€2 commemorative coins Totally Explained

Everything about 2 Commemorative Coins totally explained

€2 commemorative coins are special euro coins minted and issued by member states of the eurozone since 2004 as legal tender in all eurozone member states. The coins typically commemorate the anniversaries of historical events or draw attention to current events of special importance. As of 2008, forty-six variations of €2 commemorative coins have been minted — six in 2004, eight in 2005, seven in 2006, twenty in 2007 (including the thirteen versions of the common issue) and six in 2008. At least seven more are planned to be minted in 2008, and two more in 2009 (plus a second common issue, with sixteen states to participate, as Slovakia joins the eurozone on 2009-01-01). €2 commemorative coins have become collectibles. The €2 commemorative coins are not to be confused with commemorative coins (with a face value higher than €2), which are officially designated as "collector coins" and usually made of precious metal.

Regulations and restrictions

The basis for the commemorative coins derived from a decision of the European Council, which repealed the prohibition of changing the national obverse sides of euro coins from 1 January 2004 onwards. However, a number of recommendations and restrictions still apply.
Two restrictions concern the design. For one, nothing has changed about the fact that euro coins have a common reverse side, so only the national obverse sides may be changed. Additionally, the standard national obverse sides per se shouldn't be changed before 2008 at the earliest, unless the head of state depicted on some of the coins changes before then. (This clause already came into effect for Monaco and the Vatican City, whose heads of state — Rainier III and Pope John Paul II respectively — died in 2005 and whose national obverse sides were changed for 2006.) The moratorium on these changes will be reviewed for extension in 2008.
Further regulations restrict the frequency and number of commemorative coin issues. Each member state shall only issue one commemorative coin per year, and it'll only be denominated as a €2 coin. The total number of such coins put into circulation per year shouldn't surpass the higher of the following two numbers:

0.1 per cent of the total number of €2 coins put into circulation by all members of the eurozone. This limit can exceptionally be increased to up to 2.0 per cent if the coin commemorates a very important and noteworthy event; in this case, the member state issuing this higher number of coins should refrain from putting any commemorative coins into circulation for the following four years.

5.0 per cent of the total number of €2 coins put into circulation by the member state issuing the €2 commemorative coin. Another decision added two more guidelines regarding the design of the coins. The state issuing a coin should in some way clearly be identified on the obverse side, either by stating the full name or a clearly identifiable abbreviation of it; and neither name nor the denomination of the coin should be repeated on the obverse, as it's already featured on the common reverse side.
These restrictions don't apply retroactively; only new designs — the national obverse sides for regular issues of states newly joining the euro or of eurozone states which change their design, and €2 commemorative coins issued from 2006 onwards — are subject to them. However, the five countries whose designs violated the rules (Austria, Belgium, Finland, Germany and Greece) will have to change their design in the near future, which Finland already did for 2007 and Belgium for 2008.

Issues

As of May 2008, thirteen countries have independently issued €2 commemorative coins (Austria, Belgium, Finland, Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Monaco, Portugal, San Marino, Slovenia, Spain and the Vatican City), with Greece being the first country to issue this type of coin. Six eurozone countries have not yet issued such coins (Cyprus, France, Ireland, Malta and the Netherlands); Cyprus, France and Malta plan to do so in 2008, and there has also been common Treaty of Rome €2 commemorative coin issued by all eurozone member states in 2007. (Another one is planned for 2009.)

Country

Issues

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

reg.

ToR

reg.

euro

2/1

4/1

0/2

5/2

1/2

4/2

2/1

1/1

5/1

6/2

0/2

1/1

2/2

5/0

0/1

2/1

4/1

Total

47/25

6/7

0/2

0/16

The face value of the coins is typically less than their market value of between €3 and €12. The exceptions are San Marino and the Vatican City, where coins from the former are regularly sold for between €30 and €40, while coins from the latter are very rarely obtained for less than €100.
Issued designs are made public in the Official Journal of the European Union (references to these publications are given in the tables below). Note: In heraldry, directions are often described as they'd appear to the bearer of a coat of arms, rather than as they'd appear to the viewer. Therefore, the following descriptions will use "facing to the left" when it would appear to the layman that the person depicted is facing to the right.

2004 coinage

Country	Feature	Volume	Date
	Summer Olympics in Athens 2004	50 million coins	14 March 2004
Description: The Discobolus (a classical Greek sculpture by Myron) is depicted in the centre of the coin. To the right of it's the logo of the Olympic games (ATHENS 2004) and the five Olympic Rings, while to the left

	Fifth Enlargement of the European Union in 2004	1 million coins	FDI: 1 June 2004 FDC: 1 July 2004
Description: The coin's design resembles a stylised pillar from which ten sprouts grow upwards. This is a metaphorical theme: The ten sprouts represent the growth of the European Union (for example, the 2004 enlargement which added ten new member states), while the pillar represents the foundation for the growth. Near the bottom of the coin, below the pillar, the word EU is written, and together with the left

	Effigy and Monogram of Grand Duke Henri	2.49 million coins	23 June 2004
Description: On the right

	Fifth Decade of the World Food Programme	16 million coins	15 December 2004
Description: In the centre of the coin is a globe, tilted to the left.

