Numismatics

After the introduction of the euro as book money in January 1999, 12 EU Member States placed the first euro banknotes and coins into circulation on 1 January 2002. Ten years later euro banknotes and coins are legal tender in the 17 countries of the euro-area (Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Slovenia, Cyprus, Malta, Slovakia and Estonia). There are seven denominations of euro banknote in circulation, which are the same in all euro area countries. The eight denominations of coin have a common European side, and a national side unique to each country of the euro area. The euro is a major international currency, and has even overtaken the US dollar in terms of the value in circulation.

Commemorative €2 coin

The euro area countries are issuing a commemorative €2 coin with a single national design for the third time (Euro area countries - Feature: Ten years of euro). The design was chosen in a competition held by the European Commission. A total of 800 designs were submitted, five of which were chosen by an expert panel and were published online for a public vote. A total of 35,000 votes were received from residents of the euro area, and the winning design with 34% of the votes was by Helmut Andexlinger, a designer at the Austrian Mint.
 
The motifs on the coin symbolise the way in which during these ten years the euro has had a decisive impact on people (human figures), trade (a ship), industry (a factory) and energy (wind turbines).
 
Original design: Helmut Andexlinger / Avstrija.
Minting: Mincovna Kremnica, š.p., Kremnica / Slovakia.