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1 ECU Prado Museum
| Issuer | Spain |
|---|---|
| Year | 1998 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 ECU (1 XEU) |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse depicts the mythological scene of the Abduction of Europa, showing the figure of Europa draped in flowing robes and riding upon the back of Zeus transformed into a bull, her arm raised aloft. The central group is rendered in high relief against a dark field with radiating gilt lines emanating from behind the figures, creating a sunburst effect. The denomination ECU appears in large raised lettering along the upper arc of the coin. A small mint mark is visible beneath the bull, and the date 1998 is inscribed in the lower exergual area. |
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| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | 1998 G |
| Additional information |
The ECU — European Currency Unit — was never legal tender in the conventional sense; it existed as a basket currency used for accounting within the European Monetary System from 1979. Spain issued a long series of commemorative ECU pieces through the 1990s timed to expire with the ECU itself, which was replaced by the euro at a fixed 1:1 rate on January 1, 1999. This piece, issued the year before that transition, is effectively a valedictory issue for a currency unit that never jingled in anyone's pocket.
The Museo del Prado had opened to the public in 1819 under Ferdinand VII.