Euro gold and silver commemorative coins

Eurozone participation
  19 European Union member states (the eurozone)
  7 European Union member states not in ERM II but obliged to join
  1 European Union member state in ERM II, with an opt-out (Denmark)
  1 European Union member state not in ERM II, with an opt-out (United Kingdom)
  4 non-European Union member states using the euro with a monetary agreement are (Andorra, Monaco, San Marino and Vatican City)
  2 non-European Union member states using the euro unilaterally (Kosovo and Montenegro)

This article covers the gold and silver issues of the euro commemorative coins (collectors coins). It also includes some rare cases of bimetal collector coins (Titanium, Niobium, etc.). See €2 commemorative coins for circulating commemorative coins.

Introduction

In the Eurozone, as a legacy of old national practice is the minting of silver and gold commemorative coins. Unlike normal issues, these coins are not legal tender in all the Eurozone, but only in the country where the coin was issued. For instance, a €10 Finnish commemorative coin cannot be used in the Netherlands.

Despite this, these coins are not really intended to be used as means of payment, as their bullion value generally vastly exceeds their face value, so it does not constitute a serious problem. The major exception is Germany, where silver ten euro commemoratives are available at banks and some retailers at face value. The coins, however, generally do not circulate.

It is uncertain whether the Council of Ministers will grant them legal tender status elsewhere outside national boundaries, as San Marino, Monaco and Vatican City also issue these kind of coins.

Europa Coin Programme

Main article: Europa coin programme

The Europa coin programme is a multi-member participation of minting precious metal coin with a particular theme that changes each year.

Summary

This is a summary of the euro gold and silver commemorative coins issued by all countries in the eurozone.

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
Country Issues   By year   By metal
2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Gold Silver Other
Austria 152 11 12 14 13 13 13 15 15 16 14 16 64 79 9
Belgium 56 2 2 4 4 6 6 7 6 7 7 5 27 29
Cyprus 4 1 2 1 1 3
Estonia 4 3 1 2 2
Finland 92 3 4 3 4 5 4 4 7 13 25 20 11 75 6
France 403 28 60 42 42 51 65 50 63 2 204 194 5
Germany 105 7 7 7 7 6 6 6 7 8 23 21 31 74
Greece 51 15 12 1 3 4 1 2 2 5 6 13 38
Ireland 27 2 1 1 2 3 4 3 3 3 5 9 17 1
Italy 101 6 8 15 10 10 9 12 9 12 10 18 62 1
Luxembourg 23 1 1 2 1 4 1 2 1 5 3 2 19 71 1
Malta 10 2 2 2 2 2 5 5
Monaco 9 1 2 1 1 2 1 1 4 5
Netherlands 53 2 5 4 5 6 2 2 2 6 9 10 22 30
Portugal 104 9 10 6 7 7 11 10 16 13 15 25 58 21
San Marino 54 4 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 22 32
Slovakia 27 4 5 9 9 3 26
Slovenia 29 5 5 5 7 7 10 16 3
Spain 222 15 11 18 13 11 18 15 15 29 37 41 40 177 3
Vatican City 50 4 4 4 5 4 4 5 4 4 5 7 26 24
Total 1555 26 58 56 42 48 45 60 46 52 34 5 164 266 40
This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
Country Issues   By face value
€100,000 €500 €400 €300 €250 €200 €100 €50 €30 €25 €20 €15 €12.5 €12 €10 €8 €5 €3 €2.50 €1.50 €0.25
Austria 136 1 20 20 19 21 30 22 4
Belgium 31 6 4 1 2 3 13 2
Cyprus 3 1 2
Estonia 2 1 1
Finland 27 4 2 1 14 6
France 338 1 1 28 18 84 2 60 16 104 25
Germany 61 1 9 1 50
Greece 36 1 8 1 26
Ireland 27 1 8 5 11 2
Malta 8 4 4
Monaco 7 1 2 2 2
Netherlands 28 2 3 13 10
Portugal 50 7 17 13 8 2 3
Slovakia 2 1 1
Slovenia 15 6 6 3
Spain 108 6 2 16 2 10 2 2 8 57 2 1
Total ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

Austria

Location of Austria

Austria introduced the Eurocoins in 2002 alongside the general issuance of Euro in the Eurozone. From the very beginning they have been minting a fairly large set of collectors' coins. The record was reached in 2004, when 14 different coins were minted. There was a unique and particular edition of a very special coin: the €100,000 Vienna Philharmonic, only 15 coins minted.

