A currency to remind Pietro Mennea, “the Southern Arrow”. The presentation a Barletta. Emanuele Ferretti designed it.
The work
A coin with the silhouette of a man who is a myth for the city of Barletta (where he was born on 28 June 1952). A sportsman who marked the history of Italy with the world record achieved in September 1979 at the Universiade in Mexico City. It is Pietro Mennea to whom the coin issued today by the Ministry of Economy and Finance and created by the State Polygraphic Institute and Mint is dedicated as part of the 2024 numismatic collection, dedicated to the Rome 2024 European Athletics Championships – Pietro Mennea.
The sprinter
«The work celebrates the legendary Italian sprinter immortalized with bib 433, symbol of his Olympic victory in Moscow in 1980, together with the number 8, his triumphant lane», explains a note.
The commemorative coin, designed by the artist Emanuele Ferretti and made of gilded silver, will be presented this afternoon in Barletta and is «not only a tribute to the people celebrated – we read – but also a way to spread their history and their impact on society”.
There are 5 thousand coins made in proof version and also available for purchase on the website www.shop.ipzs.it until stocks last. «Pietro Mennea left a lasting legacy in Italian and world sport, this coin is a tangible recognition of his extraordinary contribution as one of the greatest Italian athletes of all time, known as the Arrow of the South, with exceptional achievements such as the record world championship in the 200 meter dash, which he maintained for 17 years and the gold medal at the Moscow Olympics in 1980″, concludes the note.
