10th Anniversary of Euro Coins and Banknotes

Country: European Union
Feature: 10th Anniversary of Euro Coins and Banknotes.
Date: January 2012

Description: The euro sign in the centre of the coin's design symbolizes that the euro has become an element of particular importance in Europe as well as all over the world as it evolved into a global player in the international monetary system in the last ten years. The design elements around the euro sign express the importance of the euro to the people, to the financial world (ECB tower), to trading (ships), to industry (factories), to the energy sector and research and development (wind power stations). The design was created by Helmut Andexlinger (designer at the Austrian Mint). The artist's initials AH appear below the image of the ECB tower. The name of the issuing country in the national language(s) appears at the top (with the exception for Belgium, where it states "BE"), while the years 2002–2012 appear at the bottom. The twelve stars of the European Union surround the design on the outer ring of the coin.