strands of his hair entwine with the linnets and bees, from his much-loved poem, ‘The Lake Isle of Innisfree’. Each coin is struck to the highest proof quality in .925 Sterling Silver and is enclosed within its own elegant presentation case. This commemorative issue is limited to only 8,000 silver coins.

Mary Gregory, sculptor, studied Fine Art at the Crawford College of Art & Design, Cork. In 1998 Mary was selected as Student of the Year and that same year placed third in the British Art Medal Society’s student medal programme sparking an interest in designing coins and medals. Mary has designed a number of coins for Ireland including those commemorating James Joyce and Ireland’s Celtic Culture. “The design tries to make a visual poem with rhythm and beat. Not with words but with pictures. Apart from the actual portrait, which does have quite a bit of detail, the design has been kept as sparse as possible to make the face stand out.” Mary Gregory