With the 5-euro silver coin in proof celebrating the centenary of the death of Giacomo Puccini, the Philatelic and Numismatic Division of the San Marino Post Office launches a series of issues dedicated to great music composers. Giacomo Puccini was born in Lucca in 1858 into a family with a long line of musicians and became world famous thanks to his talent for opera, his compositional character and his melodies. Thanks to his innate, instantly recognisable originality and his sense for drama and sensibilities, he created an opera set to music that conquered the theatres of the world.
The Philatelic and Numismatic Division of the San Marino Post Office celebrates the 100th anniversary of the death of this artist, which occurred on 29 November 1924 in Belgium, with a coin depicting the protagonist of one of his most famous operas: Madama Butterfly. The obverse depicts the coat of arms of the Republic of San Marino (A. Napolione), while the reverse depicts in the centre a portrait of Madama Butterfly, the protagonist of the opera of the same name, three butterflies in flight, a boat on the left and a musical score at the bottom. Completing the coin are the dates '1924-2024' and the legend 'PUCCINI', in the centre the letter R, identifying the Mint of Rome, to the right the value 5 EURO, at the bottom centre the name of the designer 'D.LONGO' and the initials of Annalisa Masini, who supervised the engraving, A.M.INC.