€2 commemorative coins - 2011

Feature: Constitutional history – first election of representatives in 1849

Description: The inner part of this coin, the first of a series of five coins to be issued over a period of five years to mark major milestones in Malta’s constitutional history, features a hand inserting a ballot paper into the ballot box to commemorate the election in 1849 of the first Maltese representatives to the Council of Government advising the British Governor of Malta, which had been a British colony since the Treaty of Paris of 1814. The upper right outer edge of the inner part of the coin bears the words “MALTA – First elected representatives 1849”. The 12 stars of the European Union are depicted on the outer ring of the coin.

Issuing volume: 430,000 coins

Issuing date: November 2011

Feature: 26th World Youth Day

Description: The inner part of the coin features a number of young people and flags, together with the mintmark “R” and the year “2011”, surrounded, along the upper edge, by the Roman numerals “XXVI” and the letters “G.M.G.”, the abbreviation of Giornata Mondiale della Gioventù (World Youth Day), and by the name of the issuing country “CITTA’ DEL VATICANO” along the lower edge. The coin’s outer ring bears the 12 stars of the European Union.

Issuing volume: 115,000 coins

Issuing date: October 2011

Feature: 200th anniversary of the Bank of Finland

Description: The commemorative coin to mark the Bank of Finland’s 200th anniversary, which was designed by the artist Hannu Veijalainen, depicts Finland’s national bird, the swan. In addition, the inner part of the coin bears the dates “2011”, the year of issue, and “1811”, the year in which Emperor Alexander I of Russia decreed that an “Exchange, Lending and Deposit Office” was to be established in Turku, Finland. It was Finland’s first bank and eventually became the Bank of Finland, which moved to Helsinki in 1819. The Bank began to operate as a central bank in the latter part of the 19th century, after Finland obtained its own monetary unit and commercial banks had been established in the country. The coin’s outer ring bears the 12 stars of the European Union.

Issuing volume: 1.5 million coins

Issuing date: October 2011

Feature: 500th anniversary of Fernão Mendes Pinto’s birth

Description: The inner part of the coin commemorating the 500th anniversary of the birth of Fernão Mendes Pinto, a Portuguese explorer whose book on his discoveries and adventures in the seas and countries of Asia was published posthumously under title “Peregrinação” (Pilgrimage), depicts a sailing ship floating on a sea formed by a series of wave-shaped references to Portugal, Lisbon, his book and some of the destinations of his travels, With the country designation “Portugal” centred beneath them. His name flanked by the dates “1511” and “2011” form a semicircle around the upper edge of the inner part. The coin’s outer ring bears the 12 stars of the European Union.

Issuing volume: 520,000 coins

Issuing date: September 2011

Feature: The wedding of Prince Albert and Charlene Wittstock

Description: The inner part of the coin shows, at the centre, the effigies of Prince Albert and Princess Charlene. At the bottom, the name of the issuing country ‘MONACO’ and the year of issuance ‘2011’. The mint mark and the mint engravers mark appear before and after ‘MONACO 2011’, respectively. The 12 stars of the European Union are depicted on the coin’s outer ring.

Issuing volume: 148,000 coins

Issuing date: July 2011

Feature: 30th anniversary of the Day of Music

Description: The inner part of the coin shows a cheerful crowd, with a stylised image of a musical instrument and notes floating in the air, denoting the atmosphere of celebration on the Day of Music, which has been celebrated every summer solstice in France since 1981. The words "Fête de la MUSIQUE" and the date "21 JUIN 2011" appear at the centre of the drawing. Along the upper edge, towards the right, are the words "30 e ANNIVERSAIRE", while the letters "RF" designate the country of issue at the bottom. The 12 stars of the European Union are depicted on the coin’s outer ring.

Issuing volume: 10 million coins

Issuing date: June 2011

Feature: The Special Olympics World Summer Games — Athens 2011

Description: The inner part of the coin shows the emblem of the Games, a radiant sun, the source of life that underlines the excellence and power of the athletes who take part in the Games, with excellence represented by the olive branch and power by the spiral starting from the centre of the sun. Inscribed around the outer right-hand edge of the inner part are the caption “XIII SPECIAL OLYMPICS W.S.G. ATHENS 2011” and the name of the issuing country “ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΗ ΔΗΜΟΚΡΑΤΙΑ”, separated from one another by the mintmark. The coin’s outer ring bears the 12 stars of the European Union.

Issuing volume: 1 million coins

Issuing date: June 2011

Feature: 500th anniversary of the birth of Giorgio Vasari

Description: The inner part of the coin commemorating the 500th anniversary of the birth of Giorgio Vasari (30 July 1511 – 27 June 1574), a painter, writer, and architect famous for his biographies of Italian artists and now considered the ideological founder of art-historical writing, shows a detail of his painting “Giuditta decapitates Oloferne”. Centred at the bottom are the dates “1511-2011”, with the name “G. VASARI” and the designation of the issuing country “SAN MARINO” to the left and right respectively along the inner edge. The mintmark “R” is located to the left of the central motif and the letters “CM”, the initials of the designer Claudia Momoni, immediately to the right. The 12 stars of the European Union are depicted on the coin’s outer ring.

