€2 commemorative coins - 2010
The descriptions on this page have been taken from the Official Journal of the European Union and may therefore deviate slightly from other material published on this website.
Greece
Feature: 2.500th anniversary of the Battle of Marathon
Description: The coin commemorates the 2.500th anniversary of the Battle of Marathon. The centre of the coin shows a synthesis of a shield and a runner/warrior representing the struggle for freedom and the noble ideals that the Battle of Marathon stands for. The bird on the shield symbolises the birth of Western civilisation in its present form. The coin’s outer ring bears the 12 stars of the European Union.
Issuing volume: 2.5 million coins
Issuing date: October 2010
Vatican City
Feature: Year for Priests
Description: The coin commemorates the Year for Priests, proclaimed by Pope Benedict XVI to run from of 19 June 2009 to 19 June 2010, that was concluded with an international gathering of priests attended by the pope. The coin features a shepherd pulling a lamb from a lion’s mouth. The coin’s outer ring bears the 12 stars of the European Union.
Issuing volume: 115,000 coins
Issuing date: October 2010
Finland
Feature: Currency Decree of 1860 granting Finland the right to issue banknotes and coins
Description: The design of the inner part of the coin comprises a stylised figure of a lion, taken from Finland’s coat of arms, and the year of issue, i.e. ‘2010’, on the left, with the mintmark and a set of numbers symbolising coin values to the right thereof. Centred at the bottom edge is a reference to the issuing country, namely the letters ‘FI’. The coin’s outer ring depicts the 12 stars of the European Union.
Issuing volume: 1.6 million coins
Issuing date: October 2010
San Marino
Feature: 500th anniversary of the death of Sandro Botticelli
Description: The coin commemorates the 500th anniversary of the death of Alessandro di Mariano di Vanni Filipepi (1445 – 1510), the Italian painter of the Florentine school who is better known as Sandro Botticelli or Il Botticello ("The Little Barrel"). The coin’s outer ring bears the 12 stars of the European Union.
Issuing volume: 130,000 coins
Issuing date: September 2010
Portugal
Feature: 100th anniversary of the Portuguese Republic
Description: The coin commemorates the 100th anniversary of the end of the constitutional monarchy of King Manuel II and the establishment of the Portuguese Republic following the revolution of 5 October 1910. The coin’s outer ring bears the 12 stars of the European Union.
Issuing volume: 2 million coins
Issuing date: September 2010
France
Feature: 70th anniversary of the Appeal of June 18
Description: The coin commemorates the 70th anniversary of the appeal (“Appel du 18 juin”) made by General de Gaulle – the leader of the Free French Forces – on the BBC in London on 18 June 1940, after the fall of France. Addressing the French people, de Gaulle declared that the war was not yet over. The speech is considered to mark the birth of the French Resistance and the beginning of its fight against the occupation of France during World War II. The coin’s outer ring bears the 12 stars of the European Union.
Issuing volume: 20 million coins
Issuing date: June 2010
Belgium
Feature: Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2010
Description: The inner part of the coin features the commemorative logo, i.e. the stylised letters “EU” and “trio.be”. The central design is encircled by the words “BELGIAN PRESIDENCY OF THE COUNCIL OF THE EU 2010” and the trilingual country designation ‘BELGIE BELGIQUE BELGIEN’. Beneath the logo and above the country’s name, the year of issue, i.e. “2010”, is centred between the mint mark on the left and the mint master’s mark on the right. The coin’s outer ring bears the 12 stars of the European Union.
Issuing volume: 5 million coins
Issuing date: June 2010
Slovenia
Feature: 200th anniversary of the Botanical Garden in Ljubljana
Description: The inner part of the coin depicts the Rebrinčevolistna Hladnikija plant. On the left beneath the plant is its name, “HLADNIKIA PASTINACIFOLIA”, written in an arc. The image is encircled by the words “200 LET”, “BOTANIČNI VRT”, “LJUBLJANA” and “SLOVENIJA 2010”. The outer ring of the coin depicts the 12 stars of the European Union.
Issuing volume: 1 million coins
Issuing date: May 2010
Spain
Feature: Córdoba’s historic centre – UNESCO World Heritage series
Description:The coin commemorates the historic centre of Cordoba, the first Spanish site to be included in UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 1984. It portrays the “forest of pillars” of the Great Mosque of Córdoba, one of the most significant and oldest examples of Islamic art in Europe. Built between the 8th and 10th centuries, the Mosque was later consecrated as a Christian cathedral and underwent a series of transformations. The coin is the first in a new series dedicated to the Spanish sites on the UNESCO’s World Heritage List. One such commemorative coin will be issued every year as from 2010. The coin’s outer ring bears the 12 stars of the European Union.
Issuing volume: 8 million coins
Issuing date: March 2010
Italy
Feature: 200th anniversary of the Count of Cavour’s birth
Description: The coin commemorates the 200th anniversary of the birth of Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour (1810-1861), a key figure in Italian unification and early Italian liberalism, and the founder of the political newspaper "Il Risorgimento". It features a portrait of Cavour based on a painting by Francesco Hayez from 1864. The coin’s outer ring bears the 12 stars of the European Union.
Issuing volume: 4 million coins
Issuing date: March 2010
Luxembourg
Feature: Coat of arms of the Grand Duke
Description: The inner part of the coin depicts, on the left, a portrait of Grand Duke Henri facing towards the right and, immediately adjacent, the Grand Duke’s coat of arms, above which the year of issue, 2010, is featured between mint marks, overlapping slightly into the outer ring. Below the portrait, the name of the issuing country, “LËTZEBUERG”, overlaps slightly into the outer ring. The coin’s outer ring depicts the 12 stars of the European Union.
Issuing volume: 1 million coins
Issuing date: January 2010
Germany
Feature: Federal state of Bremen
Description: The inner part of the coin features the Town Hall of Bremen, with the Roland statue in the foreground. The word “BREMEN” is inscribed beneath the Town Hall to the right of the statue. The mint mark, represented by the letter “A”, “D”, “F”, “G” or “J”, appears at the left above the Town Hall. The initials of the artist, Bodo Broschat, are given at the very bottom, immediately below the statue. The name of the issuing country, “D”, and the year, “2010”, are inserted at the top and bottom of the outer ring of the coin respectively, interspersed between the twelve stars of the European Union.
Issuing volume: 30 million coins
Issuing date: January 2010