€2 commemorative coins - 2012

Feature: Wedding of Prince Guillaume, Hereditary Grand-Duke, with Countess Stéphanie de Lannoy

Description: The coin depicts, to the left of its inner part, the effigy of His Royal Highness the Grand Duke Henri, with the effigy of Prince Guillaume, Hereditary Grand Duke, superimposed on that of Countess Stéphanie to the right. The words “PRËNZENHOCHZAÏT” and “LËTZEBUERG” appear above the year “2012” at the bottom of the inner part of the coin, flanked by the mint mark and the mint master’s initials. The coin’s outer ring bears the 12 stars of the European Union.

Issuing volume: 1.4 million coins

Issuing date: December 2012

Feature: Seventh World Meeting of Families

Description: The inner part of the coin features a family, with the Cathedral of Milan, the host city of the Seventh World Meeting of Families, in the background. The event is held every three years to highlight the family as a common human heritage, reflecting the fact that the family is universal and that it contributes to the human element of life everywhere in the world. Inscribed around the family scene are the names of the event and of the Vatican City in Italian and the year “2012”. The mintmark “R” appears between the boy and his mother. The coin’s outer ring depicts the 12 stars of the European Union.

Issuing volume: 115,000 coins

Issuing date: October 2012

Feature: 150th anniversary of the birth of the artist Helene Schjerfbeck

Description: The inner part of the coin shows a stylised self-portrait of the artist, with her name, “HELENE SCHJERFBECK”, and the years of birth and death, “1862-1946”, inscribed vertically to the left and right, respectively. At the bottom to the left of the portrait are the letters “FI” to denote the issuing country and “2012”, the year of issue. The mintmark is located on the edge of the coin’s inner part immediately below the dates of birth and death. The coin’s outer ring bears the 12 stars of the European Union.

Issuing volume: 2 million coins

Issuing date: September 2012

Feature: Majority representation 1887

Description: The design of the inner part of the coin, which was created by the Maltese artist Gianni Bonnici, shows a jubilant crowd against the background of the Governor’s Palace in Valletta. The words “MALTA – Majority representation 1887” are inscribed along the upper edge of the coin’s inner part, while the year of issue, “2012”, is given at the bottom. The coin’s outer ring bears the 12 stars of the European Union.

Issuing volume: 430,000 coins

Issuing date: September 2012

Feature: 500th anniversary of the establishment of Monaco’s sovereignty by Lucien I Grimaldi

Description: The inner part of the coin shows a portrait of Lucien I Grimaldi, in profile, facing to the left. The inscription “1512 SOUVERAINETE DE MONACO 2012” forms an arch around the portrait along the outer edge of the inner part of the coin, flanked by two ornamental diamonds, as well as by the horn of plenty (mintmark of Monnaie de Paris) and the “fleurette” (hallmark of the engraving workshop) to the left and right, respectively, at the bottom of the portrait. The founder’s name, “Lucien I^er”, is given above the mintmark. The coin’s outer ring bears the 12 stars of the European Union.

Issuing volume: 100,000 coins

Issuing date: July 2012

Feature: 100th anniversary of the birth of Abbé Pierre, famous in France as protector of the poor

Description: The inner part of the coin shows a portrait of Abbé Pierre wearing his well-known beret, positioned slightly off-centre to the left, and the logo of the foundation that bears his name to the right, including micro-lettering with the question “Et les autres?”, his favourite words to remind us that we should never forget to help others. The inscription “Centenaire de la naissance de l’abbé Pierre” forms an arch around the portrait along the edge of the coin’s inner part, flanked by the horn of plenty (mintmark of Monnaie de Paris) and the letters “RF” to denote the issuing country on the left and the “fleurette” (hallmark of the engraving workshop) on the right. The coin’s outer ring bears the 12 stars of the European Union.

Issuing volume: 1 million coins

Issuing date: July 2012

Feature: European Capital of Culture 2012, the city of Guimarães in northern Portugal

Description: : The inner part of the coin depicts a stylised image of Afonso Henriques, the first King of Portugal, together with his sword and the Castle of Guimarães, which is regarded as the birthplace of Portugal as an independent nation in the 12th century. To the left of the image is the Portuguese shield above the word “PORTUGAL”. To the lower right is the inscription “GUIMARÃES 2012” with the logo of Guimarães 2012 European Capital of Culture. Along the lower edge of the inner part are the mintmark “INCM” and the name of the designer, “JOSÉ DE GUIMARÃES”. The outer ring bears the 12 stars of the European Union.

