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БългарскиReverse
Obverse
Slovenia · 10 years of EMU
Issue date1 Jan 2009
Total mintage1,000,000
EU maximum1,000,000
Editions1
Edge letteringSLOVENIJA •
InscriptionSLOVENIJA / EMU 1999 - 2009 / F
DesignerGeorgios Stamatopoulos
mintSuomen Rahapaja OY, Vantaa, Finnland
Issue occasion
The joint commemorative coin commemorates ten years of Economic and Monetary Union (Wirtschafts- und Währungsunion) and the creation of the euro on 1 January 1999. The design shows a stylized human figure whose left arm merges into the euro symbol; below it are the initials ΓΣ of the artist G. Stamatopoulos. The design is complemented by the years 1999–2009, the respective national-language acronym of the Economic and Monetary Union, and twelve stars. The Luxembourg issue additionally shows the portrait of the Grand Duke as a tilt effect.
The design
The coin depicts a stylised human figure in the centre, whose left arm is extended by the euro symbol. The artist’s initials ΓΣ appear below the euro symbol. The name of the issuing country in the national language(s) appears at the top of the design, while 1999-2009 and the acronym WWU translated into the national language(s) appear at the bottom.
The twelve stars of the European flag are depicted on the outer ring of the coin.
The twelve stars of the European flag are depicted on the outer ring of the coin.
Background on the topic
The Economic and Monetary Union emerged gradually from European integration. With the Maastricht Treaty (Vertrag von Maastricht), which entered into force in 1993, the member states set out the path towards a common currency. The conditions for participation included requirements concerning price stability, public debt, the budget deficit, long-term interest rates and exchange-rate stability. These so-called convergence criteria were intended to prevent economies with widely diverging underlying conditions from entering the monetary union directly.
At the beginning of 1999, the exchange rates of the participating national currencies were irrevocably fixed. The euro initially served as book money, for example in banking transactions and on the financial markets. Banknotes and coins did not enter circulation until early 2002. At the same time, responsibility for monetary policy was transferred to the European System of Central Banks (Europäisches System der Zentralbanken); the European Central Bank (Europäische Zentralbank) in Frankfurt am Main is at its centre. Budgetary and fiscal policy, by contrast, remained largely the responsibility of the individual states and was coordinated through common rules.
Initially, eleven countries participated in the euro: Belgium, Germany, Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Austria, Portugal and Spain. Greece followed in 2001. By the issue year of the commemorative coin, Slovenia, Cyprus, Malta and Slovakia had also joined. The coin series thus also reflected the expansion of the monetary area within a decade.
The common design was not determined solely by state institutions. Citizens and residents of the European Union were able to choose online between several designs. The selected design was created by Georgios Stamatopoulos, a sculptor at the Bank of Greece. The common issue followed the practice of using the same basic design on all national sides for special Europe-wide occasions. Despite the uniform design, the country designation, language version, mintmark and edge inscription remained subject to national regulation. The issue thus combined the common monetary system with the continuing national responsibilities for coin minting.
At the beginning of 1999, the exchange rates of the participating national currencies were irrevocably fixed. The euro initially served as book money, for example in banking transactions and on the financial markets. Banknotes and coins did not enter circulation until early 2002. At the same time, responsibility for monetary policy was transferred to the European System of Central Banks (Europäisches System der Zentralbanken); the European Central Bank (Europäische Zentralbank) in Frankfurt am Main is at its centre. Budgetary and fiscal policy, by contrast, remained largely the responsibility of the individual states and was coordinated through common rules.
Initially, eleven countries participated in the euro: Belgium, Germany, Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Austria, Portugal and Spain. Greece followed in 2001. By the issue year of the commemorative coin, Slovenia, Cyprus, Malta and Slovakia had also joined. The coin series thus also reflected the expansion of the monetary area within a decade.
The common design was not determined solely by state institutions. Citizens and residents of the European Union were able to choose online between several designs. The selected design was created by Georgios Stamatopoulos, a sculptor at the Bank of Greece. The common issue followed the practice of using the same basic design on all national sides for special Europe-wide occasions. Despite the uniform design, the country designation, language version, mintmark and edge inscription remained subject to national regulation. The issue thus combined the common monetary system with the continuing national responsibilities for coin minting.
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
- 1,000,000
- Market price
- €7.90
- Edge lettering
- SLOVENIJA •
Mintage by issue type
BU
1,000,000