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5 ECU Mercè Rodoreda
| Issuer | Generalitat de Catalunya |
|---|---|
| Year | 1997 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 5 ECU (5 XEU) |
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| Obverse description | Central design depicts a stylized group of figures performing the Sardana, the traditional Catalan circle dance, shown in simplified relief above a rectangular panel bearing vertical stripes representing the Catalan flag (Senyera). A partial ring of twelve five-pointed stars encircles the lower portion of the field, referencing the European Community motif. The denomination '5' appears prominently to the left, with the legend 'CATALUNYA' arching along the upper rim and '5 ECU' reading vertically along the left border, with the date '1997' also inscribed on the left side. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Facing bust of Catalan novelist Mercè Rodoreda occupies the right portion of the field, with three stylized female figures depicted to her left, evoking characters from her literary works. A schematic skyline of Barcelona is rendered in the background behind the portrait. The dates '1908' and '1983', denoting the author's birth and death years respectively, are inscribed in the field, with her name 'MERCÈ RODOREDA' lettered prominently across the design. |
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| Additional information |
The ECU was never legal tender in Catalonia — or anywhere else, strictly speaking. The Generalitat issued these pieces under a provision that allowed regional governments within EU member states to produce ECU-denominated collector coins during the currency's final years before it was replaced by the euro in 1999. Rodoreda, who died in 1983, was the most translated Catalan-language author of the twentieth century, her novel La plaça del Diamant having appeared in over thirty languages.