March 12, 2015 – With the new series “Europa 2015” the Monnaie de Paris celebrates the accomplishments of the European integration.
France / 2015 / 10 Euro / Ag 900 / 22.2 g / 37mm / Silver Proof / Mintage: 10,000.
The figure of Europa as a woman, star-studded hair floating in the wind, has been used since 1999 on the first coins explaining the ‘Europarity’ with face values in Euro.
Europa Star
The European Silver Program gathers the European Union countries in the definition a common programme on issues of commemorative coins. Every year, the monetary institutes of every member launch a new theme that evokes the European identity.
The program’s logo is an E designed as a € sign and a star.
In 2015, the Europa series carries this programme values with the theme Peace in Europe. This year, the 7 members are Belgium, Spain, Finland, France, Italy and Portugal.
Peace
The Union’s motto is “Unity in diversity”, it characterizes the way Europeans did gather, creating the European Union to act in favor of peace and prosperity, taking the most of the continent’s different cultures, traditions and languages.
France / 2015 / 500 Euro / Au 999 / 155.5 g / 50mm / Mintage: 99.
The obverse depicts the goddess Europa with star-studded hair flotting in the wind. Dressed with flags, her face stands next to flagstaffs representing the different countries joined in the European Union. Twelve circles with the € sign symbolise the twelve stars of the European flag.
The word “EUROPA” written vertically gives the series its name. Yeardate and mintmarks appear on the bottom center of the coin.
The dove is a peace symbol. It comes from the story of Noah’s ark. The dove carries the sign of the end of the flood that endangers the ark. The dove is carrying an olive branch and announces peace on earth.
On the coin’s reverse, the dove is drawn in a graphical and modern way. It carries in its beak an olive branch whose branches have been replaced by the 12 stars of the European Flag, symbol of peace in Europe. The 28 countries of the European Union are symbolised by their own ISO code. The Europa Star logo is present on the reverse, close to the dove.
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In 2012 the President Herman Van Rompuy gave a Nobel Lecture on how Europe came from war to peace.