general info for euro

8/3/2019 General Info for Euro

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General

1. Who uses the Euro?a. Overseas territories b. Monaco, San Marino, Vatican Cityc. Montenegro and Kosovod. Andorra

2. Which countries are getting the Euro and when?3. What do all of the abbreviations/acronyms stand for?4. What does the Euro symbol look like?5. How does everyone in Europe say Euro?6. How does everyone in Europe spell Euro?7. What is the exchange rate?8. What are old currencies worth in Euro?9. What is the difference between the EU and the Euro?10. Why doesn't the UK, Sweden and Denmark use the Euro?11. What is ERM I?12. What is ERM II?

Euro Coins

1. Which side of the Euro coin is the reverse and which is theobverse?

2. Where can Euro collector coins be purchased?3. How many Euro coins are there?4. Is there a poster which has all designs of the standard issue

Euro coins?5. Does the design of the Euro coins ever change?

a. Changes to the National Side b. Issuance of commemorative coins intended for

circulationc. Future changes to the national side of circulation coins

6. What is the appropriate name for the mintmarks on somecoins?

7. Which countries use mintmarks and mint master/privy marks?8. Why do some countries have no coins dated 1999, 2000 and

2001?9. Why doesn't Luxembourg have a second series?10. Why doesn't Slovenia have a second series?11. What is the difference between a new series and an amended

design?12. Why are there no coins in circulation from specific countries

during certain years?13. Are there any commemorative coins?

http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/faq.htm#Who%20uses%20the%20Euro%23Who%20uses%20the%20Euro

http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/faq.htm#Overseas%20territories%23Overseas%20territories

http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/faq.htm#Monaco,%20San%20Marino,%20Vatican%20City%23Monaco,%20San%20Marino,%20Vatican%20City

http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/faq.htm#Montenegro%20and%20Kosovo%23Montenegro%20and%20Kosovo

http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/faq.htm#Andorra%23Andorra

http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/faq.htm#Which%20countries%20are%20getting%20the%20Euro%20and%20when%23Which%20countries%20are%20getting%20the%20Euro%20and%20when

http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/faq.htm#What_do_all_of_the_abbreviationsacronyms_stand_for%23What_do_all_of_the_abbreviationsacronyms_stand_for

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http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/faq.htm#How%20does%20everyone%20in%20Europe%20say%20Euro%23How%20does%20everyone%20in%20Europe%20say%20Euro

http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/faq.htm#How%20does%20everyone%20in%20Europe%20spell%20Euro%23How%20does%20everyone%20in%20Europe%20spell%20Euro

http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/faq.htm#What%20is%20the%20exchange%20rate%23What%20is%20the%20exchange%20rate

http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/faq.htm#What%20are%20old%20currencies%20worth%20in%20Euro%23What%20are%20old%20currencies%20worth%20in%20Euro

http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/faq.htm#What%20is%20the%20difference%20between%20the%20EU%20and%20the%20Euro%23What%20is%20the%20difference%20between%20the%20EU%20and%20the%20Euro

http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/faq.htm#Why%20doesnt%20the%20UK%20Sweden%20and%20Denmark%20use%20the%20Euro%23Why%20doesnt%20the%20UK%20Sweden%20and%20Denmark%20use%20the%20Euro

http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/faq.htm#What%20is%20ERM%23What%20is%20ERM

http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/faq.htm#What%20is%20ERM%20II%23What%20is%20ERM%20II

http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/faq.htm#Which%20side%20of%20the%20Euro%20coin%20is%20the%20reverse%20and%20which%20is%20the%20obverse%23Which%20side%20of%20the%20Euro%20coin%20is%20the%20reverse%20and%20which%20is%20the%20obverse


http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/faq.htm#Where%20can%20Euro%20collector%20coins%20be%20purchased%23Where%20can%20Euro%20collector%20coins%20be%20purchased

http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/faq.htm#How%20many%20Euro%20coins%20are%20there%23How%20many%20Euro%20coins%20are%20there

http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/faq.htm#Is%20there%20a%20poster%20which%20has%20all%2025%20designs%20of%20the%20standard%20issue%20Euro%20coins%23Is%20there%20a%20poster%20which%20has%20all%2025%20designs%20of%20the%20standard%20issue%20Euro%20coins


http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/faq.htm#Does%20the%20design%20of%20the%20euro%20coins%20ever%20change%23Does%20the%20design%20of%20the%20euro%20coins%20ever%20change

http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/faq.htm#designchangeChanges%20to%20the%20National%20Side%23designchangeChanges%20to%20the%20National%20Side

http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/faq.htm#designchangeIssuance%20of%20commemorative%20coins%20intended%20for%20circulation%23designchangeIssuance%20of%20commemorative%20coins%20intended%20for%20circulation


http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/faq.htm#designchangeFuture%20changes%20to%20the%20national%20side%20of%20circulation%20coins%23designchangeFuture%20changes%20to%20the%20national%20side%20of%20circulation%20coins

http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/faq.htm#What%20is%20the%20appropriate%20name%20for%20the%20mintmarks%20on%20some%20coins%23What%20is%20the%20appropriate%20name%20for%20the%20mintmarks%20on%20some%20coins


http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/faq.htm#Which%20countries%20use%20mintmarks%20and%20mint%20master/privy%20marks%23Which%20countries%20use%20mintmarks%20and%20mint%20master/privy%20marks

http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/faq.htm#Why%20do%20some%20countries%20have%20no%20coins%20dated%201999%202000%20and%202001%23Why%20do%20some%20countries%20have%20no%20coins%20dated%201999%202000%20and%202001


http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/faq.htm#Why%20doesnt%20Slovenia%20have%20a%20second%20series%23Why%20doesnt%20Slovenia%20have%20a%20second%20series


http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/faq.htm#What%20is%20the%20difference%20between%20a%20new%20series%20and%20an%20amended%20design%23What%20is%20the%20difference%20between%20a%20new%20series%20and%20an%20amended%20design


http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/faq.htm#Why%20are%20there%20no%20coins%20in%20circulation%20from%20specific%20countries%20during%20certain%20years%23Why%20are%20there%20no%20coins%20in%20circulation%20from%20specific%20countries%20during%20certain%20years


http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/faq.htm#Are%20there%20any%20commemorative%20coins%23Are%20there%20any%20commemorative%20coins

http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=15&winname=addthis&pub=theeuro&s=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ibiblio.org%2Ftheeuro%2Ffaq.htm&title=The%20Euro-%20FAQ&logo=&logobg=&logocolor=&ate=AT-theeuro/-/-/977132f6bb5b30/1/4758f2c6283c4bb3&adt=undefined&content=&CXNID=2000001.5215456080540439074NXC


http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/faq.htm#Overseas%20territories%23Overseas%20territories

http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/faq.htm#Monaco,%20San%20Marino,%20Vatican%20City%23Monaco,%20San%20Marino,%20Vatican%20City

http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/faq.htm#Montenegro%20and%20Kosovo%23Montenegro%20and%20Kosovo

http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/faq.htm#Andorra%23Andorra






http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/faq.htm#What%20is%20the%20exchange%20rate%23What%20is%20the%20exchange%20rate













http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/faq.htm#designchangeChanges%20to%20the%20National%20Side%23designchangeChanges%20to%20the%20National%20Side



http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/faq.htm#designchangeFuture%20changes%20to%20the%20national%20side%20of%20circulation%20coins%23designchangeFuture%20changes%20to%20the%20national%20side%20of%20circulation%20coins















14. How many €2 Commemorative coins have been issued?15. What is the Bundesländer Series?

Euro Banknotes

1. What kind of security features are there for the EuroBanknotes?

2. Which country are the Euro Banknotes from?3. Which country produces the most banknotes?4. Why are there two spellings of Euro on banknotes?

