Estonia · 35 years of the Erasmus Programme

Issue date1 Jul 2022

Total mintage1,000,000

EU maximum1,000,000

Editions2

Edge letteringEESTI × 2, alternating upright/inverted, separated by dots

Inscription1987-2022 / ERASMUS / PROGRAMM / EESTI

DesignerJoaquin Jimenez

mintUAB Lietuvos monetų kalykla, Vilnius (Lithuania)

Issue occasion

The commemorative coin honours the 35th anniversary of the Erasmus programme. The design combines a well-known depiction of Erasmus as an intellectual originator of ideas with a network of connections symbolising the human and intellectual exchange between European students. Some lines form stars as a symbol of the synergies between the countries; from these, the anniversary number 35 emerges. In the Luxembourg issue, a portrait of the Grand Duke can also be seen in the background.

The design

The coin design combines two key elements of the Erasmus programme: its original intellectual inspiration, Erasmus himself, and an allegory of his influence on Europe.

The first is symbolised by one of the best-known depictions of Erasmus.

The second is represented by a network of connections extending from one beacon to another across the coin, symbolising the diverse intellectual and human exchange between European students.

With regard to Europe, some of these connections form stars emerging from the synergies between the countries.

The anniversary figure 35 emerges from the stars in a contemporary graphic style.

The twelve stars of the European flag are depicted on the coin’s outer ring.

Background on the topic

Erasmus of Rotterdam was a Dutch humanist, theologian and philologist of the Renaissance. He was probably born around 1466 and died in Basel in 1536. Erasmus lived and worked in various places across Europe, including Paris, England, Italy, Leuven and Basel. Through his travels, his extensive correspondence and the Europe-wide dissemination of his writings, he already embodied a cross-border exchange of scholars in the early modern period.

One of his best-known works is the satire *In Praise of Folly*. He also published a Greek-Latin edition of the New Testament and addressed questions of education, religion and conduct. He criticised abuses in the Church and society, but did not join Martin Luther’s Reformation. His name was chosen for the exchange programme because his biography was associated with travel, language learning and the international transfer of knowledge.