The Euro is the official monetary unit of the European Union, which appeared not so long ago. The article will tell about the history of its appearance, and also pay special attention to a coin of 1 euro.
Euro History
For starters, a little history: the very name of the currency - the euro - was put into circulation in 1995 in Madrid; and on the first day of 1999 the single currency of the European Economic and Monetary Union appeared, which has since been an independent monetary unit and one of the main reserve (world) currencies. Euro banknotes and coins were issued in 2002. They are in use in 18 countries: Germany, Italy, Spain, Luxembourg, France, Ireland, Holland, Belgium, etc.
General points in coin design
In 1996, the Council of the European Monetary Institute announced a competition to develop the best design for the common European currency, in which representatives of 44 countries participated. The winner was the Austrian artist Robert Kalina. In honor of the outstanding compatriot, the Austrians today call the euro “viburnum”. For the euro, a single symbol was developed, the basis of which is the Greek letter epsilon, and the lines that cross it out indicate the stability of the currency. As for the reverse (reverse side of the coin) - it is the same for all coins and indicates the face value.
Individual features of one euro coin
On all coins of the denomination in question there is a drawing containing 12 stars, which means the number of countries in the eurozone, as well as the year of issue. However, on the obverse, each of the participating countries could place any image. So, the Italians project, based on the work of Leonardo da Vinci, turned out to be the most elegant. Ireland placed a picture of a Celtic harp on coins, among the Austrians it is a portrait of Mozart. A coin depicting a great composer can be a wonderful souvenir brought from this country. The coins, which depict Europe without borders, have a certain thickness and are 100 cents. The diameter of the coin is 23.25 mm, the thickness is 2.125 mm, and its weight is 7.50 g.
Interesting facts about euro coins
Euro coins are a common and legal means of payment in any country of the European Union. It took 5 years to mint a new currency, and its amount amounted to 50 billion new coins. If you put them in a column, its height will exceed the tallest building in London Canary Wharf by half a million times, and the total weight of banknotes issued, for example, by France, will be three times the weight of the Eiffel Tower. With the introduction of the currency, funny incidents arose.
In Italy, a new purse model, “port-euro”, is especially suitable for coins, which is especially popular for coins, is produced and enjoys great popularity, which has led to an increase in the production and sales of leather goods factories. It is noteworthy that 1 euro was the only coin among Italians who did not participate in the vote for the best design, because the Minister of Economics single-handedly decided that Leonardo da Vinci would be depicted on it. The Belgians were the most conservative, depicting the king’s profile on coins. Of particular interest are coins of 1 euro are for numismatists, since they are minted in small quantities. Their market value in the auction sense exceeds the price of the kit by more than 100 times. For example, the Vatican's coins, which depict
Pope John Paul II, are estimated at 670 million euros. In addition, almost everyone can find in their wallets a smooth yellow-white coin with a face value of 1 euro. It is believed that its owner with the help of such a talisman will always be with the money. And one more interesting fact (in case of force majeure circumstances outside the homeland). According to travelers who recently returned from a trip to Europe, some devices there accept a two-ruble coin for 1 euro (forgive us the countries of the Eurozone) ...