Deutsch
English
Français
Español
Italiano
Nederlands
Português
Slovenčina
Hrvatski
Slovenščina
Lietuvių
Eesti
БългарскиReverse
Obverse
Lithuania · 35 years of the Erasmus Programme
Issue date1 Jul 2022
Total mintage300,000
EU maximum300,000
Editions1
Edge letteringLAISVĖ ★ VIENYBĖ ★ GEROVĖ ★
Inscription1987-2022 / ERASMUS / PROGRAMA / LIETUVA
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 the programme’s intellectual inspiration with a beam of connections symbolising the diverse exchange between European students. Some of the connections form stars, from which the anniversary number 35 emerges.
The design
The coin’s design combines two main elements of the Erasmus programme:
the original intellectual inspiration, Erasmus himself, and the allegory of his influence on Europe.
The former is symbolised by one of the best-known depictions of Erasmus.
The latter by a network of connections extending from one beacon to another across the coin, representing the diverse intellectual and human exchange between European students.
In reference to Europe, some of these connections form stars emerging from the synergies between the countries.
The anniversary number 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 original intellectual inspiration, Erasmus himself, and the allegory of his influence on Europe.
The former is symbolised by one of the best-known depictions of Erasmus.
The latter by a network of connections extending from one beacon to another across the coin, representing the diverse intellectual and human exchange between European students.
In reference to Europe, some of these connections form stars emerging from the synergies between the countries.
The anniversary number 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
Desiderius Erasmus of Rotterdam was probably born in 1466 and died in 1536 in Basel. He was a theologian, philologist and representative of Renaissance humanism. Erasmus lived and worked, among other places, in what are now the Netherlands, France, England, Italy, Switzerland and the territory of present-day Belgium. His contacts with scholars throughout Europe corresponded to the “Republic of Letters” of the time, a cross-border network of exchange through letters, books and personal encounters.
Erasmus advocated an education based on ancient Greek and Latin texts. In 1516, he published a Greek-Latin edition of the New Testament, thereby influencing contemporary biblical scholarship. In his satire “The Praise of Folly”, he criticised social and ecclesiastical abuses. Although he called for reforms, he did not join Martin Luther’s Reformation. The depiction featured on the coin is based on a portrait by Hans Holbein the Younger showing Erasmus writing.
The education programme named after him began in 1987. The name was also used as an acronym for “European Community Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students”. The programme was intended to enable students to complete part of their studies in another European country. This included agreements between higher education institutions, financial grants and the academic recognition of achievements completed abroad. Later, internships and mobility opportunities for teaching staff were added, among other things.
Since 2014, Erasmus has been part of Erasmus+, the EU programme for education, training, youth and sport. The choice of name refers to Erasmus’ travels and his activities extending across national and linguistic borders. The anniversary therefore provided an opportunity not only to commemorate the start of the exchange programme, but also to address cross-border education as a common European theme. The issue was released as a joint commemorative coin of numerous countries in the euro area; the specific coin design had previously been selected in a public online vote.
Erasmus advocated an education based on ancient Greek and Latin texts. In 1516, he published a Greek-Latin edition of the New Testament, thereby influencing contemporary biblical scholarship. In his satire “The Praise of Folly”, he criticised social and ecclesiastical abuses. Although he called for reforms, he did not join Martin Luther’s Reformation. The depiction featured on the coin is based on a portrait by Hans Holbein the Younger showing Erasmus writing.
The education programme named after him began in 1987. The name was also used as an acronym for “European Community Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students”. The programme was intended to enable students to complete part of their studies in another European country. This included agreements between higher education institutions, financial grants and the academic recognition of achievements completed abroad. Later, internships and mobility opportunities for teaching staff were added, among other things.
Since 2014, Erasmus has been part of Erasmus+, the EU programme for education, training, youth and sport. The choice of name refers to Erasmus’ travels and his activities extending across national and linguistic borders. The anniversary therefore provided an opportunity not only to commemorate the start of the exchange programme, but also to address cross-border education as a common European theme. The issue was released as a joint commemorative coin of numerous countries in the euro area; the specific coin design had previously been selected in a public online vote.
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 analysis2 Euro BU
- Mintage
- 300,000
- Market price
- €5.90
- Edge lettering
- LAISVĖ ★ VIENYBĖ ★ GEROVĖ ★
Mintage by issue type
BU
300,000