Members of the EMU. Also referred to as the 'Eurozone'.

EU member states participating in ERMII, who do not have a Euro adoption date.

EU member states not participating in ERMII.

Non EMU members using the Euro as its currency.

Who uses the Euro?

The Following countries currently use the Euro as their currency:

http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/faq.htm#How%20many%20%E2%82%AC2%20Commemorative%20coins%20have%20been%20issued%23How%20many%20%E2%82%AC2%20Commemorative%20coins%20have%20been%20issued

http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/faq.htm#BundeslanderSeries%23BundeslanderSeries

http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/faq.htm#What%20kind%20of%20security%20features%20are%20there%20for%20the%20Euro%20Banknotes%23What%20kind%20of%20security%20features%20are%20there%20for%20the%20Euro%20Banknotes


http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/faq.htm#Which%20country%20are%20the%20Euro%20Banknotes%20from%23Which%20country%20are%20the%20Euro%20Banknotes%20from

http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/faq.htm#Which%20country%20produces%20the%20most%20banknotes%23Which%20country%20produces%20the%20most%20banknotes

http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/faq.htm#Why%20are%20there%20two%20spellings%20of%20Euro%20on%20banknotes%23Why%20are%20there%20two%20spellings%20of%20Euro%20on%20banknotes

http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/faq.htm#How%20many%20%E2%82%AC2%20Commemorative%20coins%20have%20been%20issued%23How%20many%20%E2%82%AC2%20Commemorative%20coins%20have%20been%20issued

http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/faq.htm#BundeslanderSeries%23BundeslanderSeries








AustriaBelgiumCyprusFinlandFranceGermanyGreeceIrelandItalyLuxembourgMaltaNetherlandsPortugalSpainSlovakia

Slovenia

Overseas territories (inset of map at right) of the above countriesalso use the Euro as their currencies:

Azores (Portugal)Madeira (Portugal)Canary Islands (Spain)French Guiana (France)Guadeloupe (France)

Martinique (France)Réunion (France)

In addition to these territories, the French Islands of Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon and Mayotte are French overseas territorialcommunities not forming part of the EU which previously used theFrench franc, now use the Euro by virtue of an agreement with theUnion.

Monaco, San Marino, Vatican City

Monaco, San Marino and Vatican City are permitted to use and issuetheir own Euro coins even though they are not members of the EU.Prior to the Euro, Monaco had their own currency, minted in France.When France began using the Euro, Monaco was permitted to issuetheir own sets of Euro coins. The same arrangements were madebetween Italy and San Marino and Vatican City. This specialcircumstance came after negotiations with the European CentralBank and those governments.

Montenegro and Kosovo



Montenegro and Kosovo used the German mark as their currencyprior to the Euro changeover in 2002. The Euro is therefore the defacto currency. They use the Euro as their currency, but do notissue their own coins.

Andorra

The Principality of Andorra never had an official currency and usedthe Spanish peseta and the French franc prior to the replacement of both by the Euro. Andorra has been granted permission to use theEuro as its currency effective 11 May 2004. This agreement is inconjunction with the process of negotiating their own issuance of Euro coins with the ECB, similar to the agreement between the ECBand San Marino, Vatican City and Monaco.

Who uses the Euro? Back to Top

Which countries are getting the Euro and when?

Of the 12 EU member states not currently using the Euro;

3 are participants in ERMII and have a targeted date for Euroadoption:

Estonia- January 2010 (Design chosen- SEE HERE)Lithuania- January 2010 (Design chosen- SEE HERE)Latvia- not before 2013 (Design chosen- SEE HERE)

6 are non-participants in ERMII but are required to adopt the Euroand have a loose timeframe for Euro adoption:

Poland- January 2011Bulgaria- January 2012Czech Republic- January 2012Sweden- not before 2012Hungary- January 2013

Romania- not before 2014

2 have a derogation to adopt the Euro (SEE Why doesn't the UKSweden and Denmark use the Euro? for more information):

Denmark- awaiting majority results in favor of adoption in futurereferendum

United Kingdom- awaiting '5 economic tests' results and majorityresult in favor of adoption in future referendum

Which countries are getting the Euro andwhen? Back to Top


http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/faq.htm#top%23top

http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/files/files.nat/estonia.s01.htm

http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/files/files.nat/lithuania.s01.htm

http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/files/files.nat/latvia.s01.htm








http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/files/files.nat/estonia.s01.htm

http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/files/files.nat/lithuania.s01.htm

http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/files/files.nat/latvia.s01.htm








What do all of the abbreviations/acronyms stand for?

Acronym definitions

Acronym Definition

EU European Union

EMU Economic Monetary Union

ECB European Central Bank

NCB National Central Bank

ERM Exchange Rate Mechanism

ECOFIN Economic and Financial Affairs Council of the European Union

ECU European Currency Unit

ESCB European System of Central Banks

EMI European Monetary Institute

EMS European Monetary System

What do all of the abbreviations/acronymsstand for?

Back to Top

What does the Euro symbol look like?









The Euro symbol was designed by Alain Billiet of Belgium.

What does the Euro symbollook like?

Back to Top

How does everyone in Europe say Euro?

Every language has its own interpretation of the word 'Euro'. Most

languages have different inflections, many pronounce it the samealmost everywhere. The simplicity and familiarity with the wordEurope across all languages is the only reason the single Europeancurrency is called 'Euro'.

How does everyone in Europe say Euro? Back to Top

How does everyone in Europe spell Euro?

Spelling of the words "Euro" and "cent"in official community languagesas used in community legislative acts

Language Countries Expressed as anamount

With definitearticle













oneunit

several units singular plural

Bulgarian(BG)

Bulgaria1 евро1 цент

100 евро2 цента;100 центов

евроцент

евроцент

Danish (DA) Denmark1 Euro1 Cent

100 Euro100 Cent

euroencenten

euroenecentene

Dutch (NL) Netherlands,Belgium

1 Euro1 cent

100 Euro100 cent

de Eurode cent

deEuro’sdecenten

German(DE)

Germany,Austria,Belgium

1 Euro1 Cent

100 Euro100 Cent

der Euroder Cent

die Eurodie Cent

Greek (EL) Greece,Cyprus

1 ευρώ1 λεπτό

100 ευρώ100 λεπτά

το ευρώτο λεπτό

τα ευρώτα λεπτά

English(EN)

Ireland1 Euro1 cent

100 euro1

100 cent1

the Eurothe cent

theeuro1

the cent1

Estonian(ET) Estonia

1 euro1 cent

100 eurot100 senti

eurosent

eurodsendid

Finnish (FI) Finland 1 Euro1 sentti

100 euroa2

100 senttiä2

Eurosentti

eurotsentit

French (FR) France,Belgium,

1 Euro 100 euros l'euro leseuros

http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/faq.htm#spell1%23spell1














Luxembourg 1 cent 100 cents le cent les cents

Italian (IT) Italy 1 Euro1 cent

100 Euro100 cent

l’Euroil cent

gli Euroi cent

Latvian (LV) Latvia1 eiro1 cents

100 eiro100 centi

eirocent

eirocenti

Lithuanian

(LT)

Lithuania1 euras

1 cent

100 eurų

100 centų

euras

centas

eurai

centai

Portuguese(PT) Portugal

1 Euro1 cent

100 euros100 cents

o Euroo cent

os eurosos cents

Slovenian

(SL)Slovenia

1 evro

1 cent

2 evra; 3, 4evri; 5-100evrov

2 centa; 3,4centi; 5-100centov

evro

cent

evri

centi

Slovak (SK) Slovakia1 Euro1 cent

100 eurov100 centov

Eurocent

euricenti

Spanish(ES) Spain 1 Euro1 cent 100 euros100 cents el Euroel cent

loseuroslos cents

Swedish(SV)

Sweden,Finland

1 Euro1 cent

100 Euro100 cent

euron3

centeneurorna3

centen

The official abbreviation, according to ISO 4217, for “Euro” is “EUR”

in all languages.







