The signature two-euro commemorative coin dedicated to the Estonian national animal — the wolf. Selected from 60 designs submitted to the Bank of Estonia's international competition, my design was chosen by the jury and entered circulation on 20 October 2021 — one of the defining wins of my career to date.
Coins minted by the Lithuanian mint
BU (brilliant uncirculated) quality coins, sold on collector cards
Designs submitted in the international competition. Mine was selected.
The coin shows a howling wolf set against an Estonian spruce forest and a starry night sky. The howl, the wolf's most iconic gesture, anchors the image; the starlit sky gives the animal its mystique. The Estonian inscription was replaced with the Latin scientific name — Canis lupus — so the coin reads across the entire euro area.A small detail I hadn't planned: a biologist at the Bank of Estonia later wrote to praise the forest. He recognized it as old-growth spruce — the wolf's preferred habitat. I had drawn the trees by intuition; the ecological accuracy was a happy accident.
Sixty designs were submitted to the international competition. I sent in several silhouette variations, but the one that won was the first that came to me. From there, months of refinement followed — working alongside legendary Estonian coin designer Vladimir Taiger, one of the designers of the original Estonian kroon banknotes, whose input matched the suggestions of wildlife specialists. The coin was minted in Lithuania, going through three proof versions before passing Estonian standards.
Following the announcement, Estonian women's magazine Naiseleht ran a one-to-one interview about the design, the competition, and the experience of bringing one of the country's most prominent coin commissions to life. The piece offered an unusual amount of visibility for the project and the story behind it.
Read the interview on Naiseleht →
With Madis Müller, President of the Bank of Estonia, at the official coin launch event.
The wolf coin's first real-world transaction — President Müller handing it over on the day it entered circulation.