Euro coins

The euro coins
Eurozone
Belgium Belgium Germany Germany Estonia Estonia Finland Finland France France Greece Greece Ireland Ireland Italy Italy Latvia Latvia Lithuania Lithuania Luxembourg Luxembourg Malta Malta Netherlands Netherlands Austria Austria Portugal Portugal Slovakia Slovakia Slovenia Slovenia Spain Spain Cyprus Republic Cyprus
Associated euro users (with their own euro coins)
Andorra Andorra Monaco Monaco San Marino San Marino Vatican city Vatican city
Passive euro users (without their own euro coins)
Kosovo Kosovo Montenegro Montenegro
Possible future euro states
Bulgaria Bulgaria Croatia Croatia Poland Poland Romania Romania Sweden Sweden Czech Republic Czech Republic Hungary Hungary
Exit clause
Denmark Denmark

The euro coins are in currently 19 countries in the European Union EU countries Non-as well as Andorra , Monaco , San Marino and Vatican City in circulation brought coins of the common European currency Euro . One euro is divided into 100 cents; there are eight denominations for coins.

The euro coins were introduced together with the euro banknotes from January 1, 2002. However, the year of minting of the coins can go back to 1999, i.e. to the year in which the currency was officially introduced as book money .

description

Parameters of the euro coins
value	diameter	thickness	Dimensions	Knurling (for the visually impaired )	material	ferromagnetic
1 cent	16.25 mm	1.67 mm	2.30 g	smooth	Steel with copper sheathing (94.35% Fe, 5.65% Cu)	Yes
2 cents	18.75 mm	1.67 mm	3.06 g	smooth with all-round notch
5 cents	21.25 mm	1.67 mm	3.92 g	smooth
10 cents	19.75 mm	1.93 mm	4.10 g	coarse corrugation (40 corrugations)	Nordic gold (89% Cu, 5% Al, 5% Zn, 1% Sn) Density: 7.01 g / cm³	No
20 cents	22.25 mm	2.14 mm	5.74 g	Spanish flower (smooth with 7 notches)
50 cents	24.25 mm	2.38 mm	7.80 g	coarse corrugation (50 corrugations)
1 €	23.25 mm	2.33 mm	7.50 g	broken corrugation (3 × 29 corrugation)	Ring: nickel - brass (75% Cu, 20% Zn, 5% Ni) core: copper-nickel, nickel, copper-nickel layered ( Magnimat )	Ring: no Core: yes
2 euros	25.75 mm	2.20 mm	8.50 g	fine corrugation with lettering (252 corrugation)	Ring: Cupronickel (75% Cu, 25% Ni) Core: Nickel-brass, nickel, nickel-brass layered	Ring: no Core: yes

What the 1 and 2 euro coins have in common is a structure made up of a ring and a core (also a pill ). Before minting, one also speaks of blanks and blanks . In the case of the 1 euro piece, the ferromagnetic nickel of the pill is coated with copper-nickel , in the case of the 2 euro piece with nickel brass .

The choice of coin metal was a matter of convenience and cost. In particular, coin alloys must not be sensitive to rust and should not wear out much during use; In addition, skin contact should not trigger allergies. It is also important that the metal value remains below the nominal value of the coin - otherwise there would be a risk that the coins would be melted down and traded as goods.

In 2004, the production costs of a 1 cent coin corresponded to the face value. In contrast, the production costs of a 2 euro coin in Germany at the time were only 13 cents. The difference to the nominal value, called seigniorage , benefits the respective central bank .

Due to their nickel content, euro coins have a high allergy potential . The bimetallic structure of 1 and 2 euro coins leads to a galvanic potential of 30–40 mV on contact with human sweat. This means that the limit values of the European Directive 94/27 / EEC for nickel can be exceeded by up to 320 times.

According to estimates by allergists , up to eleven percent of women and six percent of men in Germany suffer from a nickel allergy . If they come into contact with the metal for a longer period of time, the skin reddens, itches and forms blisters. According to the Medical Association of German Allergists, cashiers and bank employees have a significantly increased risk of allergies.

Mints, mint masters

Euro coins were and are minted in the following mints and with these mint marks (Mzz):

country	time	Mint	Location	Mint mark	comment
Belgium	1999 to 2018	Royal Mint of Belgium	Brussels	from 2008: helmeted head of the Archangel Michael	the Royal Mint of Belgium closed on January 1, 2018
Germany	since 1999	State Mint Berlin	Berlin	A.	also for Estonia (2 euro commemorative coin 2012)
	since 1998	Hamburg Mint	Hamburg	J
	since 1999	State Mint Karlsruhe	Karlsruhe	G	also for Latvia (1 and 10 cents and 1 euro 2014)
	since 1998	Bavarian main mint	Munich	D.	also for Ireland (commemorative coin 2019 in proof)
	since 1999	State Mint Stuttgart	Stuttgart	F.	also for Latvia (2, 5, 20 and 50 cents and 2 euros 2014) and commemorative coins 2014 and 2015
Finland	since 1999	Suomen Rahapaja	Vantaa	until 2006: without 2007–2010: cornucopia from 2010/11: lion	also for Greece (1 and 2 Euro 2002 "S"), Luxembourg (2005), Ireland (PP 2006 and 2007), Slovenia (commemorative coins 2007, 2009-2011), Cyprus (2008 and circulation coins 2009) and Estonia (2011)
France	since 1999	Monnaie de Paris	Pessac	cornucopia	also for Monaco, Greece (1, 2, 5, 10, 50 Cent 2002 "F"), Ireland (2007 1 Cent), Luxembourg (2007, 2008), Malta 2015 ("F") and 2016, Andorra (coin issues odd Years)
Greece	since 2001	Greek national coin	Chalandri ( Athens )	Palmette	apart from a part of the circulation coins 2002 also for Cyprus (from 2010 and cash commemorative coin 2012)
Ireland	since 1999	Central Bank of Ireland	Sandyford ( Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown )	without	except 1 and 5 cents 2002 and 1 cent 2007, PP 2006, 2007, 2009 and 2012 and 2 euro commemorative coins 2007 and 2012
Italy	since 1999	Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato	Rome	R.	also for San Marino and Vatican City and 2015 for Slovenia (EU flag)
Lithuania	since 2015	Lietuvos monetų kalykla	Vilnius	LM (in a circle)	also for Estonia (commemorative coins 2015 and 2016)
Netherlands	since 1999	Royal Dutch coin	Utrecht	Caduceus	also for Luxembourg (until 2004, 2006 and from 2009), Slovenia 2008 (Trubar) and 2014 (Celjska), Cyprus 2009 (EMU), Ireland (PP and 2-euro commemorative coins 2009 and 2012), Estonia (circulation coins 2012), Belgium (from 2018) and Latvia (commemorative coin 2019)
Austria	since 1999	Austrian Mint	Vienna	without	also for Cyprus 2015 (EU flag) and Ireland (proof of commemorative coins 2015 and 2016)
Portugal	since 1999	Imprensa Nacional e Casa da Moeda	Lisbon	INCM
Slovakia	since 2008	Mincovňa Kremnica	Kremnica	MK (in a circle)	also for Slovenia (2012 and 2013)
Spain	since 1999	Real Casa de la Moneda	Madrid	crowned M	also for Greece (20 Cent 2002 "E") and Andorra (coin issues of even years)
United Kingdom		Royal Mint	Llantrisant ( Rhondda Cynon Taf )		for Ireland: 1 and 5 cents 2002

