Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
ECU Europa; 10 countries
| Issuer | Monnaie de Paris |
|---|---|
| Year | 1985 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | 41 mm |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Allegorical bust of Europa personified as Ceres, facing slightly, with long flowing hair bound by a floral crown. The effigy occupies the central field, rendered in high relief in a classical artistic style. The engraver's name P. RODIER appears in the legend along with the fineness and weight inscription AG. 925‰ 40G. The Monnaie de Paris cornucopia privy mark followed by the numeral 1 is present, as is the Laleta editions hallmark. The word EUROPA is inscribed prominently in the field. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse features ten heraldic or national symbols of the European Economic Community member states arranged in a circular composition around the central field, each symbol accompanied by its country's abbreviated name below. The design celebrates the unity of the ten EEC nations and is rendered with fine detail befitting a medallic issue. The denomination ECU appears prominently in the center of the field, with the date 1985 inscribed below. The overall layout is balanced and symmetrical, reflecting the medallic character of this commemorative piece. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
The ECU — European Currency Unit — was not legal tender anywhere. It existed as a accounting unit within the European Monetary System from 1979, used for settling balances between central banks and denominating certain bonds, but never circulated in pockets or tills. The Monnaie de Paris exploited the unit's name and pan-European symbolism to produce collector pieces throughout the 1980s, this 1985 issue appearing at a moment when ten member states composed the EEC — just before Spain and Portugal's accession on 1 January 1986 expanded the community to twelve.