Austria uses mainly gold and silver for their collectors' coins. However, since 2003 a special bimetal coin, €25 face value, has been minted using silver and colored niobium, giving this set of coins a unique characteristic, since they have different color variations every year.

With the exception of the 2004 Vienna Philharmonic coin and the recently introduced 2008 silver €1.25 Vienna Philharmonic, there is no variation in the number of issues when sorted by face value, from €5 to €100 there is a similar number of issues every year.

Vienna Philharmonic Coin

A unique piece in the Austrian collection is the Vienna Philharmonic coin. This coin is struck in pure gold, 999.9 fine (24 carats). It is issued every year, in four different face values, sizes and weights. It is used as an investment product (bullion coin), although it finishes almost always in hands of collectors. According to the World gold Council, was the best selling gold coin in 1992, 1995 and 1996 world wide.

Since 1 February 2008, this coin is being minted in silver as well. Both side of the coin features as on the Vienna Philharmonic pure gold coin. Its face value of „1,50 Euro“ gives the silver piece its coin character, but is not relevant for the actual market value of the coin.

2008 Europe Taler

Once again Austria makes a major milestone in numismatics: the launch of the largest silver coin in the world has been made by Hall in Tirol. It has been revealed on the occasion of the 2008 European Championship of Football in Austria and Switzerland. The front side design of the coin is as old as five centuries. 500 years ago in Trient, Kaiser Maximilian I crowned himself Emperor and a propaganda coin was issued by the Mint in Hall. In the coin was written: "King of all the lands in Europe”. This inscription included the word “Europe” for the first time. The obverse corresponds to that from the time of Maximilian in 1508. It shows the emperor mounted in armour on a horse. This massive coin has a diameter of 360 mm and a weight of 20.08 kg.

A smaller version for collectors will also be minted and will be sold at €108.[1]

Summary

Year Issues   By metal   By face value
gold silver others €100,000 €2,000 €100 €50 €25 €20 €10 €5 €1.50
2002 11 6 5 – – – 2 2 1 2 3 1 –
2003 12 6 5 1 – – 2 2 2 2 3 1 –
2004 14 7 6 1 1 – 2 2 2 2 3 2 –
2005 13 6 6 1 – – 2 2 2 2 3 2 –
2007 13 6 6 1 – – 3 3 2 2 3 2 –
2007 13 6 6 1 – – 1 1 2 2 3 2 –
2008 15 6 8 1 – – 2 2 2 2 3 3 1
2009 15 7 7 1 – 1 2 2 2 2 3 2 1
2010 16 6 9 1 – – 2 2 2 2 3 4 1
2011 14 6 7 1 – – 2 2 2 3 3 1 1
Total 136 62 65 9 1 1 20 20 19 21 30 22 4
  Coins were minted
  No coins were minted
  Scheduled to be minted

Belgium

Kingdom of Belgium
(Dutch) Koninkrijk België
(French) Royaume de Belgique
(German) Königreich Belgien
ISO 3166 code BE

Belgium joined the Eurozone in 2002, and since then they have been minting collectors' coins. In the first two years, there were not that many coins being minted, only 2 issues per year. Since 2004, a gradual increase of their mints has been seen, with a record of six coins minted in 2006 and 2007 respectively.

With the exception of the Belgian €2 commemorative coins and the normal Belgian euro coins, which are intended for circulation, only one coin have been minted by the Royal Belgian Mint using other materials than gold and silver. This coin, the 2006 "50th anniversary of the catastrophe Bois du Cazier at Marcinelle", is a silver coin with a portrait embossed in copper. It is also the only bimetal commemorative coin minted so far; any other collectors' coins has been minted completely in either silver or gold, they have not used any other materials and they have not minted any other bimetal coins.

