ECU Europa; 9 countries; bronze florentin

The 1979–1980 ECU series was minted by the Monnaie de Paris to mark the launch of the European Currency Unit — the basket currency that replaced the European Unit of Account on January 1, 1979, under the newly established European Monetary System. This particular piece acknowledges the nine EMS founding members, though Greece would join the bloc in 1981, rendering the "9 countries" designation historically specific to a very narrow window.

Florentine bronze, with its deliberately antiqued surface texture, was chosen to evoke medieval Florentine florins — the first pan-European trade currency of significance. A pointed reference, not an accidental one.