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The common side of the coins was designed by Luc Luycx of the Royal Belgium Mint. His initials are visible on the obverse of the coins. The obverse displays a geographical image of Europe, except for the 1c, 2c and 5c coins which show Europe in relation to Africa and Asia.
Each of the euro-area countries uses familiar or traditional motifs and icons for the design of the national sides of their coins. For example, Irish coins show the same harp design and lettering found on its coinage before adopting the euro, while Belgian coins bear a profile of King Philippe. Some countries have a different design for each coin denomination; others apply the same design to all. Whichever is the case, all the national sides bear a common symbol: the twelve stars of the European flag.
Member States are not allowed to change the design of their national sides, except in the case of coins which show the head of state. In that case the coin design may be changed when the head of state changes, or at 15-year intervals to reflect changes in his or her appearance. A temporary vacancy or provisional occupation of the function of head of state does not give the right to change the design of the national sides of regular euro coins, but can be reflected in a commemorative coin.
Countries may issue a commemorative 2-euro coin twice a year to celebrate a subject of major national or European relevance. Countries may also decide to issue a commemorative 2-euro coin jointly - bearing the same design on the national side - to celebrate a subject of the highest European relevance.
The commemorative coins issued collectively or on the occasion of a temporary vacancy or provisional occupancy of the function of head of state are in addition to the annual commemorative coin euro-area countries are entitled to issue.
Collector coins are not intended for general circulation and their designs may not be too similar to other euro coins to avoid confusion.
The characteristics of the different types of euro coins (regular, commemorative and collector) are compared in a detailed table.
Euro-area countries are responsible for issuing the coins. The issuing body is typically the treasury in the national finance ministry, while the national mint physically produces the coins and the national central bank puts them into circulation. The denominations and technical specifications are laid down by the Council of the EU, and the European Central Bank approves the volume and value of coins to be issued each year.
Around 52 billion euro coins, using 250,000 tonnes of metal, were produced in preparation for the euro launch. Since then, demand has grown continuously. Updated statistics on euro coins in circulation can be found on the website of the European Central Bank.
The design of the common sides of the 10, 20 and 50 cent and 1- and 2-euro coins has been modified during 2007 to reflect the enlargement of the EU in 2004. The new common designs have been introduced progressively as from 2007, and have become mandatory for all new coin production from 2008.
The reproduction rules of the common sides are decided by the European Commission and are intended to avoid confusion between genuine euro coins and medals and tokens of a similar size and with similar properties. Only the following reproductions are allowed:
Copyright on the design of the common sides of the euro coins belongs to the European Union represented by the Commission. However, the European Commission has assigned each euro area Member State all the Community rights as regards their territory. Member States belonging to the euro area are therefore obliged to enforce the copyright within their territories, while the Commission enforces it outside the euro area and the EU. Either the Commission or individual euro-area countries may initiate legal proceedings if unauthorised reproduction is detected.
The copyright on the euro banknotes belongs to the European Central Bank, which has defined reproduction rules to ensure that the public can distinguish genuine banknotes from reproductions. The national central banks of the Member States of the European Union and the European Central Bank may initiate legal proceedings against anyone infringing the copyright.
PESSAC, France (CNN) -- The first euro coin was struck at France's official mint Monday, making France the first of the 11 nations participating in the launch of the single currency in 1999 to produce the money.
In a formal ceremony, Economy Minister Dominique Strauss-Kahn pressed a button activating the minting press stamping the continent's first one-euro coins in the southwest town of Pessac, near Bordeaux.
The euro will be the official currency of nearly 290 million consumers in the 11 participating single-market nations of the European Union. The currency will be phased in gradually: from January 1, 1999, onwards. Foreign exchange operations then can begin in euros and all new public debt issues will also be in euros. Banking is still possible both in euro and the national currency.
At the start of 2002, at the latest, euro notes and coinswill gradually replace notes and coins in national currencies, and there will be a complete changeover to the euro for public administration matters.
Opponents say the tight fiscal policy needed to become a euro member will unravel in light of rising unemployment and a one-size-fits-all interest rate for an area in which there will be wide variations in economic trends.