Issuing volume: 130,000 coins

Issuing date: June 2011

Feature: The 150th anniversary of the unification of Italy

Description: The inner part of the coin shows, in the centre, three Italian flags fluttering in the wind, to mark three past periods of 50 years each – the periods ending in 1911, 1961 and 2011 respectively – in illustration of a perfect link between generations: this is the logo of the 150th anniversary of the unification of Italy. Written in a semi-circle along the upper outer edge around the three flags is the inscription “150° DELL’ UNITÁ D’ITALIA” (150th anniversary of the unification of Italy), with the letters “RI” superimposed on one another off-centre to the right in indication of the issuing country, the Republic of Italy. Beneath the three flags stand the dates “1861 › 2011 › ›”. Centred below the dates is the mintmark “R”, with the letters “ELF INC.”, the initials of the artist Ettore Lorenzo Frapiccini and the first three letters of the Italian name of his profession (incisore) along the bottom edge to the right. The 12 stars of the European Union are depicted on the coin’s outer ring.

Issuing volume: 10 million coins

Issuing date: March 2011

Feature: Court of the Lions, Granada – UNESCO World Heritage series

Description: The inner part of the coin depicts the Court of the Lions in the Alhambra, the fortified castle in the city of Granada, which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1984. The coin’s outer ring bears the 12 stars of the European Union.

Issuing volume: 8 million coins

Issuing date: March 2011

Feature: 100th anniversary of the birth of Franc Rozman-Stane

Description: The inner part of the coin bears a stylised image of Franc Rozman-Stane, general in the High Command of the Slovene partisan army and a national hero of Slovenia. The coin’s outer ring bears the 12 stars of the European Union.

Issuing volume: 1 million coins

Issuing date: March 2011

Feature: 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day

Description: The inner part of the coin commemorating the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day, which is celebrated on 8 March, features effigies of Isala Van Diest, the first female Belgian medical doctor, and Marie Popelin, the first female Belgian lawyer above a semicircle formed by their names and the symbols of their professions on either side of the year 2011. Centred above the effigies are the letters “BE” in reference of their nationality, flanked by the Mint master’s mark on the left and the mintmark on the right. The coin’s outer ring shows the 12 stars of the European Union.

Issuing volume: 5 million coins

Issuing date: March 2011

Feature: 20th anniversary of the formation of the Visegrad Group

Description: The design of the inner part of the coin consists of the outlines of four central European states – the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia – with a superimposed composite “V” to designate the Visegrad Group, a regional alliance also known as the “Visegrad Four” or “V4” that was set up after a summit meeting of the Heads of State or Government of Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Poland in the castle town of Visegrád, Hungary, on 15 February 1991, mainly for purposes of cooperating in areas of common interest within the process of European integration. The coin’s outer ring bears the 12 stars of the European Union.

Issuing volume: 1 million coins

Issuing date: January 2011

Feature: 50th anniversary of the appointment by the Grand-Duchess Charlotte of her son Jean as "lieutenant-représentant"

Description: The coin depicts on the right hand of its inner part the effigy of His Royal Highness, the Grand-Duke Henri, looking to the left, and superimposed on the effigies of the Grand-Duke Jean and the Grand-Duchess Charlotte. The text "LËTZEBUERG" is depicted above the three effigies. The year-date "2011", flanked by the mintmark and the Mintmaster mark, appears above. The name of the Royal Highness is depicted below the respective effigy. The coin’s outer ring bears the 12 stars of the European Union.

Issuing volume: 1.4 million coins

Issuing date: January 2011

Feature: The 500th anniversary of the publication of the world-famous book "Laus Stultitiae" by the Dutch philosopher, humanist and theologian Desiderius Erasmus

Description: The inner part of the coin shows Erasmus writing his book on the right and the effigy of Queen Beatrix to the left. The two images are separated by the vertical inscription "Beatrix Koningin der Nederlanden". The year "2011", the Mint master’s mark and the mintmark are positioned horizontally near the centre of the coin. The coin’s outer ring bears the 12 stars of the European Union.

Issuing volume: 4 million coins

Issuing date: January 2011

Feature: Federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia

Description: The inner part of the coin features the Cologne Cathedral above the words “Nordrhein-Westfalen” to designate the German federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia in which it stands. The 12 stars of the European Union are depicted on the outer ring, together with the year of issue, 2011, at the bottom.

Issuing volume: 30 million coins

Issuing date: January 2011