They also mint the collectors' coins issues in very low quantities; some of their coins disappear from the market in a few weeks post release. Typically the majority of the coins minted have a face value of €100 or €10. In the recent years coins with face value €50, €25, €20 and €12.5 has also been minted.

Summary

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
Year Issues   By metal   By face value
gold silver Others €100 €50 €25 €20 €12.5 €10 €5
2002 2 1 1 – 1 – – – – 1 –
2003 2 1 1 – 1 – – – – 1 –
2004 4 2 2 – 1 1 – – – 2 –
2005 4 1 3 – 1 – – 1 – 2 –
2006 6 3 3 – 1 1 – – 1 3 –
2007 6 3 3 – 1 1 – 1 1 2 –
2008 7 3 4 – – 1 1 – 1 2 2
2009 2 1 1 – – 1 – – – 1 –
Total 33 15 18 0 6 5 1 2 3 14 2

Cyprus

Republic of Cyprus
Κυπριακή Δημοκρατία (Greek)
Kypriakī́ Dīmokratía
Kıbrıs Cumhuriyeti (Turkish)
ISO 3166 code CY

As of 20 October 2008, one Cypriot euro commemorative coin had been minted. This special high-value commemorative coin is not to be confused with €2 commemorative coins, which are coins designated for circulation and do have legal tender status in all countries of the Eurozone.[2]

Summary

The following table shows the number of coins minted per year. In the first section, the coins are grouped by the metal used, while in the second section they are grouped by their face value.

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
Year Issues   By metal   By face value
gold silver others €5
2008 1 – 1 – 1
Total 1 0 1 0 1
  Coins were minted
  No coins were minted

Estonia

Republic of Estonia
Eesti Vabariik

Summary

Year Issues   By metal   By face value
gold silver Others €20 €10
2011 2 1 1 – 1 1
Total 2 1 1 0 1 1
  Coins were minted
  No coins were minted

Finland

Republic of Finland
(Finnish) Suomen tasavalta
(Swedish) Republiken Finland
ISO 3166 code FI

Finland joined the eurozone in 2002, and they continued their tradition of minting collectors' coins. They do not mint too many coins per year; only 3 to 4 coins. The record was reached in 2005 with 5 coins minted.

Finland, like no other country in the union, has a tendency to use mainly silver in their collectors' coin issues and a very distinctive way of alternating other materials, like gold, Nickel-Copper, Nordic gold ... etc. They have minted more bimetal collectors' coins than gold coins. That is the main reason why the vast majority of the Finnish coins have a low face value, with almost 70% of their issues having a face value of €10 or €5. As a result, the Finnish gold coins have a really high value in the market because they are fairly difficult to find.

Summary

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
Year Issues   By metal   By face value
gold silver Others €100 €50 €20 €10 €5
2002 3 1 2 – 1 – – 2 –
2003 4 1 2 1 – 1 – 2 1
2004 3 1 2 – 1 – – 2 –
2005 4 1 2 1 – – 1 2 1
2006 5 1 2 2 – 1 – 2 2
2007 4 1 2 1 1 – – 2 1
2008 4 1 2 1 1 – – 2 1
2009 1 – 1 – – – – 1 –
Total 28 7 15 6 4 2 1 15 6
  Coins were minted
  No coins were minted

France

France
France

Summary

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
Year Issues   By metal   By face value
gold silver others €500 €100 €50 €20 €15 €10 €5 €1.50 €0.25
2002 28 14 12 2 – 2 1 10 – 1 1 8 5
2003 60 33 26 1 – 4 3 22 – 5 1 22 3
2004 42 22 19 1 1 4 2 13 – 3 2 14 3
2005 42 22 19 1 – 6 2 7 – 10 1 14 2
2006 51 24 27 – – 6 3 11 – 12 1 13 5
2007 65 30 35 – – 2 5 14 1 15 4 19 5
2008 50 25 25 – – 4 2 7 1 14 6 14 2
Total 338 170 163 5 1 28 18 84 2 60 16 104 25