Euro coins were and are minted with the following mint master's mark (Mmz):

country	Mint	Location	time	Mintmaster's mark	Mint master
Belgium	Royal Mint of Belgium	Brussels	1999–2008 2009–2012 2013–2016 2017 ¹	Libra spring cat coat of arms of the municipality of Herzele	Romain Coenen Serge reading Bernard Gillard Ingrid Van Herzele
France	Monnaie de Paris	Pessac	1999–2000 2001–2002 2003 2004–2010 from 2011	Bee horseshoe heart (ligature from S and L) Hunting horn (with zodiac sign Pisces) pentagram with AGMP, YS	Pierre Rodier Gérard Burqoy Serge Levet Hubert Larivière Yves Sampo
Netherlands	Royal Dutch coin	Utrecht	1999 2000 2001 2002 2003–2015 2016–2017 from 2018	Bow and arrow Bow and arrow with star Fruit-bearing vine tendril Fruit-bearing vine tendril with star Course-setting sails (of the three-mast clipper Nederland ) Course-setting sails with star Sint Servaas Bridge, Maastricht	Chris van Draanen vacancy under Erik van Schouwenburg Robert Bruens vacancy under Maarten Brouwer Maarten Brouwer vacancy under Kees Bruinsma or Ted Peters Stephan Satijn

¹ Belgian euro coins will be minted in the Netherlands from 2018 to 2021, in 2018 with Mmz Ingrid Van Herzeles

Mint master marks are to be distinguished from coin signatures which designate the coin designer or the coin engraver .

Devaluation, scrapping

Between the end of 2009 and the beginning of 2011, mostly from flight attendants, coins with a face value of EUR 866,000 were returned to the Bundesbank with a request for confiscation and replacement. Most of the coins came from France, Belgium, Austria or Spain and had been canceled by separating coins by or on behalf of European central banks, resold as scrap metal and subsequently reassembled in China without authorization. The allegation of procuring and placing counterfeit money on the market did not stand before the Federal Court of Justice. Since the coins were posted outside of general payment transactions, there was no risk of them being put back into circulation, as they were not only not only recognisably put together incorrectly, but were also badly damaged and therefore no longer fit for circulation. Over a period of more than a year, the Deutsche Bundesbank accepted several hundred transparent “Safebags” with such coins without any complaints and reimbursed their face value. This practice of the Bundesbank speaks against the assumption that the official devaluation of bicolour coins takes place by way of the separation of ring and pill. The criminal chamber was unable to gain any information about the cancellation process for euro coins in other euro countries, as all inquiries from the investigative authorities to the respective central banks of France, Belgium, Austria and Spain went unanswered.

Counterfeiting of coins, supply of cash

Despite their high technical quality, euro coins are also counterfeited. The large number of production locations and carrier materials increases the risk that secret information relating to security features falls into the wrong hands. On 22 July 1998 the Commission called for the early establishment of a harmonized legal framework and the establishment of an EU counterfeit database maintained by the ECB. In October 1998 it was agreed to supplement this with a database on counterfeiting. On February 3, 1999, the Economic and Financial Committee decided on the Counterfeit Organization and Investigation Network / COIN plan to establish a European Technical and Scientific Center (ETSC ) to analyze and classify all counterfeits of euros detected worldwide -Coins as well as national coin analysis centers to record all cases of counterfeiting occurring in their national territory. The Justice and Home Affairs Council (JAI) decided on 29 April 1999 to extend Europol's remit to include the fight against counterfeiting.

In 2012, according to the ECB, around 184,000 counterfeit coins were withdrawn from circulation. So there was one forgery for every 100,000 genuine coins. The 2 euro coin makes up almost two thirds of all counterfeit coins discovered. In 2013, the Deutsche Bundesbank registered around 52,000 counterfeit coins. At the beginning of December 2014, 306,000 fake one-euro and two-euro coins produced in China with a total face value of 556,000 euros were seized in Italy.

The Cash Verification Ordinance , which came into force in Germany on January 1, 2013 and was enacted on the basis of an EU ordinance laying down measures to protect the euro against counterfeiting, stipulates that banks must also check coins for counterfeiting or have them checked, just like it did was previously required for banknotes. During a transition period, banking institutions could still use their old machines to deposit coins. From the beginning of 2015 only certified devices will be permitted. A new "conveyor belt" that collects, sorts and checks coins for authenticity costs 200,000 euros. Accordingly, delegate z. B. Sparkassen counting and checking coins at cash-in-transit companies, and customers - such as merchants who deliver their daily income - then have to pay a fee of five euros for each coin deposit.

