On Thursday, 11 April 2013, the Bank of Latvia issued a new collector coin - Rūdolfs Blaumanis  a classic of the Latvian literature, the author of the famous works "Tālavas taurētājs" (The Buggler of Tālava), "Nāves ēnā" (In the Shadow of Death) and "Skroderdienas Silmačos" (Tailor Days at Silmači), in the year of his 150th anniversary. The coin has been designed by Aigars Ozoliņš and modelled by Ligita Franckeviča. It was struck by Regia Autonomǎ Monetǎria Statului (Romania) within the "European Silver Programme", a collector coin programme of the EU Member States.

Rūdolfs Blaumanis' drama, prose and poetry rank among the masterpieces of the Latvian literature. They provide an impressive depiction of the Latvian country life, characters and way of thinking at the time when Latvians became aware of themselves as a nation and the foundation was laid for future statehood. Moreover, Blaumanis' works are not a mere historical recording of the national character back at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries; many of the themes and problems related to it can be found in contemporary life as well. In his works the search for human harmony is centred around the ideal of family and native land, and the authors of the coin have tried to translate it in an artistic form of a coin.

A homestead surrounded by trees, nestling on a tree leaf, is depicted on the obverse; the inscriptions LATVIJAS REPUBLIKA, arranged in a semicircle, and 1 LATS are placed above and beneath it. The reverse features the portrait of Rūdolfs Blaumanis on the background of the titles of the writer's works, with the inscription Rūdolfs Blaumanis placed in the lower part of the coin.

The collector coin "Rūdolfs Blaumanis" is legal tender in the Republic of Latvia. The maximum mintage of the coin is limited to 5 000.

Obverse
A homestead surrounded by trees, nestling on a tree leaf, is depicted in the centre of the obverse. The inscriptions LATVIJAS REPUBLIKA, arranged in a semicircle, and 1 LATS are placed above and beneath the central motif.

Reverse

The right field features the portrait of Rūdolfs Blaumanis on the background of the titles of the writer's works and the Eurostar logo of the "European Silver Programme". The inscription "Rūdolfs Blaumanis" is placed in the left lower part of the reverse, with the year 2013 below the portrait.

Edge
Two inscriptions LATVIJAS BANKA (Bank of Latvia), separated by rhombic dots.

Face value: 1 lats
Weight: 22.00 g, diameter: 35.00 mm
Metal: silver of .925 fineness, quality: proof
Struck in 2013 by Regia Autonomǎ Monetǎria Statului (Romania).

Edge: The inscription LATVIJAS BANKA and the year 2013, each repeated twice, are separated by rhombic dots.

Source of information: Bank of Latvia www.bank.lv