Germany

Main articles: Euro gold and silver commemorative coins (Germany) and Commemorative coins of Germany
Federal Republic of Germany
Bundesrepublik Deutschland
This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
Year Issues   By metal   By face value
gold silver others €200 €100 €20 €10
2002 7 2 5 – 1 1 - 5
2003 7 1 6 – – 1 - 6
2004 7 1 6 – – 1 - 6
2005 7 1 6 – – 1 - 6
2006 6 1 5 – – 1 - 5
2007 6 1 5 – – 1 - 5
2008 6 1 5 – – 1 - 5
2009 7 1 6 – – 1 - 6
2010 8 2 6 – – 1 1 6
Total 61 11 50 – 1 9 1 50

Greece

Hellenic Republic
Ελληνική Δημοκρατία
Ellīnikī́ Dīmokratía

Greece minted a high number of collectors' coins in 2003 and 2004, in both gold and silver, as part of the celebration of the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. After that just a few coins were minted, solely in silver. As of 9 December 2008, 36 variations of Greek commemorative coins have been minted: 15 in 2003, 12 in 2004, one in 2005, three in 2006, four in 2007 and one in 2008.

Summary

The following table shows the number of coins minted per year. In the first section, the coins are grouped by the metal used, while in the second section they are grouped by their face value.

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
Year Issues   By metal   By face value
gold silver Others €200 €100 €20 €10
2003 15 5 10 – 1 4 1 9
2004 12 4 8 – – 4 – 8
2005 1 – 1 – – – – 1
2006 3 – 3 – – – – 3
2007 4 – 4 – – – – 4
2008 1 – 1 – – – – 1
2009 2 – 2 – – – – 2
2010 1 – 1 – – – – 1
2011 1 – 1 – – – – 1
2012 2 – 2 – – – – 2
Total 42 9 33 0 1 8 1 32
  Coins were minted
  No coins were minted

Ireland

Ireland
Éire

Ireland joined the eurozone in 2002, however they did not mint any collectors' coins until 2003. Ireland has kept its issues to the very minimum with one or two coins per year. The record was reached in 2008, when four coins where issued.

The vast majority of the Irish coins are made of silver, only since 2006 Irish euro collectors' coins have been seen in gold. In 2003, a very special coin was issued, the only one with a face value of €5 minted so far, and the only one made of two colors (not to be confused with bimetal coins), using alloys of other materials. This coins was issued commemorating the 2003 Special Olympics World Summer Games hosted in Ireland; it was the biggest mint ever with 60,000 coins released.

In general, Ireland mint coins with very low face value, but because of the rarity of their gold coins, they are quoted in the market at very high values.

Summary

Year Issues   By metal   By face value
gold silver Others €100 €50 €20 €15 €10 €5
2002 0 – – – – – – – – –
2003 2 – 1 1 – – – – 1 1
2004 1 – 1 – – – – – 1 –
2005 1 – 1 – – – – – 1 –
2006 2 1 1 – – – 1 – 1 –
2007 3 1 2 – – – 1 1 1 –
2008 4 2 2 – 1 – 1 – 1 1
2009 3 1 2 – – – 1 1 1 –
2010 3 1 2 – – – 1 1 1 –
2011 3 1 2 – – – 1 1 1 –
2012 5 2 3 – – – 2 1 2 –
2013 2 – 2 – – – – 1 1 –
2014 3 1 2 – – – 1 1 1 –
2015 1 – 1 – – – – 1 – –
Total 33 10 22 1 1 0 9 8 13 2
  Coins were minted
  No coins were minted

Italy

Summary

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
Year Issues   By metal   By face value
gold silver others €50 €20 €10 €5
2002 0 – – – – – – –
2003 6 2 4 – 1 1 2 2
2004 8 3 5 – 1 2 2 3
2005 15 6 9 – 2 4 5 4
2006 10 4 6 – 2 2 4 2
2007 10 3 7 – 1 2 3 4
2008 9 3 6 – 1 2 2 4
2010 8 2 6 – 1 1 3 3
Total 66 23 43 - 9 14 21 22

Luxembourg

Luxembourg
Luxembourg

In 2006 Luxembourg made 2 bimetallic coins of Silver and Titanium. In 2009 was issued another 2 bimetallic coins, one of these was made of Silver and Niobium, and the other one in Silver and Brass.