The background to this is that the Deutsche Bundesbank is withdrawing more and more from the supply of hard money. In 2000 shops were able to deposit their income in 129 branches of the state central banks; but three quarters of them are now closed. In 2015, their number fell to 34 branches. Banks no longer get coins from the Bundesbank in small denominations, but only in the form of a 700 kg container.

Amount of euro coins in circulation (as of December 2017)
Face value	Amount in circulation	proportion of	Circulation value	Share in value
01 cent	034,213 million	27.1%	00.€ 342 million	01.2%
02 cents	026,291 million	20.9%	00.€ 526 million	01.9%
05 cents	020,314 million	16.1%	0€ 1,016 million	03.6%
10 cents	014,627 million	11.6%	0€ 1,463 million	05.2%
20 cents	011,209 million	08.9%	0€ 2,242 million	08.0%
50 cents	006,104 million	04.8%	0€ 3,052 million	10.9%
01 €	007,207 million	05.7%	0€ 7,207 million	25.7%
02 euros	006,080 million	04.8%	€ 12,160 million	43.4%
All in all	126,046 million	100%	€ 28,006 million	100%

Cash in circulation

In December 2017, around 126 billion euro coins with a total value of around 28 billion euros were in circulation. The circulation value of each coin type increases with its face value: 1% of the circulation value of all coins is in the 1-cent coins, 2% in the 2-cent coins, 4% in the 5-cent coins, 5% in the 10 Cent coins, 8% in 20-cent coins, 11% in 50-cent coins, 26% in 1-euro and 43% in 2-euro coins (with a total value of around 28 billion euros). Euro). In terms of number of items, however, the smaller the face value, the more numerous the coins are in circulation; only 1 euro coins are slightly more common than 50 cent coins. There are 34 billion 1-cent coins in circulation, but only a good 6 billion 2-euro coins.

Compared to the euro banknotes , the coins only make up 2.5% of the total currency in circulation of 1,198.706 billion euros. However, the amounts in circulation of the individual banknotes are lower.

Circulation coins of the micro-states

Among other things, the Council decided: “ Monaco , San Marino and Vatican City [...] can mint euro coins under certain conditions. To this end, France ( for Monaco ) and Italy (for the Vatican and San Marino ) are empowered by the Council to negotiate and conclude the agreement on behalf of the Community. ”On 14 July 2009, the Commission reported to the Council on the Currency agreements with the small states. It states:

Euro coins intended for circulation are primarily a means of payment: they should circulate freely on the market and be used as a means of payment. Circulation coins bought by coin collectors do not serve their original purpose, but are only regarded as collector's items.
For historical reasons, the upper limit in terms of value for the annual issue of euro coins was set differently. Monaco was able to issue euro coins with a face value of EUR 221,000 in 2009, while San Marino had an upper limit of EUR 2,183,000 in 2009 and the Vatican City of EUR 1,074,000.
In the period from 2000 to 2008, the mint circulation in the euro area member states averaged EUR 63 per capita, while by September 2008 coins from Monaco to the value of EUR 190 per inhabitant, from San Marino to EUR 422 and from the Vatican coins to EUR 7,028 per inhabitant were spent.
In order to allow at least some circulation of the coins of the three countries, the Commission proposes to increase the mint circulation limits of the three countries that have signed a currency agreement. The new ceilings would be calculated according to a new, uniform procedure that ensures that all three countries are treated equally. The previous currency agreements led de facto to a disadvantage of Monaco compared to San Marino and Vatican City. Currently, San Marino issues around ten times as many coins and Vatican City around five times as many coins as Monaco, although Monaco has the largest population of the three countries and its currency agreement contains the most far-reaching obligations.

According to the new calculation method, the upper limit for one year (s) would consist of a fixed and a variable component:

The fixed component serves to meet the demand from coin collectors. Estimates assume that a total value of around 2,100,000 euros should be enough to meet the demand of the collector's market.
The variable component is based on the average per capita expenditure in the euro area. The average number of coins minted per capita in the previous year ( n −1) in the euro area is multiplied by the number of inhabitants of a country that has signed a currency agreement.

With the new calculation method decided in this way, the upper limit for the mint circulation in Vatican City increased to EUR 2,300,000 in 2010, that of Monaco to EUR 2,340,000 in 2012 and that of San Marino to EUR 2,600,000 in 2013.

On April 1, 2012, a currency agreement with another European mini-state , Andorra , came into force. On December 29, 2014, Andorra began to issue its own euro coins .

The current currency agreements concluded between 2011 and 2012 with Andorra, Monaco and San Marino provide that at least 80% of the coins in circulation are issued at face value. Only in the agreement with Vatican City, which was reached on December 17, 2009, is a lower quota, at least 51%, stipulated.

Elimination of 1 and 2 cent coins

In some euro countries, the issue of 1 and 2 cent coins has been completely stopped:

Finland : since the introduction of euro cash on January 1, 2002, minting for collectors only
Netherlands : since September 1, 2004, minting for collectors only
Belgium : Dealers have been able to round prices since October 1, 2014, but must indicate this with a pictogram.
Ireland : since October 28, 2015
Italy : since January 1, 2018

While the awarded prices can still be accurate to 1 cent, the total amounts then to be paid in cash at the till are rounded to the nearest amount divisible by 5 cents, i.e. H. Amounts that end in 1, 2, 6 or 7 cents are rounded down, amounts that end in 3, 4, 8 or 9 cents are rounded up.

Since the 1 and 2 cent coins are legal tender throughout the European monetary union, they have to be accepted by dealers.

