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CC 448 2022
Coincard
BU
Coincard
Estonia · 35 years of the Erasmus Programme
Mintage12,000
Issue price€12.00
Issue date1 Jul 2022
PackagingCoincard
Edge letteringEESTI × 2, alternating upright/inverted, separated by dots
Market price€18.90
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.
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 (Löwen) 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* (Lob der Torheit). 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.
The Erasmus programme was established in 1987 by the then European Community. Its initial aim was to enable students to spend a limited period at a higher education institution in another European country. Agreements between the participating higher education institutions and procedures for recognising academic achievements were intended to prevent a semester abroad from unnecessarily extending the duration of studies. In the programme’s first year, slightly more than 3,000 students from eleven countries participated.
Later, funding was extended to other groups and areas of education. Since 2014, Erasmus has been part of Erasmus+, the EU programme for education, vocational training, youth and sport. In addition to higher education stays, this includes internships, school partnerships, vocational training, youth exchanges and exchange opportunities for teaching and training staff.
The joint coin issue thus refers to a specific instrument of European cooperation that combines personal mobility with educational and integration policy objectives. The anniversary also provided the euro countries with an opportunity for a common issue featuring a uniform central design. Such common issues are reserved for special themes that concern not only an individual state but the euro area or the European Union as a whole.
One of his best-known works is the satire *In Praise of Folly* (Lob der Torheit). 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.
The Erasmus programme was established in 1987 by the then European Community. Its initial aim was to enable students to spend a limited period at a higher education institution in another European country. Agreements between the participating higher education institutions and procedures for recognising academic achievements were intended to prevent a semester abroad from unnecessarily extending the duration of studies. In the programme’s first year, slightly more than 3,000 students from eleven countries participated.
Later, funding was extended to other groups and areas of education. Since 2014, Erasmus has been part of Erasmus+, the EU programme for education, vocational training, youth and sport. In addition to higher education stays, this includes internships, school partnerships, vocational training, youth exchanges and exchange opportunities for teaching and training staff.
The joint coin issue thus refers to a specific instrument of European cooperation that combines personal mobility with educational and integration policy objectives. The anniversary also provided the euro countries with an opportunity for a common issue featuring a uniform central design. Such common issues are reserved for special themes that concern not only an individual state but the euro area or the European Union as a whole.