	Bartolomeo Borghesi	110,000 coins	15 December 2004
Description: The central piece of this coin is a bust of the famous historian and numismatist Bartolomeo Borghesi. It is surrounded by numerous inscriptions in the centre of the coin: SAN MARINO to the left

	75^th Anniversary of the Foundation of the Vatican City State	85,000 coins	15 December 2004
Description: The central part of the coin depicts a schematic representation of the perimeter walls of the Vatican City with St. Peter's Basilica in the foreground, together with the inscriptions (to the right

2005 coinage

Country	Feature	Volume	Date
	50^th Birthday of Grand Duke Henri, 5^th Anniversary of his Accession to the Throne and 100^th Anniversary of the Death of Grand Duke Adolphe	2.8 million coins	15 January 2005
Description: In the centre of the coin, the effigies of the Grand Dukes Henri and Adolphe are displayed, both looking to the left,

	Belgium-Luxembourg Economic Union	6 million coins	FDI:
Description: In the centre of the coin, the effigies of Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg and King Albert II of the Belgians are depicted, looking right.

	4^th Centenary of the first edition of Miguel de Cervantes' El ingenioso hidalgo Don Quixote de la Mancha	8 million coins	1 April 2005
Description: The centre of the coin displays Don Quixote holding a lance, with the windmills from one of his most well-known escapades in the background. The inscription is impressed into the surface of the coin to the right

	50^th Anniversary of the Austrian State Treaty	7 million coins	11 May 2005
Description: In the centre of the coin is a depiction of the seals and signatures of the Austrian State Treaty, signed by the foreign ministers of the Allied occupying forces (Vyacheslav Molotov for the Soviet Union, John Foster Dulles for the United States, Harold Macmillan for the United Kingdom and Antoine Pinay for France), the High Commissioners of the four sectors, as well as the Foreign Minister of Austria (Leopold Figl) on 15 May 1955. The inscription is above the seals, while the year mark is below it; in the background, vertical stripes serve as a heraldic depiction of Austria's national flag (red-white-red). The outer ring contains the twelve stars of the European Union.

	World Year of Physics 2005	130,000 coins	14 October 2005
Description: The centre of the coin contains a free interpretation of the allegorical painting of Galileo Galilei known as [[Lafisica antica\|]] or The Study of the Planets. The year mark is inscribed below a globe standing on a desk. The mint mark (R) is to the right

	60^th Anniversary of the Establishment of the United Nations and 50^th Anniversary of Finland's UN Membership	2 million coins	25 October 2005
Description: The centre of the coin contains part of a jigsaw puzzle showing a dove of peace. On the bottom of the centre part, the inscription FINLAND – UN and the year mark is displayed; the artist's initial (K) appears above the last digit of the year mark, while the mint mark (M) is between the inscription and the dove. The twelve stars of the European Union adorn the outer ring.

	1^st Anniversary of the Signing of the European Constitution	18 million coins	29 October 2005
Description: The centre of the coin features Europa and the bull (Zeus), together with the European Constitution; Europa is holding a pen over it, symbolising its signing. The mint mark (R) is to the upper right

	20^th World Youth Day, held in Cologne in August 2005	100,000 coins	6 December 2005
Description: The centre of the coin contains the Cologne Cathedral and a comet passing by above it. The inscription is written in the upper part of the centre, separated by the tail of the comet and two of the cathedral's spires, one of which extends into the outer ring. The outer ring contains the inscription in the lower half and the twelve stars of the European Union in the upper half, with the year mark and the mint mark (R) separating them in the top centre.

2006 coinage

Country	Feature	Volume	Date
	Winter Olympics in Turin 2006	40 million coins	FDI:
Description: The coin depicts a racing skier and the visitor attraction of Turin, the Mole Antonelliana (which incidentally is also depicted on the Italian 2 cent coin), together with a large number of inscriptions: above the skier's head, ("Winter Games"); below the tower, the name of the host city ; beside the skier's left

	25^th Birthday of Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume	1.1 million coins	11 January 2006
Description: The coin depicts the effigy of Grand Duke Henri on the left

	Holstentor in Lübeck (Schleswig-Holstein) First of the Bundesländer series	30 million coins	3 February 2006
Description: The coin shows the Holstentor in Lübeck in the centre part, with the inscription below the gate at the bottom of the centre part. The mint mark is to the right,

	Renovation of the Atomium in Brussels	5 million coins	10 April 2006
Description: The coin shows the Atomium in the centre part, with the mint marks to the lower left

