The right to print the money is one of the attributes of statehood. The first state on the territory of today’s Ukraine – Kiev Rus – strengthened its sovereignty by minting its own coins in X-XI centuries. State production of banknotes and coins was implemented in independent Ukraine at the end of XX century. Since 1994 first Banknote’s Factory, then since 1998 Mint Factory started their work as a part of National Bank of Ukraine. For a short time, their main products due to highly artistic quality and performance gained the widest popularity among numismatists all over the world.
There are near 300 names of memorial and jubilee coins, combined in 23 thematic series, which were issued during less than 10 years. One of this series is named “Aircraft of Ukraine”. It is dedicated to the developments of Oleg Konstantinovich Antonov (1906-1984), the outstanding designer. Deep love to technology and art intertwined in his personality.
His design bureau was named subsequently “mail box”, “Kiev mechanical plant”, and at last aviation scientific and technical complex. Every time its name was linked with the name of its creator. For many people it is simply “DB Antonov”, because his name was included forever in the aviation history and became symbolic.
Oleg Konstantinovich said: “The collective in not created by the order, so the order is needed too. It cannot be created by simple enrollment and rearrangement of people. The collective is united not by the roof, under which it is working. The most important thing for the collective existence – a unity of purpose. Creation of the friendly, working group is a special work, work of high level.” The proof of these words is the creation of 22 types of gliders and 22 types of aircraft, including the biggest ones and the biggest load carriers.
In 2006, to 100th anniversary of famous designer the Mint of Ukraine released a jubilee coin from German silver with a face value 2 hryvnia. There is a picture of O.K.Antonov on the reverse of the coin and on the obverse – two outstanding aircrafts- An-2 and An-124 “Ruslan”. It is noteworthy that there are also two separate coin dedicated these amazing airplanes.
On the obverse of all the coins from the series “Aircraft of Ukraine” in the frame with beads, there is minor State Emblem of Ukraine surrounding by birds, sun, wing and stars, symbolizing the humankind dream to reach the space (face values of the coins in the series are 5,10 and 20 hryvnias).
The series “Aircraft of Ukraine” is opened by two coins of 2002 year minting: first one with the face value 20 UAH minted from the silver 925-karat and second with face value 5 UAH from nickel silver. Both of them are dedicated to the unique wide heavy weight An-225 “Mria”, which was designed to carry bulky cargo. This aircraft, first flight of it happens December 21, 1988, has in its active more than 200 national and 150 international aviation records.
An-225 “Mria” is unique: takeoff weight is 600 tones, maximum capacity 250, the length of fuselage is 84 meter, the wingspan is 87 meter, height -18, 1 meter. The cargo box is very impressive: length – 43m, width – 6,4m, height – 4,4 m.
“Mria” on the runway in frame of beads is pictured on the obverse of both coins. Logo, placed down on the silver coin is holographic.
The following two coins, minted in 2003 from silver 925-karat with face value 10 UAH and from nickel silver with face value 5 UAH, are dedicated to the famous “Anushka”. This is multi purposed aircraft An-2, designed to carry freight and passengers. It is the ancestor of the big An’s family.
The first flight of the An-2 was held August 31, 1947, and its mass production started in 1949 in Kyiv Aviation Plant (now - "Aviant"). There were developed 18 aircraft modifications. An-2 - one of the most popular (according to various sources constructed by 17 to 18 thousand copies) and most durable aircraft in the world, which continues serial production and is listed in the Guinness Book of Records: the plane for more than six decades regularly flies in 23 countries.
This, at first glance, purely peaceful plane that due to the widespread use in agriculture has been nicknamed "kukuruznyk", took part in the fighting, in Laos (1960-1962 and 1972-1975), Vietnam (1963-1973 ), Cambodia (1970, 1979), Afghanistan (1980-1989.) in Nicaragua (80s of last century), Yugoslavia (early 90s of the last century).
In 2004, there were subsequent releases of coin series – 10 UAH of silver 925-carat and 5 UAH of nickel silver - devoted to new generation aircraft An-140, which is designed to carry 52 passengers (68 when constructed in the form of longer fuselage) or six tons of cargo. Its predecessor is the AN-24, which has been in operation nearly half a century. First An-140 entered the airline in 2002, it has high performance and mass-produced in aircraft factory in Kharkov.
The last in the series for today are the the coins issued in 2005: 20 USA denomination of silver 925-karat and 5 UAH of nickel silver - and dedicated to the world's largest in size and carrying capacity production aircraft An-124 "Ruslan". It should be noted that the logo "An", depicted on the silver coin and at the coin dedicated to the AN-225 "Mriya" is holographic.
“Ruslan” (abbreviation from Russian Liner) made its first flight December 26, 1982. The aircraft chassis, equipped with 24 wheels permits takeoff from ground runaways, as well as change of parking clearance and angle of fuselage to alleviate the loading-unloading works. The famous “squat” of An-124, was used firstly on the An-22 “Antey”. It was wittily named by French journalists “the elephant’s dance”.
The coins’ series is organically supplemented by the minted in 2007 jubilee coin “100 years Motor Sich”. This coin with the face value 5 UAH is made from nickel silver. It is dedicated to one of the biggest in the world and single in Ukraine plant “Motor Sich”. This plant is constructed to produce, test and maintain during operation and repair of 55 kinds and varieties of aircraft engines for 61 kinds of aircraft, which are operating in more than 120 countries. The engines of this plant are installed on many aircraft from the family An, as well as on the famous “Mria”.
The falcon is pictured against Earth’s hemispheres on the obverse of the coin. Above it, there is minor State Emblem of Ukraine with the inscription in semi-circle NATIONAL BANK OF UKRAINE, at the left – the year of coin’s mint 2007, down - face value 5 UAH, as well as the logo of the Ukraine Mint. On the coin’s reverse there is a picture of the aircraft engine, above and left there is logo of “Motor Sich”, as well as inscriptions: MOTOR SICH (up and left) and 100 YEARS - down.
It is nice that such kind of commemorative coins dedicated to O.K.Antonov are issued not only by the Mint of Ukraine but also by another countries, starting from Russia and ending by the distant Solomon Islands.
The pride of O.Antonov’s life, his aircrafts, for a long time serve people. I want to believe that more than one of them will appear in all its glory on the coins and remember us the famous words uttered in the beginning of the aviation by the designer captain Ferber: “Beautiful plane flies well and ugly bad”. The truth of these words was proved by the creations of the Great designer.
