The Azores, as an autonomous region of Portugal, has no independent monetary authority and never issued circulating euro coinage. This 2005 piece is a pattern — struck for collectors and political symbolism rather than any sanctioned monetary purpose. Portugal itself adopted the euro in 2002, rendering a regional "issue" from the Azores purely notional from the outset.
The Azores, as an autonomous region of Portugal, has no independent monetary authority and never issued circulating euro coinage. This 2005 piece is a pattern — struck for collectors and political symbolism rather than any sanctioned monetary purpose. Portugal itself adopted the euro in 2002, rendering a regional "issue" from the Azores purely notional from the outset.