There is no official abbreviation for “cent”, but one could reflect onusing either “c” or “ct”.

1. This spelling without an “s” may be seen as departing from usual English

practice for currencies.2. The form used is the singular partitive form.3. Used for references to “the currency” or coins.

How does everyone in Europe spell Euro? Back to Top

What is the exchange rate?

Currency exchange rate table in real-time (to within 20 min.) fromgocurrency.com:

EUR USD GBP JPY CAD AUD BGN CZK HUF PLN SEK CHF ISK

1 EUR = 1.000

1.250

0.836

119.701

1.567

1.962

1.940

25.729

272.019

3.809

10.235

1.515

281.205

1 USD = 0.800

1.000

0.669

95.785 1.254

1.570

1.553

20.588

217.670

3.048

8.190 1.213

225.020

1 GBP = 1.197

1.496

1.000

143.262

1.876

2.349

2.322

30.793

325.561

4.558

12.249

1.813

336.554

1 JPY = 0.008

0.010

0.007

1.000 0.013

0.016

0.016

0.215 2.272 0.032

0.086 0.013

2.349

1 CAD = 0.638

0.797

0.533

76.384 1.000

1.252

1.238

16.418

173.581

2.430

6.531 0.967

179.442

1 AUD = 0.510

0.637

0.426

60.998 0.799

1.000

0.989

13.111

138.617

1.941

5.216 0.772

143.297

1 BGN = 0.515

0.644

0.431

61.689 0.808

1.011

1.000

13.259

140.188

1.963

5.275 0.781

144.922

1 CZK = 0.039

0.049

0.032

4.652 0.061

0.076

0.075

1.000 10.573 0.148

0.398 0.059

10.930

1 HUF = 0.004

0.005

0.003

0.440 0.006

0.007

0.007

0.095 1.000 0.014

0.038 0.006

1.034

1 PLN = 0.263

0.328

0.219

31.428 0.411

0.515

0.509

6.755 71.419 1.000

2.687 0.398

73.830

1 SEK = 0.098

0.122

0.082

11.695 0.153

0.192

0.190

2.514 26.578 0.372

1.000 0.148

27.475

1 CHF = 0.660

0.825

0.551

78.998 1.034

1.295

1.281

16.980

179.522

2.514

6.755 1.000

185.584

1 ISK = 0.004

0.004

0.003

0.426 0.006

0.007

0.007

0.091 0.967 0.014

0.036 0.005

1.000



http://www.gocurrency.com/





1998

1.95583 Deutschemark

DEM Germany 31 December1998

5.94573 Finnish mark FIM Finland31 December1998

6.55957 French franc FRF France 31 December

1998

Monégasquefranc

MCF Monaco

.787564 Irish pound IEP Ireland 31 December1998

1936.27 Italian lira ITL Italy 31 December1998

Sammarineselira

SML San Marino

Vatican lira VAL Vatican City

40.3399 Luxembourgfranc

LUF Luxembourg 31 December1998

2.20371 Dutch guilder NLG Netherlands 31 December1998

200.482 Portuguese PTE Portugal 31 December



escudo 1998

166.386 Spanishpeseta

ESP Spain 31 December1998

340.750Greekdrachma

GRD Greece 19 June 2000

15.6466Estonian

kroon

EEK Estonia 27 June 2004

3.45280Lithuanianlita LTL Lithuania 27 June 2004

239.640 Sloveniantolar

SIT Slovenia 27 June 2004

.585274 Cypriotpound

CYP Cyprus 29 April 2005

.702804 Latvian lat LVL Latvia 29 April 2005

.429300 Maltese lira MTL Malta 29 April 2005

30.12601 2 Slovakkoruna

SKK Slovakia 25 November2005

1. Before 17 March 2007, the exchange rate was 1 EUR = 38.4550 SKK.2. Before 8 July 2008, the exchange rate was 1 EUR = 35.4424 SKK.

What are old currencies worth in Euro? Back to Top

What is the difference between the EU and the Euro?

http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/faq.htm#erm21%23erm21











The EU is the European Union. As of 1 January 2007, there are 27members of the European union.

Growth of the European Union since the Treaty of Rome, 1957

MemberState

Totals:

Year of entry into the EU

1957 1973 1981 1986 1995 2004 2007

Belgium Denmark Greece Portugal Austria Cyprus Bulgaria

FranceUnitedKingdom Spain Finland

CzechRepublic Romania

Germany Ireland Sweden Estonia

Italy Hungary

Luxembourg Latvia

TheNetherlands

Lithuania

Malta

Poland



Slovakia

Slovenia

6 9 10 12 15 25 27

The Euro is the single currency which is used by most countrieswithin the EU.

A country can not issue a Euro unless it is part of the EU. The onlyexceptions to this are Monaco, San Marino and Vatican City.Andorra, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway are in negotiations toform a similar relationship with the European Central Bank.

A country can be in the EU and not use the Euro. Any countrycoming into the EU must take part in the ERM. Only the UK, and

Denmark have a derogation privilege. Sweden does not have aderogation agreement and must adopt the Euro as its currency atsome point in the future.

What is the difference between the EU andthe Euro? Back to Top

Why doesn't the UK, Sweden and Denmark use the Euro?

The United Kingdom has a derogation to the original MaastrichtTreaty, establishing the Euro. Unless approved by the Cabinet,Parliament and British electorate in a referendum, the UK can optout of joining the Euro zone.

The same situation applies to Denmark, though a referendum put tothe Danish electorate in December, 2000, showed a 53.2% majorityoppose joining the Euro zone.

Unlike the UK and Denmark, Sweden has no such derogation to theMaastricht Treaty and therefore is expected at some point in thefuture to adopt the Euro.









There are several proposals for designs of the Euro for thesecountries. Denmark has already chosen the design of its Euro coinsif and when a future referendum passes.

Why doesn't the UK Sweden and Denmark

use the Euro?Back to Top

What is ERM?

ERM is an acronym which represents European Exchange RateMechanism. This system was introduced by the European EconomicCommunity in March, 1979. Later ratified by the Treaty of Maastricht, it was designed to reduce the exchange rate variabilitybetween the currencies of participant members, in order tointroduce a stable element as pt of the economic enforcement

process of the European Monetary System (EMS) to establishEconomic and Monetary Union (EMU). This single economic measurewas referred to as the European Currency Unit (ECU), whichbecame the Euro in January, 1999.

Participation in the ERM required a currency stability margin of 2.25% delta from bilateral rates measured in ECUs (Italy wasallowed a 6% margin). The British Pound Sterling entered into theERM in 1990, but was forced to withdraw two years later due toescalating inflation falling outside of the 2.25% margin.

The margin was increased to 15% in 1993 due, in part, to thefailure of the British Pound and speculation that the French Francwould come to a similar fate.

Ahead of Euro adoption, ECU exchange rates were frozen in theoriginal Euro zone countries. On 31 December 1998, the value of the Euro was established based on these rates and the ECU wasreplaced.

Establishing and adhering to the ERM or ERM II is the first step

toward adoption of the Euro as a country's currency. It is a standardby which the current currency must measure itself in terms of inflation and exchange over a period of time. Each currency's valueis taken into account when a rate of ERM is established. Thecurrency must then remain at this rate for at least three yearsbefore Euro introduction can take place.

What is the ERM? Back to Top

What is ERM II?













ERM II is an extension and replacement for the original ERMagreements. The ERM II allows for new EU countries to establishsimilar economic policies in preparation for an eventual Euroadoption.

What is ERM II? Back to Top

Which side of the Euro coin is the reverse and which is theobverse?

