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5 Euros - Henri I European Otter
| Issuer | Banque Centrale du Luxembourg |
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| Year | 2011 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Round |
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| Obverse description | The nordic gold centre features a stylized right-facing bust of Grand Duke Henri I of Luxembourg, rendered in a bold geometric and angular artistic style engraved by Yvette Gastauer-Claire. The portrait is executed in low relief against a mirror-polished field, with the facial features and drapery reduced to sharp planar forms characteristic of the engraver's distinctive modernist approach. To the left of the effigy, the date '2011' is inscribed vertically, with the country name 'LËTZEBUERG' similarly arranged below it, both legends appearing in the nordic gold centre field. The surrounding silver ring provides a smooth, contrasting border framing the central composition. |
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| Edge | Plain. |
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| Additional information |
Part of Luxembourg's ongoing nature conservation series, this issue coincides with the otter's gradual recolonization of Luxembourgish waterways after near-total eradication from the country during the twentieth century. The bimetallic format — nordic gold center in a sterling ring — was an unusual technical choice for a €5 denomination, adding production cost that most eurozone members reserve for higher face values.
Nordic gold is an aluminum-bronze alloy developed in the early 1990s and adopted for EU coinage largely because it resists counterfeiting and tarnishes slowly in circulation.