The production of the euro coins is a matter for the individual member states. Since the decisions are made decentrally, there is no coordinated production and / or storage, so that efficiency gains from a combination are lost. It is possible for some countries to have additional euro coins minted, while other countries have excess stocks of this face value. It is therefore a good idea to look for ways to improve the smaller denominations (1, 2 and 5 cents), which on average account for around 80% of new coin production. Compared to their face value, they generate little or no monetary income, but cause high production and transport costs. Since different national sides restrict the exchange or transfer of coin stocks between countries and prevent increased efficiency in the production of larger quantities, a “standard side” instead of the national side could cover part of the demand for the three smallest coin denominations.

A recommendation by the Commission of March 22, 2010 on the scope and effects of the status of euro banknotes and coins as legal tender reads under Article 9: Status of 1 and 2 euro cent coins as legal tender and Rounding rules: In those member states where rounding rules have been adopted and prices are consequently rounded up or down to the nearest 5 cents, 1 and 2 euro cent coins should continue to be legal tender and be accepted as such. However, Member States should not adopt any new rounding rules as this will affect the discharge of a payment obligation by paying the exact amount owed and, in some cases, may result in a surcharge for cash payments.

On July 4, 2012, a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council determined that the Commission should carry out an impact assessment on the continued issuance of 1 and 2 cent coins. The EU Commission then made proposals on May 14, 2013 for a reduction or abolition of the 1 and 2 cent coins. Monetary Commissioner Olli Rehn stated that the cost of producing and issuing these coins exceeded their value. At the same time, the central banks would have to issue a particularly large number of these coins. A total of 45.8 billion such tiny coins have been put into circulation in the past eleven years. The issuance of the small coins has cost the euro states around 1.4 billion euros since the common currency was launched in 2002. The cost of the cent coins could be reduced through a different mix of materials or a more efficient minting process.

When euro cash was introduced in January 2002, 1 and 2 cent coins accounted for 31.2% of the coins in circulation, compared to 48.1% in April 2017. According to Bundesbank board member Carl-Ludwig Thiele , the well above-average small coin production is due to the fact that around three quarters of small coins are lost or hoarded. At most every fifth 1-cent coin and every fourth 2-cent coin is used in cash.

In 2018, Estonia is also discussing reducing the use of 1 and 2 cent coins in the future.

Coin images and design guidelines

Deviating from the designation customary in numismatics , the official EU correspondence refers to the value side as the front and the image side as the back. The terms used here are based on those used by the EU. In Regulation 729/2014, the EU defines the terms "circulation coins", "commemorative coins" and "regular coins" (instead of the term "circulation coins" used here).

Common obverse of the coins

All euro coins have common fronts that indicate the value of the coin. They were designed by the winner of the competition on this design topic, the Belgian designer Luc Luycx , whose signet "LL" is embossed. In late 1997, Luc Luycx made various changes to his coin designs. This was intended to take account of the requests made by some Member States to improve the quality of the geographical representation: Luxembourg was on the 1 and 2 euro coins, Portugal was not on the 2 euro coins, Denmark brought its own Surprised that the island of Funen was marked on some coins as part of the mainland, Greece considered the coastline of the Peloponnese to be wrong on the 10, 20 and 50 cent coins and wanted Crete to be shown on the 1 and 2 euro coins, Sweden wanted the island of Gotland , Finland the Åland Islands and the United Kingdom the Hebrides , the shape of Germany was not correctly reproduced on the 10, 20 and 50 cent coins, and there was no border between Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, and between Spain and Portugal, and the Spanish made a point of seeing the Canary Islands depicted. In order to be able to measure the applications against objective criteria, it was decided to only consider islands of over 2500 km² and island groups of over 5000 km².

The 1, 2 and 5 cent coins, unchanged since the minting year 1999, depict the northern hemisphere with the eastern Mediterranean in the center, i.e. Europe as a continent in the vicinity of Asia and Africa. The 15 states that formed the EU at the time are presented in a structured manner. On the 10, 20 and 50 cent coins up to 2007, the individual EU states can be seen like singular pieces of the puzzle; however, the enlargement of the European Union in 2004 was not taken into account in subsequent coins. EU members not participating in the euro, e.g. B. the United Kingdom are shown. The 1 and 2 euro coins up to 2007 show the structure of the EU countries before the first eastward expansion. From 2007 onwards, Europe was depicted as a whole on the 10, 20 and 50 cent, as well as the 1 and 2 euro coins, without national borders (see the redesign section below ). All coins also show twelve stars as a symbol of Europe (see also: Symbolism of the European flag ).

Common obverse - minting years from 1999:

Common obverse - embossed years 1999 to 2006/2007:

Revised common front

Common obverse - minting years from 2007:

With the introduction of the euro on January 1, 2007 in Slovenia, the common obverse of the coins was redesigned. Instead of the 15 old member states of the European Union as before, the revised coins show the geographical outlines of Europe. In the general overview, Iceland was left out, Cyprus was not shown according to the actual situation (like the Canary Islands , which - as before - are positioned south of the Iberian Peninsula) and only part of Finland in the 1 and 2 euro coins shown. The 1 and 2 euro coins as well as the 10, 20 and 50 cent coins do not show national borders. The 1, 2 and 5 cent coins have not been changed, although only the national territory of the first 15 EU members is marked on the globe shown. Most euro countries started with the introduction of the new front in 2007. In Italy, Austria, Portugal, San Marino and in the Vatican City the new front was only introduced in 2008.

Euro circulation coins 1999–2017

National reverse side of the coins

The euro was introduced on January 1, 1999 as book money , three years later as cash . As early as 1998, the minting of euro coins began in Germany, although up to and including the minting year 2001 they indicated the year of issue 2002. Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Austria, Portugal, San Marino and the Vatican City as well as Greece, which joined the euro zone in 2001 , also named the year 2002 on their first euro coins minted before 2002. The first euro coins from Belgium, Finland, France and the Netherlands and Spain, on the other hand, named the minting years 1999 to 2001, the Monacos 2001. Belgium, Monaco, the Netherlands and Spain thus avoided the risk of mentioning on the coins the year of issue in the future at the time of minting, in which the depicted head of state might be could no longer be in office. Apparently, Luxembourg and the Vatican City did not shy away from this risk.

