Portugal · A coin for peace

Issue date15 Nov 2023

Total mintage515,000

EU maximum1,015,000

Editions3

Edge lettering5 Wappenschilde + 7 castles, evenly distributed

InscriptionPAZ / PORTUGAL / 2023 / José S. Teixeira / CASA DA MOEDA

DesignerJosé S. Teixeira

mintImprensa Nacional Casa da Moeda S.A., Lisboa

Issue occasion

The commemorative coin is dedicated to world peace and peaceful, mutually beneficial coexistence. The design features the word “PAZ” (peace) arranged in a radial pattern in the 16 official languages spoken in the 20 countries of the euro area in January 2023. It is complemented by the inscription “PORTUGAL”, the year of issue, and the names of the designer José S. Teixeira and the Portuguese mint “CASA DA MOEDA”.

The design

The coin is dedicated to world peace and peaceful, mutually fruitful coexistence. Peace can only succeed when it is founded on the collective pursuit of common goals. In the current geopolitical context, characterised by strong opposing forces, the coin is intended to underline the urgency with which this invaluable asset – peace – must be preserved.

The coin design shows the word “PAZ” (peace) arranged radially in the 16 official languages spoken in the 20 countries of the euro area in January 2023. The inscription “PORTUGAL” is located along the upper edge, with the year of issue “2023” in the upper right. The name of the designer, “José S. Teixeira”, can be seen in the upper left, and the name of the Portuguese mint, “CASA DA MOEDA”, on the left.

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

Background on the topic

The issue is based neither on an anniversary, nor on a single historical event, nor on a depicted personality. Rather, Portugal chose a political guiding theme. The coin was created during a period of heightened international tensions. In particular, the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, ongoing since February 2022, had once again brought war and security policy to the forefront of European public attention. However, the wording in the Official Journal remains general and does not assign the issue to any specific conflict.

In the European context, the theme refers to the emergence of European integration after the Second World War. The economic and political interconnection of the states was intended to prevent new military conflicts in Europe. Peace is understood here not merely as the absence of war, but also as the result of cooperation, balancing of interests and commonly upheld rules. The twelve stars on euro coins generally stand for the European Union (Europäische Union), not for the number of its member states.

The design’s linguistic diversity ties in with the principle of multilingualism in the European Union (Europäische Union). EU legal acts are published in all its official languages; citizens can contact the European institutions in any of these languages. At the same time, the euro area (Euroraum) is not linguistically and politically identical to the European Union (Europäische Union) as a whole. In January 2023, Croatia (Kroatien) became the twentieth country to join the euro area (Euroraum) and introduced the euro as its currency. This gave the reference to the then status of the currency area a specific temporal framework.

The choice of an abstract theme makes it possible to present peace as a shared task extending beyond national borders. Unlike commemorative coins dedicated to historical figures or buildings, this issue therefore does not commemorate the past. It is to be understood as Portugal’s contemporary statement within the common European coinage area, without honouring any specific peace initiative, organisation or agreement.