The numismatic terms 'reverse' and 'obverse' are designations of the two sides of a coin. Other terms also apply to describe the twosides of a coin: 'heads, front' for obverse and 'tails, back' forreverse. For traditional coin-issuing western monetary systems, theterm 'obverse' refers to the 'front' of the coin. This is applied to

describe, for example, a monarch's portrait on British coins, or apresident's portrait on American coins.

Since the adoption of the Euro by the initial 12 countries in 2002,these terms have not been applied with any sort of consistency tothe sides of the Euro coins. The Euro is one of the most uniquecurrency systems in the history of the world and one of the first toapply one monetary system and currency to several countries. Thispresents a problem for continued use of the traditional numismaticterms for the two coin sides.

With regard to Euro coins, there is a 'Common Side' or 'CommonFace' and a 'National Side' or 'National Face'. The 'Common' sideonly has eight designs (not considering the 2007 re-design), one foreach denomination of Euro coin. The 'National' side has a differentdesign for each of the countries participating in the EMU. Forexample, the 1 Euro-cent coin has only one design on the 'CommonSide' across the coin-issuing members of the EMU, however, thereare twenty-three designs on the 'National Side' - one for each of theEMU members (including a handful of second and third series of regular circulation coins).

With precedent set forth by the European Central Bank and theEuropean System of National Banks, these terms equate the'Common Side' or 'Common Face' with the 'reverse' or 'back' andthe 'National Side' or 'National Face' with the 'obverse' or 'front'.

Contradictions on official documents published by ECOFIN may stemfrom translating 'obverse' and 'reverse' from one EU language toanother EU language.







In all matters, the following should be observed when applyingterms to circulation Euro coins (the 1 Euro-cent coin from Germanyis used as the graphic example):

Obverse Reverse

National Side Common Side

National Face Common Face

front back

Which side of the Euro coin is thereverse and which is the obverse? Back to Top

Where can Euro collector coins be purchased?

This website does not contain any information on purchasing Euro

collector coins or any other information about purchasing coins. TheEuropean Central Bank has a page of links to other Central Banks inthe Euro Zone for this kind of information.

Please seehere:http://www.ecb.int/bc/euro/coins/collect/html/index.en.html.

Where can Euro collector coins be purchased? Back to Top

How many Euro coins are there?




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After so many requests for a full accounting of the variant designsissued since production of the Euro began in 1999, what follows isan answer to those requests.

This proof takes into account mintmark variation and changes in

overall national design. This accounting does not take into accountthe change in common side, nor changes in date stamp.

The number of Euro coin variations with a date stamp of 1999 is 37.Belgium only produced 5 of the 8 denominations (1 Euro, 50, 10, 5and 1 Euro cent) with a date stamp of 1999.

BEL: 5; FIN: 8; FRA: 8; NED: 8; SPA: 8 = 37

The number of Euro coin variations with a date stamp of 2000 is 11.

Belgium produced 3 of the 8 denominations (2 Euro, 20 and 2 Eurocent) with a date stamp of 2000. The signature of the master of themint for the Netherlands changed in 2000.

BEL: 3; NED: 8 = 11

The number of Euro coin variations with a date stamp of 2001 is 24.Monaco's Euro coins did not appear before this and the French andDutch mint master marks changed.

FRA: 8; MON: 8; NED: 8 = 24The number of Euro coin variations with a date stamp of 2002 is120. The remaining EMU member states with an Issue Datestipulation, including the 5 complete sets of 8 denominatedstandard circulation Euro coins produced by the 5 German mintlocations. The Dutch mint master mark changed. Greek Euro coinswere produced at four locations within the EMU; 1 complete set of 8denominated standard circulation Euro coins produced in Greece, 2and 1 Euro coins produced in Finland with the mintmark 'S'; 50, 10,5, 2 and 1 Euro cent coins produced in Spain with the mintmark 'E';20 Euro cent coin produced in France with the mintmark 'F'.

AUS: 8; GER: 40; GRE: 16; IRL: 8; ITL: 8; LUX: 8; NED: 8; POR:8; SAN: 8; VAT: 8 = 120

The number of Euro coin variations with a date stamp of 2003 is 29.The French and Dutch mint master marks changed. Monaco andLuxembourg carry the French and Dutch marks, respectively for thisissue year and changed along with them, however, Monaco onlyproduced 5 of the 8 denominated Euro coins.

FRA: 8; LUX: 8; MON: 5; NED: 8 = 29







The number of Euro coin variations with a date stamp of 2004 is 16.The French mint master mark changed. Monaco carries the Frenchmarks and changed along with it.

FRA: 8; MON: 8 = 16

The number of Euro coin variations with a date stamp of 2005 is 16.Luxembourg changed production facilities from the Netherlands toFinland. Vatican City issued a second standard series of Euro coinsdue to the passing of HH Pope John Paul II.

LUX: 8; VAT: 8 = 16

The number of Euro coin variations with a date stamp of 2006 is 16.Monaco issued a second standard series of Euro coins due to the

passing of H.S.H., the Sovereign Prince Rainier III in April 2005.Vatican City issued a second series of Euro coins due to the electionto the Papacy, HH Pope Benedict XVI.

MON: 8; VAT: 8 = 16

The number of Euro coin variations with a date stamp of 2007 is 25.Finland amended their national design. Luxembourg changedproduction facilities from Finland to France. Monaco issued a typicaland a variant 1 Euro coin bearing no mint or mint master marks

corresponding to the production location of France. Sloveniaadopted the Euro as their currency and issued a complete set of standard issue circulation Euro coins.

FIN: 8; LUX: 8; MON: 1; SLE: 8 = 25

The number of Euro coin variations with a date stamp of 2008 is 40.Belgium issued a new series of standard issue Euro coins. Finlandamended their national design. Slovenia changed productionfacilities from Finland to the Netherlands and adopted the Dutchmarks into their design. Cyprus and Malta adopted the Euro as theircurrency and issued a complete set of standard issue circulationEuro coins.

BEL: 8; CYP: 8; FIN: 8; SLE: 8; MAL: 8 = 40

Therefore, the total number of variant Euro coins issued between1999 and 2008 is as follows:

37+11+24+120+29+16+16+16+25+40 = 334



This number continues to be more than any other monetary body inthe world. All 334 separate coins are legal tender anywhere in theEurozone, in all 18 countries.

With regard to actual quantity, as of 31 December 2006, there are

approximately 69,499,000,000 coins in circulation in the Eurozone.

How many Euro coins are there? Back to Top

Is there a poster which has all designs of the standard issueEuro coins?

The poster containing the designs for the euro coins has been takenoffline due to theft and plagiarism. Please use The Euro InformationWebsite Forum and follow the directions on obtaining this file.

Is there a poster which has all designs of thestandard issue Euro coins?

Back to Top

Does the design of the Euro coins ever change?

There are very strict regulations governing the design and changesthereto set forth by a combination of the European Council and theEuropean Central Bank.

Changes to the National Side:

"No changes should be made to the standard' national side of theEuro circulation coins until the end of 2008, except if the Head of State who is depicted on a coin changes..."1 3

"...a change to the standard national side is possible if the Head of State depicted on a coin changes, while the moratorium for changesto the national sides on other grounds could be reconsidered by theend of 2008."2 3

Issuance of commemorative coins intended for circulation:

"The moratorium on the issuance of commemorative Eurocirculation coins should be lifted from 2004 onwards, subject to anumber of conditions. One issue per year and per Member State atmost should be permitted. Commemorative issues should moreoverbe limited to a single coin denomination, following previous practicein several countries. The 2-Euro coin appears to be the mostappropriate denomination for several reasons: the large diametermakes it very suitable for the representation of designs, while the

bi-metallic technology and further technical properties offer veryadequate protection against counterfeiting. The high denomination



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moreover allows covering the production costs and ensuring acertain revenue for the issuer since many coins will be collected bythe public.

