2 euro FRANCE (2009) 10th Anniversary of Economic and Monetary Union

in the coin centre an irregular stylised planchet of an ancient coin; inside it a concave figure of a man, whose arm is a part of a euro currency symbol €; above year of issue 2009; along the top edge: RÉPUBLIQUE FRANÇAISE (French Republic); along the bottom edge: UEM 1999-2009 (L'UNION ÉCONOMIQUE ET MONÉTAIRE 1999-2009 - Economic and Monetary Union 1999-2009); at the edge a ring of twelve five-pointed stars - symbol of the European Union

left from the coin centre face value: 2, on the right inscription: EURO; in the background of the inscription a map of Europe; 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 with concave inscription:

1 I 2009

in circulation

Γεώργιος Σταματόπουλος (concave initials ΓΣ above the date 2009 on the obverse), Luc Luycx (initials LL below letter 'O' in EURO on the reverse)
(Georgios Stamatopoulos, Luc Luycx)

La Monnaie de Paris (The Paris Mint), Pessac (mint mark before UEM in the obverse, after year of issue 2009 privy mark of mint's director Hubert Larivière - horn)

2009

10 060 000

+ 20 000 in boxed commemorative sets

Privy marks of the general engravers of the Mint of Paris, which can be found on French coins produced after 1944:

Lucien Bazor	1931-1958		wing
Raymond Joly	1958-1974		owl
Emile Rousseau	1974-1994		dolphin
Pierre Rodier	1994-2000		bee
Gérard Buquoy	2001-2002		horseshoe
Serge Levet	2003		heart
Hubert Larivière	2004-2010		horn
Yves Sampo	from 2011		rosette

In the contests for a design of a coin commemorating 10th anniversary of the Economic and Monetary Union, the proposal of George Stamatopoulos from the Central Bank of Greece has won the internet voting. He proposed the idea of a coin on a coin, which he had used previously on a Greek national obverse of 1 euro coins. There he introduced an irregularly struck Greek coin of 4 drachmas from 5th century BC. This time he designed by himself a coin pretending to be ancient. All euro zone members issued a coin with the same motif on the obverse. Let's meet the other finalists.