Catalog
1 écu Europa - 15 pays 1995; or
| Issuer | Monnaie de Paris |
|---|---|
| Year | 1995 |
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| Composition | Gold (.920) |
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|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | EUROPA |
| Reverse description | The names and flags of all 15 member states of the European Union are displayed around the central field. At center, the denomination numeral 1 is prominently displayed, preceded by the cornucopia mintmark of the Monnaie de Paris. The inscription ECU and the dual date 1995 appear in the legend, affirming the issue year. |
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| Additional information |
The 1995 écu was among the final gold issues in the Europa collector series before the Maastricht Treaty's timeline rendered the écu itself obsolete — the currency unit was formally replaced by the euro at a fixed 1:1 rate in 1999 and ceased to exist entirely. The "15 pays" designation reflects the EU's membership count following the January 1995 accession of Austria, Finland, and Sweden, making this a snapshot of a union that had just expanded but not yet converted to a common circulating currency.
Monnaie de Paris struck this at .920 fineness rather than the more common .999, a deliberate choice tied to the écu bullion series specifications maintained across the program's run.