We performed skin tests with 1- and 2-euro coins in seven patients known to have nickel-contact allergy. After 48 and 72 h with these coins fixed by transparent tape onto their skin, all seven patients showed a strong reaction, with erythema, infiltration and formation of vesicles; they showed no reaction to 1% zinc chloride in Vaseline or to 1% copper sulphate in water.
In a quantitative nickel-release test (the European Standard EN 1811; ref. 5), the 50-cent coin did not release a measurable amount of nickel, as expected. However, we found that the 1- and 2-euro coins released more nickel than pure nickel itself (Fig. 1). This was particularly high from the inner component (the 'pill') of the 1-euro coin, but not for the outer component (the 'ring'). These values are among the highest nickel-release rates ever measured on coins (see refs 6, 7 for a comparison).
In the 1-euro coin, the ring is made of a yellow alloy ('nickel brass') that consists of copper with 20% zinc and 5% nickel by weight; the white ('cupro-nickel') pill is copper with 25% nickel by weight; in the 2-euro coin the ring is cupro-nickel and the pill is nickel brass. As 1- and 2-euro coins are bimetallic, we measured the galvanic potential between the two metals with a high-impedance voltmeter after mechanically separating the pill and ring of a freshly minted coin and immersing them in either artificial sweat or saturated NaCl solution.
Corrosion of the 1-euro coin is visible after immersion for 36 hours in artificial human sweat: the colours changed to brown and the surface structure was damaged (Fig. 1, inset). No corrosion is evident, however, in a Swiss 1-franc coin, which consists of 25% nickel and 75% copper, under these conditions (results not shown).
If you suspect a euro coin to be counterfeit, always check several security features (do not rely on just one). If in doubt, compare the coin with one you know to be genuine, looking for differences and not similarities.
Objectives: This study investigated whether coins of the new European currency (euro) corrode when they are exposed to gastric acid, and whether this change can be detected radiographically.
Methods: The eight different denominations of coins were immersed for seven days in 0.15 N hydrochloride acid (HCl), which corresponds to the level of post-prandial gastric acid. A Swedish crown coin and three different Austrian schilling coins were used as controls. The coins were weighed and radiographed daily to evaluate visible corrosions and HCl was analysed daily for possible dissolved substances.
Results: All coins lost weight within 24 hours after exposure to HCl. The 1, 2, and 5 euro cent coins developed changes that were visible on radiographs. The weights of all coins decreased by 0.43% to 11.30% during one week. The dissolved substances measured in the HCl corresponded to the different metals and alloys of the coins, except for copper, which does not dissolve in HCl. The highest absolute weight loss was observed in the Swedish crown coin (0.67 g), and the highest relative weight loss in the 1 Austrian schilling coin (11.30%). The two coins that showed the highest absolute and relative weight losses were the 2 euro (0.54 g or 6.35%) and the 1 euro (0.48 g or 6.39%) coin.
Each of the euro area countries uses familiar or traditional motifs and icons for the design of the national sides of their coins. Some countries have a different design for each denomination of coin; others apply the same design to everything.
Featured on the 10, 20 and 50 cent coins is the Kyrenia ship, a trading vessel which dates back to the 4th century BC and a symbol of Cyprus's seafaring history and its importance as a centre of trade.
The 10, 20 and 50 cent coins bear the Emblem of Malta, a shield displaying a heraldic representation of the Maltese national flag and supporting a mural crown that represents the fortifications of Malta and denotes a city state. The shield is bounded on the left by an olive branch and on the right by a palm branch, the symbols of peace traditionally associated with Malta, forming a wreath tied at its base by a ribbon which carries the inscription "Repubblika ta' Malta" (Republic of Malta).
On the 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1 cent coins, superimposed on an effigy of the King Willem-Alexander are the words "Willem-Alexander Koning der Nederlanden" (King of the Netherlands). The mint marks appear on either side of the name.
The 10, 20 and 50 cent coins depict Portuguese castles and coats of arms set amid the European stars, symbolising dialogue, the exchange of values and the dynamics of the building of Europe. The centrepiece is the royal seal of 1142.
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