Prague, Nov 13 (CTK) – Czech Wimbledon winners Martina Navratilova and Jan Kodes are the first tennis champions to appear on commemorative coins whose gypsum models the Ceska mincovna (Czech Mint) unveiled on Monday.
The mint itself will take place in Jablonec nad Nisou, north Bohemia, in early 2018
“One can perhaps dream of being on a postage stamp, but being on a coin is truly special,” Navratilova said.
Navratilova, a U.S. citizen, is a nine-time Wimbledon winner (in 1978-1990). She defected from the Communist Czechoslovakia to the USA in 1975.
Kodes won the Wimbledon tournament in 1973.
Kodes is a collector of postage stamps with tennis as their theme. Thanks to him, various editions have appeared in the Czech Republic. Now he arranged for coins.
“One has to use the opportunities and to present successful people for the young generation to have some examples to follow,” Kodes said.
“They should be saying that they want to be like Navratilova. Young people even do not know who was Ivan Lendl. This is appalling,” Kodes said.
The coins were designed by sculptor Martin Dasek who used six to nine various photographs for each of the portraits.
“The work on the models was a sort of plastic surgery job,” Dasek said.
Navratilova and Kodes may be followed by other Czech Wimbledon champions, Jaroslav Drobny (1954), Jana Novotna (1998) and Petra Kvitova (2011, 2014).
A golden coin weighing 7.78 grammes will cost 11,950 crowns. There will be 200 of them.
A silver coin (500 pieces) weighing 29 grammes will cost 1500 crowns.