Although 19 EU countries have been participating in the monetary union since the beginning of 2015, there are coin sets from 23 different countries.

In Andorra , which is associated with the euro zone by currency agreement, the euro has been legal tender since April 1, 2012; however, its own euro coins were only issued at the turn of the year 2014/2015. Monaco , San Marino and the Vatican City are also not EU members, but were in monetary union with France and Italy before the introduction of the euro due to currency agreements . It was therefore considered necessary to replace the respective currency agreements with new bilateral agreements with the European Union, which grant these miniature states the right to mint their own euro coins.

Each country participating in the euro has its own design of the back. All coins show the year and the twelve stars of the EU flag on this side.

The national pages are described in separate articles:

Design guidelines

The recommendation of the Commission of the European Communities of September 29, 2003 on a uniform approach to changes in the design of the national reverse sides of the euro coins provided for a moratorium on changes to the coin images of the national reverse side of the euro and cent coins in circulation. These were to remain unchanged until the end of 2008, unless the head of state depicted on the coin was replaced. It was only stipulated that “the design of the coin should be bordered by twelve stars on the national side and show a year”. This gave the national coin designers a wide scope. For example, the twelve stars were not always placed at the same distance on the edge of the coin, but rather, for example, arranged close together in groups so that space was kept free for the coin motif or the lettering. The 2-euro commemorative coins of the German federal series could therefore bear the designation "Federal Republic of Germany" on the ring.

It changed when new guidelines were issued on December 19, 2008, stating that the national motif as well as the year and the clearly indicated and easily recognizable full or abbreviated name of the issuing country of the twelve European coins were issued on the national side of euro coins Stars should be outlined. The stars should be arranged like on the European flag. The denomination of the coin or the currency denomination or their subdivision on the national side should not be repeated, unless a different writing system than Latin is used in the country concerned. The issuing countries should be able to adapt their national sides of the euro coins to the design guidelines, otherwise the motifs should not be changed unless the head of state depicted or named on the coin has changed. If the head of state leaves office (e.g. through death or resignation), the coins can be redesigned immediately. However, it is no longer permitted to issue a separate set of coins for the period between the departure of the old head of state and the appointment of the new one (as happened in 2005 in Vatican City , during the vacancy after the death of Pope John Paul II ). Issuing states should be allowed to update coin designs depicting the head of state every fifteen years to reflect changes in the appearance of the head of state.

These guidelines prescribe the circular arrangement of the twelve stars at 30 ° intervals, like the placement of the hour digits on a clock. The ratio of the size of a star to the radius of the circle on which the center points of the stars lie, given by the European flag, cannot be strictly adhered to on the coins - the stars would then be significantly larger than the embossable part of the 2 euro coins of the ring.

Size relation of
the stars
Corresponding representation on
a 2 euro coin
2 euro coin
Germany 2013
with big stars
2 euro coin
Netherlands 2014 with
structured stars

The z. For example, the representation chosen by Germany in 2013 (for the Baden-Württemberg commemorative coin), in which the stars fill the ring as large as possible, comes closest to the appearance of the European flag. The z. For example, the representation chosen by the Netherlands in 2014 (farewell party for Beatrix) with significantly smaller stars moved to the outer edge and also structured shows that these guidelines still offer scope.

The design guidelines are partially not complied with. The representation of the - stylized - country code RF on the French commemorative coin 2012/2 and the FI on the Finnish commemorative coin 2013/2 are neither clearly nor easily recognizable. The Luxembourg commemorative coin 2014/2 does not even identify the issuing country with a country code.

Redesign

The national sides of the currency coins of several euro countries do not correspond to the design guidelines issued in 2008. The coins of Austria show the respective face value in words or numbers as well as the indication EURO CENT or EURO , furthermore - as with the German and Greek coins - the country designation is missing. In the case of the first series of minted coins from the Netherlands (1999–2013), the country name and the year were not framed by the twelve European stars and the stars were not arranged as on the European flag. The same applies to the Luxembourg cent coins. In the case of Slovenian currency coins, the country name and the year are also not surrounded by the European stars and the 10-cent coin does not show the stars as it does on the European flag. The latter also applies to the Italian 2 cent coin.

The previous euro countries do not, however, have to adapt the presentation of their currency coins to the design guidelines immediately; a deadline for revision was not specified in the 2008 guidelines. Finland began the redesign in 2007, Belgium followed in 2008 and Spain in 2010. Dimensions , weight and other technical specifications of the coins remain unchanged, not to make the transition from old to new coins.

In the three editions of the German federal series (2010, 2011 and 2012) following the design guidelines issued in 2008, the country abbreviation D (which replaced the long version of the Federal Republic of Germany ) was introduced between the stars in the "12 o'clock and 1 o'clock position" ( denotes in analogy to the dial), the two-part year number between the “7 and 5 o'clock star”. Apparently there was room for interpretation as to what “surrounded by the twelve European stars” means. Starting with the 2013 commemorative coins, the D and the year are within the star circle on the pill - however, where it can be. U. can be confused with the (only insignificantly smaller) Munich mint mark D.

The guidelines for the redesign of the national backsides were specified on June 18, 2012 and revised on June 24, 2014. The ring is now reserved for the representation of the twelve stars, with the exception of individual design elements protruding onto the ring, as long as all stars remain clearly and completely visible. If necessary Necessary adjustments of the national sides of currency coins to the design guidelines can be made at any time, however, according to Article 1 g of the ordinance, they must be carried out within fifty years, at the latest by June 20, 2062. Without prejudice to any changes required to prevent counterfeiting, the designs used on the national sides of the currency coins may only be changed every 15 years. These 15-year intervals now affect all currency coins, no longer just those with images of heads of state. Changes to national coin sides that have already been made and approved remain in effect. All previous euro coins retain their value and remain in circulation.

Edge lettering of 2 euro coins

Since the blanks are prefabricated and one or the other side happens to be on top when the pills are pressed in, there are two different views.

