Deutsch
English
Français
Español
Italiano
Nederlands
Português
Slovenčina
Hrvatski
Slovenščina
Lietuvių
Eesti
Български
CC 169 2014
2 euro coin
BU Main coin Bank issue
2 Euro BU
Italy · 450th birthday of Galileo Galilei
Mintage6,500,000
Issue date17 Jun 2014
Edge lettering2 ★ × 6, alternately upright/inverted
Market price€5.90
Issue occasion
The commemorative coin commemorates the 450th birthday of Galileo Galilei, born in 1564. The design shows his head based on a painting by Justus Sustermans from 1636, as well as an astronomical telescope. It also features the inscription “Galileo GALILEI”, the years “1564-2014”, the monogram “RI” of the Italian Republic, the mint mark “R” and the initials “C.M.” of the engraver Claudia Momoni.
The design
The coin design shows the head of Galileo Galilei based on the painting by Justus Sustermans from 1636 (Florenz, Uffizien); above it, in a semicircle, is the inscription “Galileo GALILEI”, to the right the letter “R” (monogram of the mint in Rom), an astronomical telescope, and the initials “C.M.” (monogram of the engraver Claudia Momoni), to the left the superimposed letters of the monogram of the Italienische Republik “RI”, and in the lower part of the coin’s inner disc the dates “1564-2014” are inscribed.
The outer ring of the coin depicts the twelve stars of the European flag.
The outer ring of the coin depicts the twelve stars of the European flag.
Background on the topic
Galileo Galilei was a mathematician, physicist and astronomer. He came from Pisa and initially taught mathematics in Pisa, later at the University of Padua (Universität Padua). From 1610 onwards, he worked at the court of the Medici in Florence. His work combined mathematical description, targeted observation and experiments. In his investigations into motion, he examined, among other things, the laws of falling bodies and the acceleration of bodies. In doing so, he contributed to the development of a physics that records natural processes quantitatively.
Galileo did not invent the telescope, but according to reports about Dutch instruments, he improved its construction and systematically directed it towards the sky. He recognized irregularities on the surface of the Moon, numerous previously invisible stars and four moons of Jupiter. The phases of Venus showed that Venus orbits the Sun. Such observations contradicted individual elements of the Aristotelian-Ptolemaic worldview prevalent at the time, according to which the Earth stood motionless at the centre of the cosmos.
Galileo defended the heliocentric model developed by Nikolaus Kopernikus. The conflict over this was not only scientific, but also theological and institutional in nature: certain passages of the Bible were interpreted as confirmation of a stationary Earth. After Galileo published his “Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems” (“Dialog über die zwei hauptsächlichen Weltsysteme”) in 1632, he was accused by the Roman Inquisition. In 1633, he was forced to recant his teachings and spent the rest of his life under house arrest. Nevertheless, he continued his research; his later works on mechanics were published outside Italy.
The coin issue commemorates, with the round-numbered anniversary of his birth, a scientist of the Italian Renaissance and the early 17th century. Galileo thus also represents the history of astronomy, the transformation of scientific methods and the conflict-ridden relationship between new research, established doctrines and ecclesiastical authority.
Galileo did not invent the telescope, but according to reports about Dutch instruments, he improved its construction and systematically directed it towards the sky. He recognized irregularities on the surface of the Moon, numerous previously invisible stars and four moons of Jupiter. The phases of Venus showed that Venus orbits the Sun. Such observations contradicted individual elements of the Aristotelian-Ptolemaic worldview prevalent at the time, according to which the Earth stood motionless at the centre of the cosmos.
Galileo defended the heliocentric model developed by Nikolaus Kopernikus. The conflict over this was not only scientific, but also theological and institutional in nature: certain passages of the Bible were interpreted as confirmation of a stationary Earth. After Galileo published his “Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems” (“Dialog über die zwei hauptsächlichen Weltsysteme”) in 1632, he was accused by the Roman Inquisition. In 1633, he was forced to recant his teachings and spent the rest of his life under house arrest. Nevertheless, he continued his research; his later works on mechanics were published outside Italy.
The coin issue commemorates, with the round-numbered anniversary of his birth, a scientist of the Italian Renaissance and the early 17th century. Galileo thus also represents the history of astronomy, the transformation of scientific methods and the conflict-ridden relationship between new research, established doctrines and ecclesiastical authority.
eBay price analysis
For this issue, there is a price history based on actual eBay sales – with median, range and number of sales
View price analysis