Kiev, September 5, 2019
National Bank of Ukraine
In July, the National Bank of Ukraine announced that it had issued a coin commemorating the tomos of autocephaly granted to the “Orthodox Church in Ukraine” (OCU) by the Patriarchate of Constantinople,
Each coin has a nominal value of 50 gryvnia (about $2). It is “dedicated to the event that marked the millennial path of the Ukrainian Church from creation to independence—the provision of the tomos of autocephaly of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine,” according to the bank.
One side of the coin has a stylized cross with the seal of Patriarch Bartholomew and cathedrals from around the Orthodox world; the other depicts Pat. Bartholomew handing the tomos to “Metropolitan” Epiphany Dumenko, the primate of the OCU.
The bank was set to auction off gold and silver versions of the coin on August 29, but was forced to cancel the event due to a lack of interest, the bank reported the next day.
The auction “did not take place due to a lack of applications from participants,” the bank’s statement reads.
The auction was to present 100-gryvnia gold coins in a carrying case, 50-gryvnia silver coins in a carrying case, 20-gryvnia silver coins in a carrying case, and 5-gryvnia white copper coins in a gift box.
Each of the 25 lots consisted of one of each coin.
The coins initially went into circulation on July 22. The retail price for a silver coin with a nominal value of 50 gryvnia was set at 14,393 gryvnia ($569), according to the Union of Orthodox Journalists.