	1^st Centenary of the Introduction of Universal and Equal Suffrage	2.5 million coins	4 October 2006
Description: The coin shows two stylised faces in the centre part, one male and the other female; they're separated by a thin curved line. Two capital M's appear to the right

	500^th Anniversary of the Death of Christopher Columbus	120,000 coins	17 October 2006
Description: A portrait of Christopher Columbus (looking to the left

	500^th Anniversary of the Swiss Guard	100,000 coins	9 November 2006
Description: The centre part of the coin features a member of the Swiss Guard taking his oath on the flag of the Swiss Guard, facing the left

2007 coinage

Country	Feature	Volume	Date
	Schwerin Castle (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern) Second of the Bundesländer series	30 million coins	2 February 2007
Description: The centre part of the coin shows a representation of Schwerin Castle. The inscription and the engraver's initials HH appear underneath while the mint mark appears above. The twelve stars of the European Union surround the design on the outer ring of the coin, with the year mark inscribed at the top of the outer ring.

	Grand Ducal Palace	1.1 million coins	2 February 2007
Description: The inner part of the coin design is divided into two halves: The left side

	80^th Birthday of Pope Benedict XVI	100,000 coins	FDI:
Description: The inner part of the coin features a bust of Pope Benedict XVI in profile facing to the right.

	Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the European Union	2 million coins	FDI:
Description: The inner part of the coin shows a cork oak (Quercus suber) taking up most of the coin's design; under the branches, on the left hand side,

	25 Anniversary of the Death of Grace Kelly	20,001 coins	1 July 2007
Description: On the inner part of the coin there's an effigy of Grace Kelly in profile, facing to the right. MONACO, the mint mark, the year mark and the engraver's mark are engraved in an arc at the bottom right of the inner part. The name of the artist R. B. BARON is engraved under the Princess' hair. The twelve stars of the European Union surround the design on the outer ring of the coin.

	200 Birthday of Giuseppe Garibaldi	130,000 coins	9 October 2007
Description: The inner circle of the coin features a portrait of Giuseppe Garibaldi. The inscription SAN MARINO and the year mark are engraved along the circle on the right and left sides respectively.

	90 Anniversary of Finland's Independence	2 million coins	1 December 2007
Description: The centre part of the coin shows nine people rowing a boat with long oars. The year mark 2007 and the year 1917 (when Finland became independent) appear on the top and the bottom of the design respectively. The mint mark appears on the right

2007 commonly issued coin

Image	Country	Feature	Volume	Date

		50^th Anniversary of the Signature of the Treaty of Rome	87.453 million coins	25 March 2007
	Description: The centre part of the coin shows the treaty signed by the original six member states of the European Coal and Steel Community, on a background symbolising Michelangelo's paving on the [[Capitoline_Hill#Michelangelo\|]] in Rome where the treaty was signed. The translation of EUROPE is inscribed above the book, but within the central design, whereas the translation of TREATY OF ROME 50 YEARS appears above the design. The year mark and the name of the issuing country are inscribed below the design, and the twelve stars of the European Union surround the design on the outer ring of the coin. (The location of the mint mark (and the engraver's initials, if they're shown) differs between the thirteen different versions.)
Image	Country		Volume
			9 million coins
	Inscription:,,
			5 million coins
	Inscription:,, ––
			1.4 million coins
	Inscription:,,
			9.4 million coins
	Inscription:,,
			30 million coins
	Inscription:,,
			4 million coins
	Inscription:,,
			4.82 million coins
	Inscription:,,
			5 million coins
	Inscription:,,
			2.1 million coins
	Inscription:,,
			6.333 million coins
	Inscription:,,
			2 million coins
	Inscription:,,
			400,000 coins
	Inscription:,,
			8 million coins
	Inscription:,,
Due to special laws requiring that every coin bear the incumbent Grand Duke's portrait, the Luxembourgish edition of the common €2 commemorative coin differs slightly from the others in addition to the translated inscriptions, since a latent image of the Grand Duke's portrait was added (as required by national law). A similar Dutch law, which requires the portrait of the current head of state of the Netherlands and the words to appear on all coins issued by the Netherlands (for example, currently ) was amended so that the Netherlands could take part in this program; the amendment completely removed the requirement for €2 commemorative coins. Furthermore, due to Belgium's special multilingual society, the Belgian coin features the inscription in Latin. The three micro-states which also use the euro due to an official agreement with the European Union (Monaco, San Marino and the Vatican City) didn't issue this coin, as they're not member states of the European Union. However, some member states of the European Union which hadn't yet introduced the euro also took part in this program. For example, Cyprus issued a £1 coin and Hungary a 50 Ft coin with the same design.