"The total issuing volume should be limited in order to avoid

commemorative Euro circulation coins either crowding out normal2-Euro circulation coins or having them issued over extendedperiods, in which case a commemorative issue would in substanceamount to a change to the national side. On the other hand, theissuing volume should be large enough to allow for effectivecirculation, at least during a certain period. Very small volumes of commemorative coins would indeed, due to their relative scarcity,become collector items rather than circulation coins. The proposedceilings constitute a balance which takes into account both the totalnational issuing volume of 2-Euro coins and the total Euro area

issuing volume of this denomination. The two-tier approach leavescountries the choice between the highest of two issuing ceilings, i.e.either 0,1 % of the total Euro area circulation or 5,0 % of thecumulative national issuing volume of the 2-Euro coins.Exceptionally, the 0,1 % ceiling can be increased up to 2,0 % forthe commemoration of a truly global and highly symbolic event,subject to the condition that the respective Member State refrainsfrom launching a commemorative Euro circulation coin issue of asimilar volume during the subsequent four years."1 4

Future changes to the national side of circulation coins:

"The national sides of all denominations of the Euro circulation coinsshould bear an indication of the issuing Member State by means of the Member State’s name or an abbreviation of it.5 6

"The national side should not repeat any indication on thedenomination, or any parts thereof, of the coin neither should itrepeat the name of the single currency or of its subdivision, unlesssuch indication stems from the use of a different alphabet.

"This Recommendation should apply to national sides and edgeletterings of both normal and commemorative Euro circulationcoins. It should not apply to the national sides and edge letteringsof both normal and commemorative Euro circulation coins whichhave been first issued prior to the adoption of thisRecommendation."2

The above paragraphs, in essence, requires 5 Eurozone members tochange their national designs.

• Austriao No National identification















o Repeats name of single currency and subdivision• Belgium

o No National identificationo The design has been amended to include the abbreviation 'BE'6

• Finlando No National identificationo The design has been amended to include the abbreviation 'FI'5

• Germanyo No National identification

• Greeceo No National identification

Finland5 was the first of these 5 to change their national designbased on the recommendations, Belgium6 was the second.

According to the Bank of Finland:

"The national sides of Euro coins will be amended so that eachissuing Member State will add its name or abbreviation (FI forFinland) on the coins. On Finnish coins the first letter of the Mint of Finland’s President and CEO (M for Raimo Makkonen) will also bereplaced with the Mint’s logo. Amendments to the national sidesaffect all denominations of Euro coins.

"Each Euro area Member State will decide on the schedule for theintroduction of their new coins. In Finland the new coins will be putinto circulation in January 2007. The current coins will remain valid,and coins in stock will be put into circulation as necessary. This waycoins with the new designs will mix with the current coins incirculation."5 6

1. "Communication from the Commission on the recommendation of 29September 2003 concerning a common practice for changes to the designof national obverse sides of euro circulation coins" (10 October 2003) OJ2003 C 247/5. Official Journal of the European Union.

2. "Commission Recommendation of 3 June 2005 on common guidelines forthe national sides of euro circulation coins" (3 June 2005) OJ 2005/ L186/1. Official Journal of the European Union.

3. There have been two cases where the death of a head of state promptedthe exercise of this exception.

In 2005, upon the death of HH Pope John Paul II, the Vatican issued asecond series of regular circulation Euro coins, depicting the coat of armsof the Cardinal Camerlengo. Vatican City became the first nation within theEuro Zone to have issued more than one series of standard circulationEuro coins.

When HH Pope Benedict XVI was elected, Vatican City issued a third series

of standard circulation Euro coins, depicting the new Pope.SEE:








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The Euro- Vatican Series 3

Only four days after HH Pope John Paul II, in April of 2005, HSH RainierIII, Sovereign Prince of Monaco died. His son, Prince Albert II succeededas head of state of Monaco. In 2006, Monaco issued a second series of standard circulation Euro coins depicting the new Sovereign Prince of Monaco.

SEE:

The Euro- Monaco Series 2

4. As of November, 2006, 12 of the 16 members of the Eurozone have issueda combined 21 commemorative 2 Euro coins intended for circulation.

5. "Designs of Euro coins will be amended in 2007" (27 December2006)Press release number 33. Bank of Finland.

SEE:

The Euro- Finland Series 2

6. "Update of the national faces of Euro coins intended for circulation" (14December 2007) NOTICES FROM EUROPEAN UNION INSTITUTIONS ANDBODIES-Commission. Official Journal of the European Union.

SEE:

The Euro- Belgium Series 2

Does the design of the Euro coins everchange?

Back to Top

What is the appropriate name for the mintmarks on somecoins?

Mint mark definitions

Term Definition

mint mark'Mint mark' is the appropriate term for the identification of the mint which produces coins. Almost every mint uses thesemarks, only two do not: The Irish Currency Centre andMünze Österreich.currency

mark

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mintmastermark

'Signature mark of the Master of the Mint' or simply'signature mark' is the appropriate term for the identificationof either the chief engraver of a mint or the director of themint, depending on how it is used. Only three mints usethese marks: Belgium, France and Netherlands. Prior to2007, Finland also used a signature mark.

privy mark

signaturemark of theMaster of the Mint

What is the appropriate name for the

mintmarks on some coins?

Back to Top

Which countries use mintmarks and mint master/privymarks?

Only two members of the EMU do not use mintmarks:

• Austria• Ireland

Seven members of the EMU use or have used mint master marks or

privy marks:

• Belgium (2nd series)• Finland (1st series)• France• Luxembourg• Monaco• Netherlands• Slovenia

SEE:

The Euro- Mintmarks

The Euro- Mintmaster Marks

Which countries use mintmarks and mintmaster/privy marks?

Back to Top

Why do some countries have no coins dated 1999, 2000 and2001?

Generally, the European Central Bank has authority over the Euro,however, there is individual national legislation in place which




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governs the mintage of coins issued from each country. These'coinage acts' regulate the coin production parameters for eachcountry.

Mintage Date

The coinage acts of countries with a Mintage Date stipulationspecifies that the year the coin is minted, regardless of when thecoins are issued, should appear on each coin.

Belgium, Finland, France, The Netherlands and Spain have MintageDate stipulations.

Issue Date

The coinage acts of countries with an Issue Date stipulationspecifies that the year the coin is issued, regardless of when thecoins are minted, should appear on each coin.

Austria, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, San Marino,Portugal and Vatican City have Issue Date stipulations.

Conclusion

Since the Euro was first issued in 2002, the countries which have an

Issue Date stipulation are all dated 2002 onward, even thoughthese coins were minted in previous years to prepare for theadoption of the Euro. As a result, there are no Euro coins dated1999, 2000 and 2001 issued from countries with an Issue Datestipulation.

Luxembourg has no domestic mint, so their coins are mintedelsewhere. Regardless of the mintage location of these coins, theIssue Date stipulation in their coinage act must be followed bywhichever country mints their coins and the date stamp is thereforeapplied accordingly.

Since Monaco, San Marino and Vatican City do not have their owncoinage acts, the date stamp is applied in accordance with thecoinage act of whichever country mints these coins. Franceproduces the Euro coins for Monaco and follows the Mintage Datestipulation and began minting Monégasque Euro coins in 2001,since the mintage quantities were so low. Sammarinese and VaticanEuro coins are minted in Italy and follows the Issue Date stipulation.

Why do some countries have no coins dated

1999, 2000 and 2001?

Back to Top









Why doesn't Luxembourg have a second series?

Finland, Belgium, Monaco and Vatican City have issued more thanone standard series of Euro coins. The general rules prohibitingdesign changes to Euro coins are allowed to be suspended with the

passing of the Heads of State depicted on Euro coins, as was thecase for Vatican City and Monaco, with the passing of HH Pope JohnPaul II and HSH Prince Ranier III, respectively.