Special coins

2 euro commemorative coins

2-euro commemorative coins differ from current coins (according to the EU: "regular coins") only in that their national side is replaced by a special commemorative side. The common side and all other properties such as nominal value, color, thickness and diameter are unchanged. The editions of these commemorative coins are fixed. 2 euro commemorative coins (in contrast to collector coins) are intended for circulation and are valid in all euro countries. Since 2004, all countries in the euro area can issue 2 euro commemorative coins; the first was Greece at the 2004 Olympic Games . Each issuing country could only put one commemorative coin into circulation per year until August 16, 2012 . Since this date, each member state whose currency is the euro has been able to mint two 2 euro commemorative coins per year. Additional commemorative coins are possible if the position of head of state is temporarily not or only temporarily occupied, or if the states of the euro zone issue a joint commemorative coin.

In March 2007, a joint issue of the 2 euro commemorative coins appeared on the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Rome . It was issued by all 13 EU countries that issued the euro at the time (i.e. without the participation of Monaco, San Marino and Vatican City). The coin is designed the same in all countries and only differs in the respective country name and the language of the inscription Treaty of Rome - 50 years . The second joint 2 euro commemorative coin appeared on January 1, 2009 on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the European Economic and Monetary Union . The third joint issue was issued on January 1, 2012 on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the introduction of euro cash , a fourth was published in 2015 to mark the 30th anniversary of the European flag .

By the end of 2014, 21 of the then 22 euro countries had issued a total of 978 million euro 2 commemorative coins. According to the ECB, the volume of 2-euro coins in circulation - current coins and commemorative coins - was 5284 million at this point in time. The 2-euro commemorative coins issued up to the end of 2014 represented a maximum of 18.5% of the 2-euro coins in circulation at that time (even defective commemorative coins may be withdrawn from circulation and replaced by new currency coins).

As of the end of 2015, the following figures were obtained:

German 2 euro commemorative coin, federal states series from 2006, motif 2006: Schleswig-Holstein

The first joint issue of the 2 euro commemorative coin , Austrian version

country	Commemorative coin edition	Share of total circulation of commemorative coins in %	Circulation of 2 euro coins	Proportion of commemorative coins in circulating 2-euro coins in%
Andorra Andorra
Belgium Belgium	0.055,862,000	005.02		01.00
Germany Germany	0.473.767.710	042.54		08.52
Estonia Estonia	0.002,350,000	000.21		00.04
Finland Finland	0.027,100,000	002.43		00.49
France France	0.109,809,396	009.86		01.97
Greece Greece	0.051,986,549	004.67		00.93
Ireland Ireland	0.010,818,887	000.97		00.19
Italy Italy	0.170.629.640	015.32		03.07
Latvia Latvia	0.004,040,000	000.36		00.07
Lithuania Lithuania	0.001,750,000	000.16		00.03
Luxembourg Luxembourg	0.018,433,300	001.66		00.33
Malta Malta	0.004,420,000	000.40		00.08
Monaco Monaco	0.001,537,009	000.14		00.03
Netherlands Netherlands	0.048,998,000	004.40		00.88
Austria Austria	0.034,550,000	003.10		00.62
Portugal Portugal	0.012,090,000	001.09		00.22
San Marino San Marino	0.001,673,800	000.15		00.03
Slovakia Slovakia	0.009,500,000	000.85		00.17
Slovenia Slovenia	0.009,400,000	000.84		00.17
Spain Spain	0.061.336.492	005.51		01.10
Vatican city Vatican city	0.001,383,168	000.12		00.02
Cyprus Republic Cyprus	0.002,350,000	000.21		00.04
total	1,113,785,951	100.00	5,563,000,000	20.02

Collector coins

German 100 euro collector's coin made of gold

In addition to the euro currency coins that are legal tender in all participating countries, every country participating in the monetary union is entitled to issue collector coins .

Collector coins differ in face value and at least two of the three criteria of thickness, diameter and color from current coins . These collector coins are only legal tender in the issuing country. Since the collector and material value of the gold coins clearly exceeds their face value, they rarely play a role in payment transactions. The German silver coins that are issued at face value are also rarely in circulation.

Due to an EU regulation of July 4, 2012, the collector coins must have different denominations than the regular circulation coins (1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 cents as well as 1 and 2 euros). This requirement is usually met in that collector coins have nominal values of more than 2 euros. They often correspond to the face values of the banknotes (5, 10, 50, 100 and 200 euros), but in some countries there are also collector coins with unusual face values:

Belgium: 12½ and 25 euro gold coins
Estonia: 12 euro silver coins
France: ¼, 1½ and 15 euro silver coins. A 5 euro coin made from 333 silver is sometimes used as a circulation coin in the country.
Ireland: 15 euro silver coins
Luxembourg: 175 and 700 euro cents silver coins and 25 euro silver coins
Austria: Nine-cornered 5 euro coins made of copper or 80% silver. There are also 3 euro coins and 25 euro bimetal coins (ring made of 900 silver, core made of niobium ). The Vienna Philharmonic in silver (with a face value of 1½ euros) and in gold (with face values of 10, 25, 50, 100, 2,000 euros and 100,000 euros ) are also considered euro collector coins.
Portugal: ¼ euro gold coins, 1½, 2½ and 8 euro coins made of copper, silver or gold, and 7½ euro coins made of copper or gold.
Slovenia: 3 euro bimetal coins and 30 euro silver coins.
Spain: 12 euro silver coins and a twelve-sided 300 euro tri-metal coin