2008 coinage

Country	Feature	Volume	Date
	St. Michaelis' Church (Hamburg) Third of the series	30 million coins	1 February 2008
Description: The inner part of the coin shows St. Michaelis's Church in Hamburg. The name of the federal State HAMBURG is inscribed beneath the image of the church. To the left

	Berg Castle	1.3 million coins	2 February 2008
Description: The inner part of the coin shows, in the foreground on the right

	60 Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights	5 million coins	April 2008
Description: The inner part of the coin shows a man and a woman with an olive branch, an ear of corn, a cogwheel and some barbed wire, symbols respectively representing the right to peace, food, work and freedom, along with the links of a broken chain which form the figure 60º. In the centre of the coin are the initials of the issuing country RI; to the right

	European Year of Intercultural Dialogue	130,000 coins	April 2008
Description: The inner part of the coin represents the different cultures of the five regions within the European continent, symbolized by five human silhouettes and the sacred texts of the different communities. Arched inscriptions complete the design: at the top, SAN MARINO, and below that the year mark; at the bottom, ANNO EUROPEO DEL DIALOGO INTERCULTURALE and the initials E.L.F. of the artist, Ettore Lorenzo Frapiccini; and to the right,

	60 Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights	5 million coins	April/May 2008
Description: The inner part of the coin shows curved lines around a rectangle marked with the figure 60. The year mark is inscribed above the rectangle and the words UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS appear below it. The name of the country in its three official languages (BELGIE — BELGIQUE — BELGIEN) is inscribed in a semi-circle below the design. The mint marks appear to the left and right of the design respectively. The twelve stars of the European Union surround the design on the outer ring of the coin.

	500 Birthday of Primož Trubar	1 million coins	May 2008
Description: The inner part of the coin depicts an effigy of Primož Trubar in a left profile. On the right

	Paul the Apostle	100,000 coins	June/July 2008
Description: Forthcoming.

	unknown	200,000 coins	September 2008
Description: Forthcoming.

	60 Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights	1 million coins	15 September 2008
Description: Forthcoming.

	French Presidency of the Council of the European Union	20 million coins	September 2008
Description: Forthcoming.

	60 Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights	2 million coins	October 2008
Description: Forthcoming.

	50 Birthday of Albert II, Prince of Monaco	... coins	unknown
Description: Forthcoming.

	...	... coins	unknown
Description: Forthcoming.

2009 coinage

Country	Feature	Volume	Date
	90 Anniversary of Grand Duchess Charlotte's Accession to the Throne	1 million coins	February 2009
Description: Forthcoming.

	Ludwigskirche in Saarbrücken (Saarland) Fourth of the series	... coins	2 February 2009
Description: Forthcoming.

2009 commonly issued coin

Image	Country	Feature	Volume	Date

	Description: Forthcoming.
The final design of the coin was chosen by electronic voting from 2008-01-31 to 2008-02-22, with the result announced on 2008-02-25. The designs were pre-selected by the national mint directors of the eurozone.

German Bundesländer series

Germany started the commemorative coin series (The 16 States of the Federal Republic of Germany) in 2006, which will continue until 2021. The year in which the coin for a specific state is issued coincides with that state's Presidency of the . The coins issued are:

Year	Number	State	Design
2006	1	Schleswig-Holstein	Holstentor in Lübeck
2007	2	Mecklenburg-Vorpommern	Schwerin Castle
2008	3	Hamburg	St. Michaelis Church

The other thirteen coins will be issued in the following years; note that some designs are not yet finalised and still subject to change. Originally, the designs for the following states were different:

Hamburg: Landungsbrücken

Bremen: City Hall only

Bavaria: Munich Frauenkirche

Lower Saxony: Hanover New City Hall, then St. Michael's Church in Hildesheim

Hesse: Römer in Frankfurt am Main

Berlin: Reichstag

Year	Number	State	Design
2009	4	Saarland	Ludwigskirche in Saarbrücken
2010	5	Bremen	City Hall and Roland
2011	6	North Rhine-Westphalia	Cologne Cathedral
2012	7	Bavaria	Neuschwanstein Castle near Füssen
2013	8	Baden-Württemberg	Maulbronn Abbey
2014	9	Lower Saxony	St. Andrew's Church in Hildesheim
2015	10	Hesse	Paulskirche in Frankfurt am Main
2016	11	Saxony	Zwinger Palace in Dresden
2017	12	Rhineland-Palatinate	Porta Nigra in Trier
2018	13	Berlin	Charlottenburg Palace
2019	14	Saxony-Anhalt	Cathedral of Magdeburg
2020	15	Thuringia	Wartburg Castle in Eisenach
2021	16	Brandenburg	Sanssouci Palace in Potsdam

The series is similar to the United States' 50 State Quarters series, which is issuing fifty coins for its fifty constituent states, five per year between 1999 and 2008, plus six more in 2009 for the District of Columbia and five territories of the United States.

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