Finland amended the design for their Euro coins to comply with therecommendations of the EU in 2005 (See Future changes to thenational side of circulation coins, Note 6). While the nature of thedesign change differed only slightly and appears only as a change inmarkings, the overall amended design served to comply with therecommendations. The Mintmaster Mark was removed and a

National Identification ('FI') and a Mintmark for the Finnish mintwere added to the design.

Belgium also produced a redesign of the Euro coins to comply withthe 2005 EU recommendations, but the entire coin face wasredesigned. The new design comprises of a new portrait of KingAlbert II, a Mintmark for the Royal Mint of Belgium, a MintmasterMark and a National Identification ('BE'); the monogram of Albert IIwas repositioned from the outer circle to the inner circle.

The Luxembourg Euro coins have had two changes in the 10 yearssince production of the Euro coins began in 1999. These changeswere the result of changes in mint locations for the LuxembourgEuro coins; from 1999-2004, coins were minted in Utrecht,Netherlands; from 2005-2006, coins were minted in Helsinki-Vantaa, Finland; from 2007-present, coins are minted in Paris,France.

The design of the Luxembourg coins calls for two mintmarks oneither side of the dates on all the coins. When a Mintmaster Mark

changes in any country where one is present (the Netherlands,France, now Belgium and formerly Finland are the only Euro coinsthat carry Mintmaster Marks), due to change in mint directors, anew series is not called for because this change is expected andimmune to the protocols governing the design regulations for theEuro coins. In the case of Finland and Belgium, the overall scope of the design was changed when the coins became compliant with theEU recommendations. In the case of Vatican City and Monaco, theentire coin face was changed due to the passing of the Head of State depicted on the coins.

Neither the Head of State of Luxembourg passed, nor the overallscope of the design changed to meet compliance. The only aspect of







the design that has changed is the Mintmark, due to change inlocation of minting and the Mintmaster Mark, due to change indirector of mint location.

As a change in Mintmaster Mark does not necessitate a new series,

nor does the change in mint location and the resulting change inmintmarks necessitate a series.

Why doesn't Luxembourg have a secondseries? Back to Top

Why doesn't Slovenia have a second series?

Finland, Belgium, Monaco and Vatican City have issued more thanone standard series of Euro coins. The general rules prohibiting

design changes to Euro coins are allowed to be suspended with thepassing of the Heads of State depicted on Euro coins, as was thecase for Vatican City and Monaco, with the passing of HH Pope JohnPaul II and HSH Prince Ranier III, respectively.

Finland amended the design for their Euro coins to comply with therecommendations of the EU in 2005 (See Future changes to thenational side of circulation coins, Note 6). While the nature of thedesign change differed only slightly and appears only as a change inmarkings, the overall amended design served to comply with therecommendations. The Mintmaster Mark was removed and aNational Identification ('FI') and a Mintmark for the Finnish mintwere added to the design.

Belgium also produced a redesign of the Euro coins to comply withthe 2005 EU recommendations, but the entire coin face wasredesigned. The new design comprises of a new portrait of KingAlbert II, a Mintmark for the Royal Mint of Belgium, a MintmasterMark and a National Identification ('BE'); the monogram of Albert IIwas repositioned from the outer circle to the inner circle.

The initial supply of Slovenian Euro coins were produced in 2006 inHelsinki-Vantaa, Finland and had one mintmark, a small 'Fi' locatedto the right of the 6 o'clock star. As of 2008, the Slovenian Eurocoins are produced in Utrecht, Netherlands and bear the mintmarkof the Royal Dutch Mint.

Slovenian coins minted in Finland in 2006 and 2007 do not have aMintmaster Mark, since Finland does not use one. However, theRoyal Dutch Mint uses a Mintmaster Mark. Therefore, SlovenianEuro coins dated 2008 bear this mark. When a Mintmaster Mark is

added due to change in mint locations (the Netherlands, France,Belgium, now Slovenia and formerly Finland are the only Euro coins

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that carry Mintmaster Marks), due to change in mint directors, anew series is not called for because this change is expected andimmune to the protocols governing the design regulations for theEuro coins. In the case of Finland and Belgium, the overall scope of the design was changed when the coins became compliant with theEU recommendations. In the case of Vatican City and Monaco, theentire coin face was changed due to the passing of the Head of State depicted on the coins.

Slovenian Euro coins do not depict a head of state on their coins,nor has the overall scope of the design changed to meetcompliance. The only aspect of the design that has changed is theMintmark, due to change in location of minting and an addition of aMintmaster Mark, due to change in mint location.

As the change to Slovenia's Euro coin design is limited only todifferent mint markings, associated with the change in mintlocation, a new series is not necessitated.

Why doesn't Slovenia have a second series? Back to Top

What is the difference between a new series and anamended design?

A new series of Euro coins is a change in over all design. This

means that the main design elements of the current design arereplaced with a new design element that is different from theprevious issue.

Since the introduction of the Euro in 2002, there have been fournew series of Euro coins issued:

• Vatican, April 2005• Vatican, April 2006• Monaco, December 2006• Belgium, January 2008

An amended design is a minor change in peripheral designelements. This means that a portion of the design other than themain design element of the coin has changed. This can includeengraver marks, mint marks, mint master marks, edge inscriptions,national identification, etc.

Since the introduction of the Euro in 2002, there have been twoamended designs issued:

• Finland, January 2007• Finland, January 2008







Please see 'Does the design of the euro coins ever change?'

What is the difference between a new seriesand an amended design?

Back to Top

Why are there no coins in circulation from specific countriesduring certain years?

The European Central Bank imposes mintage quantity restrictionsfor each denomination of Euro coins issued by all countries. Asidefrom the coinage act stipulations discussed above, several countrieshave not produced certain coins for general circulation duringcertain years.

Several factors are considered when implementing these

restrictions.The standard issue 2 Euro coin mintage quantity is tempered byissuance of commemorative 2 Euro coins. The 2 Euro Treaty of Rome Commemorative coin had a profound effect on the mintagequantities of several Euro Zone members. Austria and Germany didnot even issue a standard 2 Euro coin for 2007, while several othercountries were given a much lower mintage quantity for theirstandard 2 Euro coin.

In 2005, Austria issued a 2 Euro commemorative coin, but did notissue a 2 Euro standard coin.

Other denominations are only minted by some countries for specialcollector sets, in either BU or Proof quality.

Monaco has not issued any coins for circulation since 2003. Severaldenominations have not been issued at all; the 1, 2 and 5 cent Eurocoins from 2003, the 10, 20 and 50 cent, 1 and 2 Euro coins from2005 were not issued. In 2007, Monaco issued a 2 Eurocommemorative coin with a mintage quantity of 20,001, which

totals €40,002- thus expending their total mintage allocation forthat year.

San Marino has issued circulation coins for all denominationssporadically and mostly issues Euro coins for collector sets.

Vatican City has only issued coins for collector sets.

Why are there no coins in circulation fromspecific countries during certain years? Back to Top

Are there any commemorative coins?


















Besides the commemorative 2 Euro commemorative coins intendedfor circulation, Eurozone members can mint other commemorativecoins intended for collectors only. Certain stipulations apply to thesetypes of coins:

• They must differ in size, weight, composition and face value from thenormal circulation coins (including the 2 Euro commemorative coins).

• These coins are not intended for circulation.• They can be used as legal tender, but only in the country they are minted

in.

Most of these commemoratives are gold and silver and go above the2 Euro value.

2 € Commemorative Issues

In 2007, every Eurozone member state will issue a 2 Eurocommemorative coin commemorating the 50 year anniversary of the Treaty of Rome, which gave rise to the European Union.