Euro collector coins
Face value	Andorra AD	Austria AT	Belgium BE	Cyprus Republic CY	Germany DE	Estonia EE	Greece Tbsp	Spain IT	Finland FI	France FR	Ireland IE	Italy IT	Lithuania LI	Luxembourg LU	Latvia LV	Monaco MC	Malta MT	Netherlands NL	Portugal PT	Slovenia SL	Slovakia SK	San Marino SM	Vatican city VA
€ 0.25										●									●
40 cents														●
1.50 €		●						●		●			●						●
175 cents														●
€ 2.50			●											●					●
3.00 €		●																		●
€ 4.00		●
5.00 €	●	●	●	●	●		●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●			●	●
€ 6.00							●
700 cents														●
€ 7.00						●
€ 7.50																			●
€ 8.00																			●
€ 10.00		●	●		●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●		●		●	●	●	●		●	●	●
€ 12.00						●		●
€ 12.50			●
15.00 €						●				●	●			●			●
€ 20.00		●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●		●			●	●	●
€ 25.00		●	●		●	●				●				●			●				●
€ 30.00								●												●
€ 50.00	●	●	●		●		●	●	●	●		●	●				●	●				●	●
€ 75.00															●
€ 100.00		●	●		●		●	●	●	●	●					●	●			●	●		●
€ 200.00					●		●	●		●													●
€ 250.00										●
€ 300.00								●
€ 400.00								●
€ 500.00										●
€ 1,000.00										●
€ 2,000.00		●
€ 5,000.00										●
€ 100,000.00		●

Euro forerunners, sample coins and test coins

These coins are not official means of payment and are therefore not to be called coins , but medals . As a rule, the sample coins and test mints do not come from the central bank or the national mints. Rather, it is a matter of imaginative coinage by private individuals or coin trading companies; the design therefore does not reflect the possible appearance of later official European coins in these countries. Sample coins and test mintings are offered for practically all EU countries that have not yet introduced the euro. In some countries, including Germany, these medals may contravene valid coin regulations.

There were also so-called euro forerunners, regionally valid pseudo-currencies.

In addition, designs for Danish euro coins were presented. Its hypothetical introduction was planned for 2004, but the Danes rejected the euro in a referendum in 2000. In the meantime, the drafts no longer comply with the applicable design guidelines.

literature

Euro catalog, coins and banknotes 2015. Leuchtturm Albenverlag, Geesthacht 2014, ISBN 978-3-00-000695-1 .
Gerhard Schön: Euro Coin Catalog 2014. 13th edition Battenberg, Battenberg 2014, ISBN 978-3-86646-105-5 .
Deutsche Bundesbank: The euro coins. Frankfurt, December 2010. p. 3 ff. (Brochure)

Web links

Commons : Euro coins - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

↑ ECB: ECB: Common Pages. Retrieved August 30, 2011 .

↑ Bundesbank: Geld und Geldpolitik, Chapter 2 “Das Cash”, p. 14 ( Memento of the original dated December 13, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. pdf 11.9 MB, accessed December 12, 2014 @1@ 2

↑ Production costs of our money (2004) pdf 459 kB, accessed on December 12, 2014

↑ Texts on the euro: The euro coins - from conception to issue, May 2000, pp. 7–8 pdf 3.9 kB, accessed on August 13, 2016

↑ Frank O. Nestle, Hannes Speidel, Markus O. Speidel: Metallurgy: high nickel release from 1- and 2-euro coins In: Nature No. 419, September 12, 2002, p. 132 doi: 10.1038 / 419132a pdf 129 kB , accessed December 21, 2014

↑ Nickel allergy from Euro coins , Institute for Prevention and Occupational Medicine, Ruhr University Bochum, accessed on March 29, 2014

↑ Risk of allergies for cashiers and bank employees , in News of February 23, 2001, accessed on March 29, 2014

↑ Belgian mint mark: Archangel Michael , accessed on May 29, 2014

↑ ^a ^b The end of the Belgian mint , accessed on September 15, 2017

^ Signs of the mints in Germany , accessed on February 26, 2015

↑ Finnish mint mark 2007–2009 (for circulation coins up to 2010): Cornucopia , accessed on May 29, 2014

↑ Finnish mint mark, for commemorative coins from 2010, for currency coins from 2011 , accessed on August 15, 2020

^ French mint mark: Cornucopia , accessed January 26, 2018

^ Greek mint mark: Palmette , accessed June 27, 2017

↑ Cologne mintmark Lietuvos monetų kalykla, Vilnius , accessed on February 4, 2015

↑ Mint mark Netherlands , accessed on September 22, 2014

↑ Mint mark Slovakia , accessed on September 22, 2014

^ Mint mark Spain , accessed on September 22, 2014

^ Libra as a mintmaster's mark Romain Coenens , accessed on September 22, 2014

^ Pen as Serge Lesens' mint master's mark , accessed on September 22, 2014

↑ Cat as a mint master's mark Bernard Gillard , accessed on May 30, 2014

↑ Coat of arms of the municipality of Herzele as the mint master mark Ingrid van Herzele , accessed on September 28, 2016

↑ Bee as Pierre Rodier's mint master's mark , accessed on May 30, 2014

↑ horseshoe Münzmeisterzeichen Gérard Burqoys , accessed on September 22, 2014

↑ Heart as Serge Levet's mint master's mark , accessed on January 26, 2018

^ Hunting horn as mint master's mark Hubert Larivières , accessed on January 26, 2018

↑ pentagram Münzmeisterzeichen Yves Sampos , accessed on January 26, 2018

↑ Mintmaster's mark by Chris van Draanen , accessed on August 6, 2014

^ A bow and arrow with a star as van Schouwenburg's mintmaster mark , accessed on September 22, 2014

↑ Fruit-bearing vine tendrils: Dutch mint master's mark Robert Bruens' , accessed on May 30, 2014

↑ Fruit-bearing vine tendrils with a star as the Dutch mintmaster's mark 2002 , accessed on September 22, 2014

↑ Maarten Brouwers mint mark 2003–2015: course-setting sails , accessed on January 26, 2016

↑ Vakanz-Mmz Kees Bruinsma 2016: course-setting sails with a star , accessed on January 26, 2016

↑ Dutch mint master's mark by Stephan Satijn: Sint-Servaas-Brücke, Maastricht , accessed on January 28, 2018

↑ Mintmaster's mark Ingrid Van Herzele on coins minted in the Netherlands in 2018 , accessed on February 15, 2018

↑ Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung: Fraud with millions of euro scrap coins. Retrieved April 8, 2011 .

