20 korun Czechia (from 1993)

in the centre the lion - Czech Coat of Arms; along the top edge: • ČESKÁ REPUBLIKA • (Czechia); along the bottom edge year of issue

in the cetre St. Venceslaus horse-riding rightwards; on the left in two lines face value: 20 / Kč (KORUN ČESKÝCH - Czech korun); below in three lines inscription: SVATÝ / VÁCLAVE, / NEDEJ; and on the other side of the horse: ZAHYNOUT / NÁM I / BUDOUCÍM (Saint Venceslaus, don't let us and our descendants die)

plain

12 V 1993

in circulation

Vladimír Oppl (initials VO at horse's front legs on the reverse)

Hamburgische Münze (The Hamburg Mint), Hamburg, Germany (coins in years 1993-1994);
Bižuterie Jablonec a.s. (Jewellery Jablonec JSC) (name in years 1993-1995);
Bižuterie Česká Mincovna a.s. (Jewellery Czech Mint JSC) (name in years 1995-2004);
Česká Mincovna a.s. (The Czech Mint JSC) (name after 2004), Jablonec nad Nisou (coins in years 1994 till today)

(relevant mint mark below lion's paws on the obverse)

1993	54 993 446		50 000 in annual boxed sets
1994	100 444		30 000 in annual boxed sets
1995	101 837		22 400 in annual boxed sets
1996	101 150		26 040 in annual boxed sets
1997	8 091 219		15 000 in annual boxed sets
1998	15 725 000		15 000 in annual boxed sets
1999	26 274 910		17 000 in annual boxed sets
2000	5 699 581		23 000 in annual boxed sets
2001	25 000		11 500 in annual boxed sets
2002	20 996 500		17 000 in annual boxed sets
2003	22 000		22 000 in annual boxed sets
2004	8 249 507		30 500 in annual boxed sets
2005	9 866 778		22 000 in annual boxed sets
2006	2 096 500		25 000 in annual boxed sets
2007	20 500		21 000 in annual boxed sets
2008	17 000		16 000 in annual boxed sets
2009	11 000		10 000 in annual boxed sets
2010	11 000		10 000 in annual boxed sets
2011	18 100		15 000 in annual boxed sets
2012	15 465 273		26 500 in annual boxed sets
2013	1 082 353		20 000 in annual boxed sets
2014	6 272 183		23 500 in annual boxed sets
2015	8 081 533		14 000 in annual boxed sets

1997 - a) digits 9 in year of issue finished sharply or b) bluntly (at least 15.000 pieces were produced)

The image of the patron saint of the Czechia - Saint Wenceslas on the reverse of this coin is based on the monument on Wenceslas Square (Vaclavske namesti) in Prague. Monument made by Josef Václav Myslbek (1848-1922) was finished in bronze. It presents Saint Wenceslas dressed as a soldier and riding horseback. In four corners of the monument's base there are figures of Saints Agnes, Ludmila, Procopius, and Adalbert. The words "SVATÝ VÁCLAVE, NEDEJ ZAHYNOUT NÁM I BUDOUCÍM" visible on the reverse of the coin comes from the base of the monument.


photo: Vitold Mutatov; licence CC-BY-SA 3.0

The lion has been a symbol of the Czechs for nearly 800 years. It derives from the medieval Premyslid dynasty. The peaceful dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1993 and the rise of the Czechia re-established the dynastic lion to the national Coat of Arms. According to the rules of the heraldic art every piece of the Arms should be presented in a way that expresses the militancy and prowess. An intensive parliamentary debate was concerning especially the lion's male attribute. The heraldic art prevailed and the lion took the pose of full combat readiness.