Another common commemorative is scheduled for release inJanuary 2009, commemorating the 10th anniversary of theintroduction of the Euro.

2 € Treaty of Rome 50th Anniversary Commemorative DesignAre there any commemorative coins? Back to Top

How many €2 Commemorative coins have been issued?

Not counting the common commemorative issue of 2007commemorating the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Rome, there have been 38 commemorative circulation coinsissued. 13 Treaty of Rome commemorative circulation coins wereissued in 2007. Of the 18 members of the EMU, only Cyprus,Ireland, Malta and The Netherlands have not independently issued acommemorative circulation coin.

Commemorative circulation coins issued to date by countryAs of 2008

Country CountSubject of

commemorationSee:

Austria 1 50th anniversary of €2 2005- Austria

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the Austrian StateTreaty

Belgium 3 Belgium-LuxembourgEconomic Union

€2 2005- Belgium

Atomium €2 2006- Belgium

60th anniversary of the UniversalDeclaration of Human Rights

€2 2008- Belgium

Cyprus 0

Finland 5 Enlargement of the

European Union byten new members

€2 2004- Finland

60th anniversary of the United Nationsand 50thanniversary of Finland’smembership of the

UN

€2 2005- Finland

100th anniversary of the universal andequal suffrage

€2 2006- Finland

90th anniversary of Finland’s

independence

€2 2007- Finland

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€2 2008- Finland

France 1 French Presidency of the Council of theEuropean Union inthe second half of 2008

€2 2008- France

Germany 4 BundesländerSeries(1 of 16)Schleswig-HolsteinHolstentor Lübeck

€2 2006- Germany

BundesländerSeries(2 of 16)Mecklenburg-VorpommernSchloss Schweriner

€2 2007- Germany

BundesländerSeries(3 of 16)HamburgSt. Michaeliskirche

€2 2008- Germany

Bundesländer

Series(4 of 16)SaarlandLudwigskircheSaarbrücken1

€2 2009- Germany

Greece 1 2004 AthensOlympics

€2 2004- Greece

Ireland 0


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Italy 4 Fifth decade of theWorld Food Program

€2 2004- Italy

1st anniversary of the signing of theEuropeanConstitution

€2 2005- Italy

XX Olympic WinterGames — Turin2006

€2 2006- Italy


€2 2008- Italy

Luxembourg 5 Effigy andmonogram of

Grand-Duke Henri

€2 2004- Luxembourg

50th anniversary of the G-D Henri, 5thanniversary of hisaccession to thethrone and 100years of the deathof the G-D Adolphe


25th birthday of theheir to the throne,The Grand-DukeGuillaume


The Grand-DucalPalace


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The Grand-DukeHenri and the officialresidence ‘Châteaude Berg’


Malta 0

Monaco 1 25th anniversary of Princess Grace’sdeath

€2 2007- Monaco

Netherlands 0

Portugal 2 PortuguesePresidency of theEuropean Union

€2 2007- Portugal


€2 2008- Portugal

San Marino 5 Bartolomeo Borghesi(historian,numismatist)

€2 2004- San Marino

2005: World Year of Physics


500th anniversary of the death of ChristopherColumbus



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Bicentenary of thebirth of GiuseppeGaribaldi


European Year of InterculturalDialogue


Slovakia 1 20th Anniversary of the VelvetRevolution1

€2 2009- Slovakia

Slovenia 1 500th anniversary of Primož Trubar'sbirth

€2 2008- Slovenia

Spain 1 4th centenary of thefirst edition of ‘Theingenious nobleman

Don Quixote of LaMancha’

€2 2005- Spain

Vatican City 5 75th anniversary of the founding of theVatican City State

€2 2004- Vatican

20th World YouthDay held in Colognein August 2005

€2 2005- Vatican

5th centenary of theSwiss PontificalGuard

€2 2006- Vatican

80th birthday of HisHoliness Benedictus

€2 2007- Vatican




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XVI

Year of St. Paul1 €2 2008- Vatican

Commemorative circulation coins issued to date by yearAs of 2008

Year Count See:

2004 6 €2 2004

2005 8 €2 2005

2006 7 €2 2006

2007 7 €2 2007

2008 10 €2 2008

2 € Commemorative Issues

2 € Treaty of Rome 50th Anniversary Commemorative Design

1. These have not been officially released.

Are there any commemorative coins? Back to Top

What is the Bundesländer Series?

Germany started the commemorative coin series "Die 16Bundesländer der Bundesrepublik Deutschland" (The 16 States of the Federal Republic of Germany) in 2006. One coin representing a



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German state will be issued per year between 2006 and 2021 andwill coincide with that state's presidency of the 'Bundesrat'.

Since most of these coins haven't been issued, final designs havenot yet been determined for those after 2009.

Planned designs in the Bundesländer Series

Year State Design See:

2006 Schleswig-Holstein Holstein Gate, Lübeck €2 CommemorativeDesign 2006-Germany

2007Mecklenburg-WesternPomerania

Schwerin Castle, Schwerin€2 CommemorativeDesign 2007-Germany

2008 Hamburg St. Michaelis' Church,Hamburg

€2 CommemorativeDesign 2008-Germany

2009 Saarland Ludwig Church in Saarbrücken€2 CommemorativeDesign 2009-Germany

2010 Bremen City Hall, Bremen

2011North Rhine-Westphalia

Cologne Cathedral, Cologne

2012 BavariaNeuschwanstein Castle,Hohenschwangau and Füssen

2013 Baden- Maulbronn Abbey, Maulbronn



























Württemberg

2014 Lower Saxony City Hall, Hanover

2015 Hesse City Hall, Frankfurt am Main

2016 Saxony Zwinger Palace, Dresden

2017 Rhineland-Palatinate Porta Nigra Gate, Trier

2018 Berlin Reichstag, Berlin

2019 Saxony-AnhaltCathedral of Magdeburg,Magdeburg

2020 Thuringia Wartburg Castle, Eisenach

2021 Brandenburg Sanssouci Palace, Potsdam

What is the Bundesländer Series? Back to Top

What kind of security features are there for the EuroBanknotes?

The ECB has described some of the more rudimentary securityfeatures of the Euro note, allowing the general public toauthenticate their currency at a glance. However, in the interest of security, the exhaustive list of these features is a closely-guardedsecret.

Still, between the official descriptions and independent discoveriesmade by observant users, it is thought that the Euro notes include

at least thirty different security features. These include:

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Holograms: the €5, €10 and €20 notes carry a holographic band tothe right of the front side. This band is imprinted with the note'sdenomination; e.g., "€5 €5 €5...." in the case of the five-Euro note.

In the case of the €50 notes and higher, the band is replaced with a

holographic decal.

Variable color ink appears on the lower right corner of back side of the €50 and higher. When observed from different angles, the colorvaries between purple and green.

Checksum: each note has a unique serial number. The serialnumber is validated using a checksum. The following is an extractfrom the European Union FAQ that explains how to check thevalidity of a serial number:

• Replace the initial letter by its position in the alphabet (that is L is 12, M is13,..., Z is 26).

• Add up this number and every digit of the serial number.o For example:

U08217383936 is 21 + 0 + 8 + 2 + 1 + 7 + 3 + 8 + 3 + 9 + 3 + 6= 71

• Add up all the digits of this new number, redo as many times as necessaryuntil you obtain a one-digit number. Alternatively computer programmersmay find the familiar MOD 9 function easier to implement. This gives thesame result.

• The resulting number must be 8 - in the example above, 7 + 1 = 8 or 71

MOD 9 = 8, so it's correct.

Watermark: Each denomination is printed on uniquely-watermarkedpaper. This may be observed by holding the note up to the light.

