Euro gold and silver commemorative coins are special
euro coins
There are eight euro coin denominations, ranging from one cent to two euros (the euro is divided into a hundred cents). The coins first came into use in 2002. They have a common reverse, portraying a map of Europe, but each country in the eurozone ...
minted and issued by member states of the
Eurozone
The euro area, commonly called eurozone (EZ), is a currency union of 19 member states of the European Union (EU) that have adopted the euro ( €) as their primary currency and sole legal tender, and have thus fully implemented EMU polici ...
, mainly in
gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...
and
silver
Silver is a chemical element with the symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical ...
, although other
precious metals are also used in rare occasions.
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...
was one of the first twelve countries in the Eurozone that introduced the
euro (€) on 1 January 2002. Since 2003, the Mint of Greece have been minting both normal issues of
Greek euro coins, which are intended for circulation, and commemorative euro coins in gold and silver.
These special coins have a
legal tender
Legal tender is a form of money that courts of law are required to recognize as satisfactory payment for any monetary debt. Each jurisdiction determines what is legal tender, but essentially it is anything which when offered ("tendered") in ...
only in Greece, unlike the normal issues of the Greek euro coins, which have a legal tender in every country of the Eurozone. This means that the commemorative coins made of gold and silver cannot be used as money in other countries. Furthermore, as their
bullion value generally vastly exceeds their face value, these coins are not intended to be used as means of payment at all—although it remains possible. For this reason, they are usually named Collectors' coins.
The coins usually
commemorate the
anniversaries
An anniversary is the date on which an event took place or an institution was founded in a previous year, and may also refer to the commemoration or celebration of that event. The word was first used for Catholic feasts to commemorate saints. ...
of
historical events or draw attention to
current events of special importance. Greece mints four of these coins on average per year, mainly in silver, with a typical face value of €10. However, to celebrate the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece minted almost three times more than normal number of coins in 2003 and 2004, in both gold and silver.
Summary
As of 27 October 2008, 36 variations of Greek commemorative coins have been minted: 15 in 2003, 12 in 2004, one in 2005, three in 2006, four in 2007 and one in 2008 so far. These special high-value commemorative coins are not to be confused with
€2 commemorative coins
€2 commemorative coins are special euro coins minted and issued by member states of the eurozone since 2004 as legal tender in all eurozone member states. Only the national obverse sides of the coins differ; the common reverse sides do not. The ...
, which are coins designated for circulation and do have legal tender status in all countries of the Eurozone.
The following table shows the number of coins minted per year. In the first section, the coins are grouped by the metal used, while in the second section they are grouped by their face value.
2003 coinage
2004 coinage
2005 coinage
2006 coinage
2007 coinage
2008 coinage
Notes
References
All euro greek commemorative coins poster
{{DEFAULTSORT:Euro Gold And Silver Commemorative Coins (Greece)
Coins of Greece
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...
Cultural depictions of Maria Callas