The .999 pure silver coin has a diameter of 38.6 mm and was produced in Germany by Geiger Edelmetalle on the authorization of the Armenian Central Bank.

The obverse features the Armenian coat of arms — with the eagle and the lion — along with the coin’s face value of 100 Dram, weight, purity and year of issue. The words REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA are inscribed in Armenian and English around the rim.

The reverse shows the famous ark from the Biblical tale of Noah, floating on the floodwaters. A dove carrying an olive branch is in the foreground and Mount Ararat rises in the background. The rim reads NOAH’S ARK in English and Armenian.

The Republic of Armenia is a small mountainous country at the crossroads between Western Asia and Eastern Europe. It has an ancient cultural heritage and was the first state in the world to adopt Christianity as its official religion — as far back as 301 AD — earning it the motto “the first Christian nation.” According to tradition, the country was even founded by two of Jesus’ twelve apostles, Thaddaeus and Bartholomew.

Cultural history says that Noah’s Ark landed on Mount Ararat in Armenia, giving the country strong ties to the symbolism of this coin.