50 euro cent GERMANY (2002-2004)

in the centre in a disk the Brandenburg Gate; below year of issue; at the edge a ring of twelve five-pointed stars - symbol of the European Union

right from the centre face value: 50, below in two lines: EURO / CENT; on the left a simplified map of Europe showing borders of countries - members of the EU in 1999; in the background of the map vertically six parallel lines ending on both sides with five-pointed stars (the reverse is common for all euro coins)

reeded

1 I 2002

circulating

Reinhard Heinsdorff, Luc Luycx (initials LL after 50 on the reverse)

(A) Staatliche Münze Berlin (The State Mint Berlin), Berlin;
(D) Bayerisches Hauptmünzamt (The Bavarian Main Mint), Munich;
(F) Staatliche Münzen Baden-Württemberg (State Mints of Baden-Wuerttemberg), Stuttgart;
(G) Staatliche Münzen Baden-Württemberg (State Mints of Baden-Wuerttemberg), Karlsruhe;
(J) Hamburgische Münze (The Hamburg Mint), Hamburg

(relevant mint mark below the year of issue in the obverse)

	A	D	F	G	J
2002	337 750 000 + 135 000 *	370 240 000 + 135 000 *	430 480 000 + 135 000 *	256 560 000 + 135 000 *	401 400 000 + 135 000 *
2003	- + 140 000 *	70 620 000 + 140 000 *	- + 140 000 *	- + 140 000 *	39 600 000 + 140 000 *
2004	82 260 000 + 140 000 *	- + 140 000 *	73 520 000 + 140 000 *	37 440 000 + 140 000 *	- + 140 000 *
2005	- + 100 000 *	- + 100 000 *	- + 100 000 *	- + 100 000 *	- + 100 000 *
2006	- + 90 000 *	- + 90 000 *	- + 90 000 *	- + 90 000 *	- + 90 000 *

^* in annual sets

The Brandenburg Gate, the most famous city-gate of Berlin, was designed by Karl Gotthard Langhans and built in years 1788-1791. It was topped by a statue of Roman goddess Victory in a Quadriga. After world war II it was standing in a border zone between West Berlin and communistic German Democratic Republic, what made it inaccesible. Only the unification of Germany re-opened the gate for the common use. The Brandenburg Gate became thus the symbol of the united Germany.


photo: Cezary Piwowarski; licence: CC-BY-SA 3.0