Summary

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
Year Issues   By metal   By face value
gold silver others €25 €20 €10 €5
2002 1 – 1 – 1 – – –
2003 1 1 – – – – – 1
2004 2 1 1 – 1 – 1 –
2005 1 – 1 – 1 – – –
2006 4 1 1 2 1 1 2 –
2007 1 – 1 – 1 – – –
2008 2 1 1 – 1 – 1 –
2009 1 - - 2 - - - 2
Total 13 4 6 4 6 1 4 3

Malta

Republic of Malta
Repubblika ta' Malta
ISO 3166 code MT

Malta joined the Eurozone in 1 January 2008. In such a short period they have minted two coins: one in silver with face value €10 and one in gold with face value €50. Both coins have the same motive: Auberge de Castille.[3]

Summary

Year Issues   By metal   By face value
gold silver others €50 €10
2008 2 1 1 – 1 1
2009 2 1 1 – 1 1
2010 2 1 1 – 1 1
2011 2 1 1 – 1 1
Total 8 4 4 - 4 4


Monaco

Principality of Monaco
Principauté de Monaco
ISO 3166 code MC

As of 28 December 2008, seven variations of Monegasque Euro commemorative coins have been minted: one in 2002, two in 2003, one in 2004, one in 2005 and two in 2008. This special high-value commemorative coins are not to be confused with €2 commemorative coins, which are coins designated for circulation and do have legal tender status in all countries of the Eurozone.[2]

The following table shows the number of coins minted per year. In the first section, the coins are grouped by the metal used, while in the second section they are grouped by their face value.

Summary

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
Year Issues   By metal   By face value
gold silver Others €100 €20 €10 €5
2002 1 1 – – – 1 – –
2003 2 1 1 – 1 – 1 –
2004 1 – 1 – – – – 1
2005 1 1 – – – – 1 –
2006 0 – – – – – – –
2007 0 – – – – – – –
2008 2 1 1 – – 1 – 1
Total 7 4 3 0 1 2 2 2
  Coins were minted
  No coins were minted

Netherlands

Netherlands
Nederland

The Netherlands joined the eurozone in 2002, and its continued its tradition of minting collectors' coins. It does not mint many coins per year; average is 2 silver and 2 gold coins per year. The record was reached in 2006 with 6 coins minted.

Some issues are also minted in Netherlands Antillean guilder and in Aruban florin. These commemorative coins have the same subject, but a different design. They are also minted in a gold and in a silver version.

Summary

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
Year Issues   By metal   By face value
gold silver others €50 €20 €10 €5
2002 2 1 1 – – 1 1 –
2003 5 3 2 – 1 1 2 1
2004 4 2 2 – – – 2 2
2005 5 3 2 – 1 1 2 1
2006 6 3 3 – – – 3 3
2007 2 1 1 – – – 1 1
2008 2 1 1 – – – 1 1
2009 4 2 2 – – – 2 2
Total 30 16 14 – 2 3 14 11

Portugal

Summary

Year Issues   By metal   By face value
gold silver others €10 €8 7,50 €5 €2.50 €1.50 €0.25
2002 0 – – – – – – – – – –
2003 9 4 5 – 1 6 – 2 – – –
2004 10 3 7 – 1 7 – 2 – – –
2005 6 1 5 – 1 1 – 4 – – –
2006 7 1 6 – 2 2 – 2 – – 1
2007 7 1 6 – 2 1 – 3 – – 1
2008 11 1 5 5 – – – – 8 2 1
2009 10 3 3 4 – – – – 7 2 1
2010 16 3 6 7 2 – – 2 9 2 1
2011 13 4 4 5 2 – 2 – 7 – 2
Total 89 21 47 21 11 17 2 15 31 6 7