↑ BGH: judgment of November 15, 2012, Az. 2 StR 190/12 , accessed on September 13, 2015

↑ Texts on the euro: The euro coins - from conception to issue, May 2000, pp. 24-25 pdf 3.9 kB, accessed on August 13, 2016

↑ European Anti-Fraud Office: Legislation to Combat Euro Counterfeiting ( Memento of the original from December 20, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed December 20, 2014 @1@ 2

↑ Spiegel Online, February 11, 2013: More counterfeit euro coins discovered , accessed on December 11, 2014

↑ Record find of counterfeit euro coins in Italy, December 12, 2014 , accessed on December 20, 2014

↑ Cash Checking Ordinance of December 18, 2012 , accessed on December 20, 2014

^ RA Paulick: Banknote recycling / banknote and coin monitoring ( Memento of the original from June 10, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed June 3, 2015 @1@ 2

↑ EUR-Lex: Measures to protect the euro against counterfeiting , accessed on June 3, 2015

↑ Council Regulation (EC) No. 1338/2001 of June 28, 2001: Measures to protect the euro against counterfeiting (PDF), accessed on June 3, 2015

↑ SZ December 19, 2014: Those who pay in coins must pay for them , accessed on December 19, 2014

↑ Quo vadis cash supply? Section 4.2 Deutsche Bundesbank , accessed on December 20, 2014

↑ Technical data and filling quantities of standard containers ( memento of the original from December 18, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (pdf 23 kB), accessed on June 3, 2015 @1@ 2

↑ ECB: banknotes and coins statistics / values , accessed on January 30, 2018

↑ statista.com: Value of euro coins in circulation in September 2014 , accessed on December 13, 2014

↑ Euro coins in circulation in September 2014 , accessed on December 13, 2014

^ Texts on the euro: The euro coins - from conception to issue, May 2000, p. 28 pdf 3.9 kB

^ Currency agreements with Monaco, San Marino and the Vatican City State , accessed on April 14, 2014

↑ Official Journal of the European Union, October 5, 2012: Entry into force of the currency agreement with the Principality of Andorra (PDF; 604 kB), accessed on December 30, 2013.

↑ Report on Bloomberg.com (English)

↑ Consumer protection Belgium: from October 1, 2014, the total receipt amount has been rounded to 0 or 5 cents ( memento of the original from November 29, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed November 20, 2014 @1@ 2

↑ Ireland: Government confirms end of 1c and 2c coins , accessed March 25, 2018

^ Communication from the Commission of the European Communities, December 22, 2006 - Five years of euro banknotes and coins , accessed on January 11, 2014

↑ Recommendation of the Commission of 22 March 2010 on the scope and effects of the status of euro banknotes and coins as legal tender

↑ ^a ^b ^c Regulation (EU) No. 651/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 4 July 2012 on the issue of euro coins (PDF)

↑ EU Commission questions 1 and 2 cent coins , accessed on January 12, 2014

↑ Why the abolition of mini-coins makes sense , accessed on May 29, 2017

↑ Eesti Pank: about reducing the use of one and two-cent coins (English), accessed on July 16, 2018

↑ Differentiation of obverse and reverse , accessed January 7, 2011

↑ ^a ^b Regulation (EU) No. 729/2014 on the denominations and technical characteristics of euro coins intended for circulation

↑ Competition drafts for the common sides of the euro coins (English), accessed on December 1, 2013

^ Signet by Luc Luycx , accessed on September 22, 2014

↑ European Communities: Texts on the Euro (number 37, May 2000): Die Euro-Münzen, p. 10 , accessed on August 13, 2016

↑ Currency agreement between the European Union and the Principality of Andorra (PDF; 778 kB), accessed on January 1, 2014.

^ Andorra in the Euro Coin Fever , accessed on April 9, 2018

↑ EU Commission: Design guidelines for the national obverse of euro coins in circulation, September 29, 2003 (PDF; 128 kB), accessed on November 9, 2013.

↑ Guidelines of the European Commission of December 19, 2008 for the national pages and the issue of euro coins intended for circulation (pdf 36 kB)

↑ Münzscan 2 euro commemorative coin France 2012 Abbé Pierres , accessed on February 14, 2014.

↑ Münzscan 2-euro commemorative coin Finland 2013 Sillanpää , accessed on 13 February 2013

^ Coin image Luxembourg 2014: Grand Duke Jean , accessed on July 30, 2014

↑ The Euro Information Website: Euro Coins 4 .: Is there a poster which has all designs of the standard issue Euro coins? > Member States whose national Euro coin designs do not comply with the 2008 guidelines for design , accessed on November 26, 2014

↑ 10 cents Slovenia compared to 2 cents Italy , accessed December 20, 2014

↑ Marginal inscriptions on 2 euro coins , accessed on March 28, 2020

↑ Texts on the euro: The euro coins - from conception to issue, May 2000, p. 19 (pdf 3.9 kB)

↑ 2CC overall table with lots of information (Excel) , accessed on December 23, 2015

↑ ECB: Quantities of euro coins in circulation , accessed on January 24, 2016

↑ Texts on the euro: The euro coins - from conception to issue, May 2000, pp. 18–19 (pdf 3.9 kB)

↑ Official Journal of the European Union: Ordinance of June 18, 2012 - Criteria for collector coins (PDF; 718 kB), accessed on January 12, 2014.

↑ French coins

↑ French 5 euro circulation coin ( Memento of the original from November 5, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed November 1, 2013 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.mdm.de

↑ Luxembourg 700 euro cent coin

^ Austrian coins

↑ Austrian 1½ euro coin

↑ Portuguese coins

^ Slovenian coins

↑ Overview of the nominal values of the national euro collector coins , accessed on April 14, 2016

↑ Drafts of Danish Euro Coins (Danish), accessed on August 10, 2014

[1] ECB: ECB: Common Pages. Retrieved August 30, 2011 .