Christmas is one of the most important holidays of the year in many countries. Around Christmas, people decorate their homes, prepare gifts, and purchase various holiday-themed keepsakes. For coin collectors, Christmas-themed commemorative coins are also an interesting category to collect.

Many countries issue Christmas-themed commemorative coins featuring elements such as Christmas trees, snowflakes, reindeer, and Santa Claus. Some also use crystal inlays, colorful printing, special shapes, and cutout designs. Let’s take a look at several Christmas commemorative coins with distinctive designs.

Christmas Star-Shaped Commemorative Silver Coin Issued by Australia

Australia issued a Christmas commemorative coin in 2015 featuring a seven-pointed star shape. The obverse features a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, along with the country name, denomination, year of issue, material, weight, and other information.

The center of the reverse features a colorful Christmas tree, with a five-pointed star at the top. The background shows a winter forest covered in snow, with the words “MERRY CHRISTMAS” at the bottom.

The coin is proof quality, with a fineness of 99.9%, a diameter of 40.6 mm, a weight of 31.135 g, and a denomination of 1 Australian dollar. The mintage was 3,000 pieces, and the coin was struck by the Perth Mint.

The seven-pointed star shape makes this commemorative coin different from ordinary round coins and also makes the Christmas theme more distinctive.

Crystal-Inlaid Christmas Commemorative Silver Coin Issued by Canada

The Christmas commemorative silver coin issued by Canada features a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II on the obverse. The reverse depicts two reindeer pulling a sleigh and standing on a rooftop.

The three snowflakes at the top of the design and the bells around the reindeers’ necks feature crystal inlays. The snowflakes, reindeer, and sleigh create a classic Christmas scene and give the silver coin a richer visual effect.

The coin is proof quality, with a fineness of 99.99%, a diameter of 38 mm, a weight of 31.39 g, and a denomination of 20 Canadian dollars. The mintage was 7,500 pieces, and the coin was struck by the Royal Canadian Mint.

Crystal inlays are also a relatively common special design element for Christmas commemorative coins. They can be used to represent snowflakes, stars, lights, and other holiday elements.

Christmas Circulation Commemorative Coin Set Issued by Finland

Finland’s 2015 Christmas commemorative coin was issued as a set, making its overall design different from that of a single commemorative coin.

The cover of the set could be used as a postcard for mailing. Inside were eight circulation coins with denominations of 1 cent, 2 cents, 5 cents, 10 cents, 20 cents, 50 cents, 1 euro, and 2 euros, along with a 2015 Santa Claus medal and a 5-euro commemorative coin featuring a Lapland reindeer with a hanging ornament.

The set was struck by the Mint of Finland and issued on October 5, 2015, with a maximum mintage of 1,000 sets.

Combining commemorative coins, medals, and holiday packaging is also a suitable way to create a Christmas gift.

Christmas Commemorative Coins Issued by Niue

In 2015, Niue issued several Christmas-themed commemorative silver coins. One of them featured a partially colored design. The reverse used the two cherubs from the lower part of Raphael’s famous painting The Sistine Madonna, with snowflake patterns added around them.

This commemorative coin also used a hidden engraving technique. When viewed from different angles, the snowflakes appear in different forms. It was also the first commemorative coin issued by Niue to use this hidden engraving technique.

The coin is proof quality, with a fineness of 99.9%, a diameter of 38.61 mm, a weight of 17.5 g, and a denomination of 1 New Zealand dollar. The mintage was 999 pieces, and the coin was struck by the Mint of Poland.

Another Christmas commemorative coin issued by Niue also featured a partially colored design. The obverse shows a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, with a cutout five-pointed star in the upper right corner, along with the country name, denomination, and year of issue.

The reverse depicts reindeer pulling a sleigh across the snow, with a dark blue night sky and falling snowflakes in the background.

The coin is proof quality, with a fineness of 99.9%, a diameter of 41 mm, a weight of 28.28 g, and a denomination of 1 New Zealand dollar. The mintage was 1,000 pieces, and the coin was struck by the Mint of Poland.

Christmas Commemorative Silver Coins with Gemstones and Cutouts Issued by Kiribati

Kiribati has also issued Christmas commemorative coins with relatively distinctive designs.

The Republic of Kiribati is a Pacific island country consisting of 32 atolls and one coral island. One of them, Christmas Island, is located in the Pacific Ocean and is part of the Republic of Kiribati.

In 2015, Kiribati issued a Christmas commemorative silver coin featuring Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

The obverse features the coat of arms of Kiribati, with “CHRISTMAS ISLAND” above it and the country name and year of issue below.

The reverse features a red-nosed reindeer in the center. The nose uses a gemstone inlay, with falling snowflakes in the background. “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” appears above, with the denomination below.

The coin is proof quality, with a fineness of 92.5%, a diameter of 38.61 mm, a weight of 20 g, and a denomination of 5 Kiribati dollars. The mintage was 5,000 pieces.

Another Christmas commemorative coin issued by Kiribati features an angel-shaped cutout design.

The left side of the obverse features the coat of arms of Kiribati, while the right side features an empty angel-shaped cutout. “CHRISTMAS ISLAND” appears above, with the country name and year of issue below.

In addition to the angel-shaped cutout, the reverse also features a colorful Christmas tree and snowflake patterns, along with the words “Merry Christmas” and the denomination.

The coin is proof quality, with a diameter of 55 mm, a weight of 62.2 g, and a denomination of 20 Kiribati dollars. The mintage was 999 pieces.

What Designs Can Be Used for Christmas-Themed Commemorative Coins?

But the creative possibilities don’t stop there. In terms of techniques, UV-printed commemorative coins, glitter or gemstone-inlaid coins, cutout commemorative coins, and 3D relief commemorative coins can all be used for custom Christmas commemorative coins. Soft enamel is also a popular choice for commemorative coins. You can use Pantone colors to choose classic Christmas shades such as red and green, creating an enamel coin with a stronger festive feel.

With so many design and finishing options available, you can always find a style that suits your needs. If you don’t have a design yet but want to create your own commemorative coin, Maxemblem offers free design services to help turn your Christmas idea into a keepsake that is uniquely yours.