10th Anniversary of the Euro in 2012

The euro was introduced as an accounting currency on 1 January 1999, with physical euro coins and banknotes entering into circulation on 1 January 2002. This marked one of the most significant steps in European integration, enabling a single currency for millions of Europeans and symbolizing economic unity across member states.

Today, the euro is used by 20 EU countries and has become one of the most traded and held currencies in the world.

10th Anniversary of the Euro in Circulation

To celebrate 10 years of the euro’s physical presence, all eurozone countries issued a 2 euro commemorative coin in 2012. This was the third jointly issued commemorative coin series, following the 2007 Treaty of Rome series and the 2009 10 years EMU series.

The coin was designed by Helmut Andexlinger, a designer at the Austrian Mint, and the winning design was selected by public online voting across the euro area.

The design of the commemorative coin features:

• A stylized human figure merging with the euro symbol (€): Symbolizing the close connection between the European people and the euro currency.
• Elements representing key aspects of the euro: These include a factory (industry), a ship (trade), a wind turbine (energy), a house (stability), and the euro symbol itself.
• The text ‘2002 – 2012’: Indicating the decade since the euro coins and notes were first introduced.
• The name or abbreviation of the issuing country: Adapted individually for each participating nation.

The design of Luxembourg also features the grand duchy of Luxembourg Henri I. The grand duchy was added to the design because the Luxembourg constitution requires it.

You can view all the coins that were minted as part of this series on Coinection.