Germania Mint Struck €5 and €10 Silver Coins Honoring the Maltese Ox in Late 2025
Numismatic News reported on January 21, 2026, that the Germania Mint, in collaboration with the Central Bank of Malta, struck 1-ounce €5 and 2-ounce €10 silver coins honoring the Maltese Ox in late 2025. Both have scalloped edges and are selectively plated with ruthenium and yellow gold. Mintages are limited to 1,000 for the €5 and 500 for the €10.
Correction (Oct 13, 2026): We rewrote the headline, summary and body to match the source. We corrected the year of issue from 2024 to late 2025 as the source states; removed unsupported silver-content figures, a claimed 2,000-year history, an inaccurate description of the plating colors and investment speculation about price gains; and stated the mintages (1,000 for the €5, 500 for the €10) and specifications as the source gives them. The previous headline was "Malta Ox €5/€10 Coins: New Limited Editions Honor."
This article is based on a Numismatic News report published on January 21, 2026. The coins it describes were struck in late 2025.
In late 2025, the Germania Mint, in collaboration with the Central Bank of Malta, struck 1-ounce €5 and 2-ounce €10 silver coins for Malta. They honor the Maltese Ox, a highly endangered animal native to the island.
Both issues have scalloped edges and are selectively plated with ruthenium and yellow gold; the €10 is also colorized. The coins are part of a multi-year program honoring Maltese fauna. Mintages are limited to 1,000 pieces for the €5 and 500 for the €10.
The Maltese Ox
The Maltese Ox, or Gendus, has long had cultural significance in Malta. It is indigenous to the island and was used for centuries as a working animal because of its strength, large size and docile temperament. Its population fell sharply as Maltese agriculture was mechanized over the twentieth century. No purebred animals survive today, but conservation efforts have produced a small, stable and nearly genetically pure population.
Germania Mint's Maltese Fauna Coins
Over the last few years, the Germania Mint has produced coins honoring different parts of Maltese history and culture. Including the Ox, three Maltese animals have been featured so far.
- Maltese Eagle: on silver and gold coins of various weights each year since 2023 - Maltese Bee: two silver coins in 2024, 1- and 2-ounce, very similar to the Ox coins, with a similar scalloped profile and selective plating
The 2-ounce "Maltese Bee" coin won the Best Crown Coin category at the 2025 Coin of the Year awards. It also received the CEDA (Coupure Euro De l'Année) award for the most beautiful European denomination coin from Les Amis des L'Euro.
Design and Specifications
The 1- and 2-ounce coins share the same shape. The obverse shows the ox's head and the reverse shows Malta's coat of arms, each within a circular border. The Germania Mint's web page describes "flowing lines representing the wind" on the face and "Maltese symbols" on the back.
The plating differs by denomination.
- 1 ounce (€5): gold-plated inner rim and a ruthenium-plated central disc bearing the coat of arms; 38.61 millimeters in diameter - 2 ounces (€10): fully ruthenium-plated, with yellow gold-plated highlights and colorization on the ox's head; 45 millimeters in diameter, in high relief
Both coins are .9999 fine silver and each is numbered. They come in lens capsules inside wooden display boxes: a square box for the 1-ounce coin and a hexagonal box, with decorative details matching the coin, for the 2-ounce. Both include certificates of authenticity.
Another Maltese Ox Coin in 2025
The Germania Mint's silver coins were not the only 2025 issues to honor the Maltese Ox. The Royal Dutch Mint struck 40,000 base-metal, bi-metallic €2 coins depicting the animal. The Maltese Bee was similarly honored the year before.
Source: Numismatic News, "Coin Profile: Year of the (Maltese) Ox" (January 21, 2026).
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