Issued as part of Spain's presidency of the European Council in 1993, this piece belongs to a wave of ECU-denominated collector issues that proliferated across Europe during the Maastricht Treaty period, when the ECU was still a basket currency rather than physical tender. None of these coins ever circulated as currency — the ECU existed only in electronic transfers and accounting ledgers until it was replaced by the euro in 1999.
Issued as part of Spain's presidency of the European Council in 1993, this piece belongs to a wave of ECU-denominated collector issues that proliferated across Europe during the Maastricht Treaty period, when the ECU was still a basket currency rather than physical tender. None of these coins ever circulated as currency — the ECU existed only in electronic transfers and accounting ledgers until it was replaced by the euro in 1999.