2 euro PORTUGAL (2013) Oporto - Clérigos Tower

in the coin centre the Clérigos Church tower in Oporto seen from below; on the right the Luis I Bridge in Oporto; below Portuguese Coat of Arms and inscription: PORTUGAL; along the top edge: 250 ANOS TORRE DOS CLÉRIGOS - 2013 (250 years of the Clérigos Tower and the year of issue); at the edge a ring of twelve five-pointed stars - symbol of the European Union

left from the 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 seven castles and five shields from Portuguese Coat of Arms:

20 VI 2013

circulating

Hugo Maciel (signature - HUGO MACIEL after the mint mark along the left edge of the obverse), Luc Luycx (initials LL below letter 'O' in EURO on the reverse)

Imprensa Nacional - Casa da Moeda (National Press - The Mint), Lisbon (mint mark INCM along the left edge of the obverse)

2013

500 000

+ 15 000 in commemorative packaging

Portuguese commemorative coin of 2 euro from 2013 commemorates the 250th anniversary of the completion of the Clérigos Church bell tower (Torre dos Clérigos) in Oporto. Over 75-meter tower was being built between 1754-1763 according to the design of an Italian Nicolau Nasoni. Because of its height the tower is visible from many places in Oporto and quickly became a symbol of the city. Using the occasion of this issue the obverse designer Hugo Maciel smuggled also the second symbol of Oporto - the Luis I Bridge (Ponte Luís I) built in 1886 across the Douro River. Both buildings together with the historic center of Oporto were placed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1996.


photo: Lusitana, Olegivvit; licence: CC-BY-SA 3.0