Issuing volume: 520,000 coins

Issuing date: June 2012

Feature: The 75th anniversary of the Queen Elisabeth Competition

Description: The inner part of the coin shows the logo of the Queen Elisabeth Competition superimposed on a left profile of Queen Elisabeth, who founded the music competition in 1937. On the left is the mintmaster mark (a quill) and on the right the mintmark (the head of the Archangel Michael). In a semi-circle along the bottom edge of the inner part is the inscription “QUEEN ELISABETH COMPETITION”, while the years “1937 – 2012”, marking the 75th anniversary of the competition, are inscribed along the top edge. The letters “BE” to the right of the image refer to the country of issue. The outer ring depicts the 12 stars of the European Union.

Issuing volume: 5 million coins

Issuing date: May 2012

Feature: 100th anniversary of the death of Giovanni Pascoli

Description: The inner part of the coin features a portrait of Giovanni Pascoli, a poet from the Romagna region who is a prominent representative of late 19th century Italian literature. The portrait is flanked by the poet’s year of death “1912”, the mintmark “R” and the letters “M.C.C.”, the initials of the designer Maria Carmela Colaneri, on the left and by the year of issue “2012”’ immediately above the monogram of the Italian Republic “RI” on the right. The inscription “G. PASCOLI” forms an arch along the bottom edge of the coin’s inner part below the portrait. The coin’s outer ring bears the 12 stars of the European Union.

Issuing volume: 15 million coins

Issuing date: April 2012

Feature: Burgos Cathedral – UNESCO World Heritage series

Description: The inner part of the coin depicts the Cathedral of Our Lady of Burgos, which is dedicated to the Virgin Mary and is famous for its vast size and unique architecture. Construction of the cathedral began in 1221 and it was already in use as a place of worship nine years later, although work continued off and on until 1567. It was primarily built in the French Gothic style, but Renaissance features were added in the 15th and 16th centuries. The name of the country of issue, “ESPAÑA”, and the year “2012” appear to the left and right above the image. The mintmark (M with a crown) appears to the right. The outer ring bears the 12 stars of the European Union.

Issuing volume: 8 million coins

Issuing date: March 2012

Feature: Ten years of the euro

Description: The inner part of the coin, designed by Helmut Andexlinger of the Austrian Mint and chosen by citizens and residents of the euro area to be the common commemorative coin for 2012, features the world in the form of a euro symbol in the centre, showing how the euro has become a true global player over the last ten years. The surrounding elements symbolise the importance of the euro to ordinary people (represented by a family group), to the financial world (the Eurotower), to trade (a ship), to industry (a factory), and to the energy sector and research and development (two wind turbines). The designer’s initials, “A.H.”, can be found (if you look very carefully) between the ship and the Eurotower. Along the upper and lower edges of the inner part of the coin are, respectively, the country of issue and the years “2002 – 2012”. The coin will be issued by all euro area countries. The coin’s outer ring depicts the 12 stars of the European Union.

Issuing volume: varies from country to country

Issuing date: January 2012 for all euro area countries except San Marino (May 2012)

Feature: Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duke Guillaume IV – “grand-ducal dynasty” series

Description: The coin depicts, to the left of its inner part, the head of His Royal Highness the Grand Duke Henri in front of that of his great-grandfather, the Grand Duke Guillaume IV, both looking to the right, with their names “HENRI” and “GUILLAUME IV † 1912” below. Above are the year “2012”, flanked to the left and right by the mintmark (Mercury’s wand) and the mint master mark (a sailing boat), and the words “GRANDS-DUCS DE LUXEMBOURG”. The city of Luxembourg appears in the background. The 12 stars of the European Union are depicted on the coin’s outer ring.

Issuing volume: 1.4 million coins

Issuing date: January 2012

Feature: Federal state of Bavaria

Description: The inner part of the coin, designed by Erich Ott, depicts one of Bavaria’s most famous landmarks, Neuschwanstein Castle, viewed from the east, with the gatehouse in the foreground, the romantic towers and turrets of the castle itself, and the majestic mountains behind. Beneath is the name of the federal state “BAYERN”. To the right is the mintmark of the respective mint (A, D, F, G or J) and to the left are the initials of the designer. The outer ring features the 12 stars of the European Union with a “D” at the top and “2012” at the bottom, denoting the country and year of issue respectively.

Issuing volume: 30 million coins

Issuing date: January 2012