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¼ ECU
| Issuer | Monnaie de Paris |
|---|---|
| Year | 1987-1993 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Milled |
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| Obverse description | Left-facing draped bust of the goddess Europa in classical style, encircled by an olive branch wreath. Below the truncation, the cornucopia privy mark of the Monnaie de Paris appears alongside the numeral '1', serving as a mintmaster or control mark. The effigy is rendered in a neoclassical style befitting the allegorical subject. The legend EUROPA arcs above the bust within the field. |
|---|---|
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| Mintage | 1987 1990 1993 |
| Additional information |
The ECU — European Currency Unit — was never legal tender in France or anywhere else, but the Monnaie de Paris began striking these collector pieces in 1987 as a calculated bid to promote European monetary integration ahead of the Maastricht Treaty negotiations. France was among the most aggressive advocates for a common European currency, and these issues had quiet political backing from the Élysée. The ECU itself was a basket currency, its value pegged to a weighted average of member-state currencies through the European Monetary System established in 1979.
The .950 silver fineness is unusually high for a modern commemorative — a deliberate quality signal.