San Marino

San Marino
San Marino

Summary

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
Year Issues   By metal   By face value
gold silver others €50 €20 €10 €5
2002 4 2 2 – 1 1 1 1
2003 5 2 3 – 1 1 1 2
2004 5 2 3 – 1 1 1 2
2005 5 2 3 – 1 1 1 2
2006 5 2 3 – 1 1 1 2
2007 5 2 3 – 1 1 1 2
2008 5 2 3 – 1 1 1 2
2009 3 - 3 – - - 1 2
Total 37 14 23 – 7 7 8 15

Slovakia

Slovakia
Slovensko

Summary

Slovakia joined the Eurozone on 1 January 2009. They already have two variations of Slovak commemorative coins scheduled to be minted in 2009. These special high-value commemorative coins are not to be confused with €2 commemorative coins, which are coins designated for circulation and do have legal tender status in all countries of the Eurozone.[4] So far the coins will be in silver with face value 10 and 20 euro respectively.

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
Year Issues   By metal   By face value
gold silver others €20 €10
2009 2 – 2 – 1 1
Total 2 0 2 0 1 1
  Coins will be minted
  No coins were minted

Slovenia

Republic of Slovenia
Republika Slovenija
ISO 3166 code SI

Slovenia joined the Eurozone on January 1, 2007. Although they did not mint any collectors' coin in 2007, in such a short time they already built a small collection, with face value ranging from €3 to €100. Is right here, in the face value, where the uniqueness of the Slovenian coins can be found. They have so far €3, €30 and €100 coins; using other materials, silver and gold for each of those coins.

Since the coins are fairly new, they can be easily obtained in the market at a lower value compared to the coins of other countries in the eurozone, particularly those difficult coins to find of 2002 or 2003.

Summary

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
Year Issues   By metal   By face value
gold silver others €100 €30 €3
2008 5 2 2 1 2 2 1
2009 5 2 2 1 2 2 1
2010 5 2 2 1 2 2 1
Total 15 6 6 3 6 6 3

Spain

Kingdom of Spain
'Reino de España'

Summary

Commemorative coins with a face value lower than €10 are not shown in the table below.

Year Issues   By metal   By face value
gold silver others €400 €300 €200 €100 €50 €30 €20 €12 €10
2002 15 2 13 – 1 – 1 – 1 – – 1 11
2003 11 3 8 – – – 2 1 1 – – 1 6
2004 18 5 13 – 1 – 3 1 2 – – 2 9
2005 13 3 9 1 1 1 2 – 1 – – 1 7
2006 11 2 8 1 1 1 1 – 1 – – 1 6
2007 18 4 14 – 1 – 2 – 2 – 1 1 11
2008 15 5 10 – 1 – 3 – 2 – 1 1 7
2009 15 3 8 1 1 – 1 2 2 – 1 1 5
2010 13[5] 3 10 4 1 – 1 - 1 – 2 1 6
2011 15[6] 6 14 4 1 – 1 1 1 – 3 1 9
2012 16[7] 5 14 7 1 – 2 1 2 1 1 - 9
2013 16[8] 6 17 4 1 – 1 3 3 1 1 - 11
Total 161 47 138 22 11 2 20 9 19 2 10 11 97

Vatican City

State of the Vatican City
Stato della Città del Vaticano (Italian)

Summary

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
Year Issues   By metal   By face value
gold silver others €100 €50 €20 €10 €5
2002 4 2 2 – – 1 1 1 1
2003 4 2 2 – – 1 1 1 1
2004 4 2 2 – – 1 1 1 1
2005 5 2 3 – – 1 1 1 2
2006 4 2 2 – – 1 1 1 1
2007 4 2 2 – – 1 1 1 1
2008 5 3 2 – 1 1 1 1 1
Total 30 15 15 – 1 7 7 7 8

References