Registration: The note denomination in the upper-left corner of thefront of each note is printed incompletely, as is the denomination inthe upper-right corner of the back. When held up to the light, thisdenomination is visible in its entirety. Genuine notes will exhibitperfect alignment (or 'registration') between the front and back. If

the note has been printed incorrectly, i.e. by a counterfeiter, thesenumbers may appear poorly aligned.

Texture: some areas of the notes have a different texture fromothers. the BCE ECB EZB text is one of them.

Raised printing: some characters are raised to the touch.

Bar code: when held up to the light, metallic bars can be seen tothe right of the watermark. The number and width of these barsindicates the value of the note. When scanned, these bars areconverted to Manchester code.



Manchester code

Note Barcode Manchester

€5 0110 10 100

€10 0101 10 110

€20 1010 1010 0000

€50 0110 1010 1000

€100 0101 1010 1100

€200 0101 0110 1110

€500 0101 0101 1111

(seen from the reverse, a dark bar is 1, a bright bar 0)

EURion constellation: Euro banknotes contain a pattern known as

the EURion constellation which can be used to detect their identityas banknotes to prevent copying. Some older photocopiers areprogrammed to reject images containing this pattern.

Digital watermark: Like the EURion constellation, a Digimarc digitalwatermark in embedded in the banknotes' designs. Recent versionsof image editors, such as Adobe Photoshop or Paint Shop Pro refuseto process banknotes.

Security Thread: A black thread in the middle of the note is seen

only against a light source. It shows the denomination of the note,along with the word "Euro". This thread is magnetic.



Magnetic ink: Some areas feature magnetic ink. The rightmostchurch window on the €20 note is magnetic, as well as the largezero above it.

Infra-red and ultra-violet watermarks: when seen in the near

infrared, the banknotes will show darker areas in different zonesdepending on the denomination. Ultraviolet light will make theEURion constellation show in sharper contrast, and also somefluorescent threads stand out.

Micro-print: the texture lines to the bottom, e.g. those aligned withthe ΕΥΡΩ mark on the 10 EUR note, are actually made of the word"EURO" in very small print.

Matted surface: the Euro sign and the denomination are printed on

a vertical band which is only visible when lighted at an angle of 45°.

Serial number: Unlike the Euro coins, the Euro notes do not have anational side indicating where they're from. This information isinstead encoded within the note's serial number.

What kind of security features are there forthe Euro Banknotes? Back to Top

Which country are the Euro Banknotes from?

The first letter of the serial number uniquely identifies the countrythat issues the note. The remaining numbers (when added up andthe digits of the resulting sum then added together again until asingle digit remains) give a checksum also particular to thatcountry. The W, K and J codes have been reserved for the EUmember states currently not participating in the Euro.

Country codes are alphabetized according to the countries' names inthe official language of each country, but reversed:

National identification codes

Code

Country

Checksum1

in English in official language




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Z Belgium België/Belgique/Belgien 9

Y Greece Ελλάδα [Ellada] 1

X Germany Deutschland 2

(W) (Denmark) Danmark (3)

V Spain España 4

U France France 5

T Ireland Éire/Ireland 6

S Italy Italia 7

(R) (Luxembourg) Luxembourg/Luxemburg/Lëtzebuerg (8)

(Q) Not Used

P Netherlands Nederland 1

(O) Not Used

N Austria Österreich 3

M Portugal Portugal 4



L Finland Suomi/Finland 5

(K) (Sweden) Sverige (6)

(J) (UnitedKingdom)

United Kingdom (7)

(I) Not Used

H Slovenia Slovenija 9

G Cyprus Κύπρος/Kıbrıs 1

F Malta Malta 2

E Slovakia Slovensko 3

The positions of Denmark and Greece have been swapped in the listof letters starting the serial numbers because Y (upsilon) is a letterof the Greek alphabet, while W is not.

Ireland's first official language is Irish; however, in the above chartit is clear the order was based on the English 'Ireland' rather thanthe Irish 'Éire'. Irish was made an official EU language as of 1January 2007, but the placement of Ireland's code is not affected bythis fact.

In the case of Finland, which has two official languages that are alsoofficial EU languages (Finnish and Swedish), the order was based onthe Finnish 'Suomi' instead of the Swedish 'Finland', presumablybecause Finnish is the majority language in the country.



Belgium has three official languages, all of which are official EUlanguages. Luxembourg also has three official languages, with twobeing official EU languages. However, in these cases, the countries'positions in the list would be the same no matter which languagewas used.

Uncirculated euro banknotes issued by the Banque centrale duLuxembourg currently bear the code letter of the NCBs of thosecountries in which the banknotes for Luxembourg are produced.

As the number of EMU members grows larger, prefixes will changeto 2-digit characters. Currently, Belgium uses 'Z' as its banknoteprinting origin code; this would then change to 'ZA'; Greece ('Y')would change to 'YA'. When the list of letters available is exhausted,the code would start again with 'ZB'.

1. Checksum of the 11 digits without the letter

Which country are the Euro Banknotes from? Back to Top

Which country produces the most banknotes?

As of 1 January 2008, the banknote allocation key was changed toallow for the new members of the EMU, Cyprus and Malta, apercentage of the total Banknote production.

Banknote Allocation Keyas of 1 January 2008

National Bank of OriginBanknoteAllocation

European Central Bank 08.0000 %

Nationale Bank van België/Banque Nationale deBelgique

03.2615 %

Deutsche Bundesbank 27.0880 %







Central Bank and Financial Services Authority of Ireland

01.1730 %

Τράπεζα της Ελλάδος (Bank of Greece) 02.3980 %

Banco de España 09.9660 %

Banque de France 18.9915 %

Banca d’Italia 16.5395 %

Central Bank of Cyprus 00.1650 %

Banque centrale du Luxembourg 00.2080 %

Central Bank of Malta 00.0825 %

De Nederlandsche Bank 05.1395 %

Österreichische Nationalbank 02.6610 %

Banco de Portugal 02.2620 %

Banka Slovenije 00.4215 %

Suomen Pankki 01.6430 %



TOTAL: 100.0000 %

Which country produces the mostbanknotes? Back to Top

Why are there two spellings of Euro on banknotes?

The Latin alphabet is used all over the European Union. Prior to theEU expansion of 2007, the only other alphabet used was the Greekalphabet, in, where else, Greece.

Therefore, to accommodate the native and adoptive speakers of Greek, the ECB authorized a second spelling of 'Euro', which appearon all Euro banknotes.

Since the EU expansion of 2007, it may become necessary for theECB to revisit this issue and include a third spelling for those usingthe Cyrillic alphabet; Bulgaria is now a member of the EU and willadopt the Euro on 1 January 2010.

The three spellings in comparison are:

Comparison of spellings of 'Euro'

in three alphabets

Latin Greek Cyrillic

EURO CENT ΕΥΡΩ ΛΕΠΤΟ EBPO ЦЕНТ

Euro Cent Ευρώ Λεπτά Евро Цент

Euro cent ευρώ λεπτά евро цент

The suggestion has been made that in 30 years, countries such asEgypt, Israel, Lebanon, Libya and Jordan may benefit from adoptingthe Euro. Should that occur, the Arabic, Coptic and Hebrewalphabets will come into consideration as well.

Why are there two spellings of Euro onbanknotes? Back to Top















Citations:

What kind of security features are there for the Euro Banknotes?Which country are the Euro Banknotes from?

Information from:"Euro banknotes." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 10 Feb 2007,19:56 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 20 Feb 2007<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Euro_banknotes&oldid=107141988>.

Why do some countries have no coins dated 1999, 2000 and 2001?Why are there no coins in circulation from specific countries duringcertain years?

Information from:Rob Kooy (The Netherlands).

How does everyone in Europe spell Euro?

Additional information from:"The name of the euro in European languages." Evertype. 1 Oct2008, 19:00 UTC. Michael Everson. <http://www.evertype.com>

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