Coins & Paper Money -> Coins: World -> Europe
Euro coins were first put into circulation in 2002 by the European Union. There are 8 coins: 1, 2 5, 10 and 20 cent coins, as well a the 100 and 200 cent coins, which equal 1 and 2 Euros, respectively. Because these aren’t just coins used as legal tender within one country but rather all of Europe, they have a common side that shows a map of Europe, and the other side of each Euro bears a design that represents the country of its origin.
Though Euro coins weren’t circulated until 2002, some were minted as early as 1999. Earlier versions of the 10, 20 and 50 cent pieces bore a map of Europe that made it appear all the countries were islands, as the borders between them were shown as actual breaks in the landmass. The 1 and 2 Euro coins showed Europe as a cohesive nation while still depicting borders between the countries. Each nation chooses its own reverse design, while the common side with its stars, bars and map of Europe remains the same throughout.
Euros coins are interesting for collectors because of this diversity. Some countries choose their national side to be the same on each coin like Belgium has, or each coin can bear a different design, like Italy’s. Belgian Euros actually draw a great deal on the nation’s previous coin designs while some countries like France use monuments and symbols with very stylized designs on their coins.
Additionally, there are certain rules the national designs must follow. The design must contain 12 stars, the year of issue and the engraver’s initials. The national side also can’t show the denomination of the coin because that’s on the common side, nor can it repeat the word Euro unless it’s written in another alphabet, like it is on the Greek coins.
The national side on Euro coins is also locked in until the end of 2008, with no changes allowed unless a monarch depicted on the coins dies or abdicates the throne. The Vatican coins were allows to change their national side when Pope John Paul II died in 1995. They issued a different coin while the throne was empty, then in 2006 they issued coins featuring the effigy of the new Pope, Pop Benedict XVI.
Commemorative coins are released regularly. In 2007 all countries that produce the Euro created a Treaty of Rome commemorative coin that was almost identical to that of every other country. Euro coins have also been designed to make it easy for blind or sight-impaired individuals to be able to distinguish between the coins. Each has a unique edge design that can be felt to identify the amount of currency, and the sizes go up with the value of the coin.
For coin collectors, Euro coins can be a fascinating part of their hobby with so many different coins featuring so many different designs. Online auctions like eBay are a popular place to acquire the coins, which are graded similarly to any collectible coins.
Photo Credits: Ivan Walsh
Originally posted 2008-10-23 14:00:31. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
Related Posts -
Terms in American Coin Collecting If you are new to the practice of American coin collecting, then there are a number of terms and types of coins that you are going to want to understand, otherwise they will seem confusing to you and may give you some trouble. The purpose of this post is to...... -
Coin Collecting 101 Coin collecting is an industry that has grown to encompass billions of dollars in sales. The earliest hobby of coin collecting is capable of being traced as far back as 1300 AD, which is when an Italian scholar known by the name of Fracesco Petrarca began to save coins and...... -
Coin Parts and Anatomy You are probably already aware of the fact that a coin is simply a metal disc that has been issued by your local government for public consumption as a form of currency. There are a wide variety of different types of coins, however, and not all coins are currently being...... -
Collecting Maple Leaf Canadian Coins If you are looking for an intriguing coin collection, consider adding Maple Leaf Canadian coins to your collection. These Maple Leaf coins are the official Canadian bullion coins and they are created and distributed by the Royal Canadian Mint. They come in a number of different metal types including gold,...... -
Roman Coins Coins and Paper Money -> Coins: Ancient -> Roman: Republic When it comes to collecting coins or paper money, many prefer to go straight to roman coins. These are highly historic collectibles that may actually be worth a good deal of money and many are quite rare. When you consider......
Related Websites -
Obama Sets Stage: Bogus Asylum Seekers to Swamp USA BABE HUGGETT: It’s such a little AP notice; hardly more than a blip on the news ticker but, as of January 4, 2010, Immigration and Customs Enforcement will no longer detain asylum seekers to the US if they can prove a credible fear of persecution in their home countries. ICE...... -
FuTrends1: Europe as a Miniworld Some years ago I did an internship with the task of trying to "predict" the trends of the future. I liked it a lot, and because of that I decided to try something similar here. Every now and then i will try to put out my own predictions about...... -
Eighth Annual FIS Snowboard World Championships With the New Year, we see a new January packed with many events for the snowboarder to prepare for and the fan to keep watch over. Included in the events is the eighth annual FIS snowboard world championships, held in Sungwoo, Gangwon Province from the 17th to the 24th. Also...... - Modern coin collecting fun but useless for preserving wealth The state quarters series is in the final stretch. The South Dakota quarter was released at the beginning of the month. (Will this be the only US coin with George Washington on it twice?) Only ten more states to go. There is a lot of educational value in the release......
-
Facts about North Korea [/caption] Via: Online Schools North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a state in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer area between North Korea and South Korea.......
