by Françoise from association Les Amis de l’Euro. 

It is not rare: only 2,500,000 pieces were minted. Nor is it expensive on the euro coin market: a maximum of 7.50 EUR according to the main online sales sites. But it’s a special piece.

For at least three reasons: the year, the theme, and the design.

2004 was the first year to see the minting of 2 EUR commemorative coins. The series is inaugurated by the Greek coin which celebrates the hosting of the Olympic Games in Athens that year.

Six 2 EUR commemorative coins were minted in 2004, and this Luxembourg coin is actually the third. This is the first reason that makes it special: it is part of the original series of 2 EUR commemorative coins.

The second reason relates to the theme. Strictly speaking, a commemorative coin should celebrate something. According to Larousse, a commemoration is the "action of commemorating, recalling the memory of an event, a person". However, the theme of this Luxembourg coin from 2004 is "the monogram of Grand Duke Henri". It must be admitted that the concept of commemoration has been pushed quite far... Unlike, for example, Finland, which celebrated, in this year 2004, the enlargement of the European Union to ten new member states, as seen below, each shoot of the plant representing a country.

And finally let's talk about the design, which makes this Luxembourg piece a real curiosity.

According to the Official Journal of the European Union, the twelve stars of the European flag must appear on all coins. In the case of common 2 EUR coins, they must be located on the outer edge.

Imagination was at its height in 2004 and the following years in terms of how to depict the stars, I will come back to this in a future article. But all countries at least respected the obligation to depict them on the outer edge.

This was not the case for Luxembourg, which presents us with this coin as the only example of a 2 EUR coin where the 12 stars of the European flag are depicted on the inner field of the coin.

Furthermore, the stars do not form a circle, as on the majority of other coins, but a semicircle. I repeat, this graphic position is found only on this Luxembourgish coin, regardless of its value.

The way the 12 stars are depicted on the outer ring also benefited from the imagination of the designers until 2009, then from 2010, all 2 EUR coins, without exception, will depict the 12 stars at regular intervals around the entire perimeter.

I conclude with two considerations.

The monogram of Grand Duke Henri acquired a new function during the development of the 2 EUR commemorative coins. Given that the Luxembourg Constitution requires the effigy of the Grand Duke on all coins, the composition of the design could sometimes prove complicated. The piece below which celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Pont Grande-Duchesse Charlotte suffers in my opinion, more than it benefits, from the effigy of the Grand Duke – this being said without the slightest disrespect to the respect of Henry of Luxembourg.

This is why Luxembourg decided, to circumvent this legal and graphically invasive imperative, that the monogram of Grand Duke Henri could represent his person.

On the coin below for example, which celebrates the 10th wedding anniversary of the heir couple, Grand Duke Henri is represented not by his effigy but by his monogram.

As for the freedom taken with the notion of commemoration, if Luxembourg was the first to use it, many countries had the same reaction subsequently. Below I take one of the most surprising examples: the Latvian 2 EUR commemorative coin from 2016, which celebrates Latvian agriculture, with a friendly and beautiful cow.

For me, this is a very beautiful, profound and respectful example of the messages that can be conveyed with 2 EUR commemorative coins.

In this article, we moved from Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg to a Latvian cow, and this is precisely what makes the collection of 2 EUR commemorative coins so endearing.

Written by Les Amis de l’Euro.

The article is provided by Les Amis de l’Euro. The French association established in 2003, has 1,300 members across Europe (among others) and a team of volunteer specialists dedicated to serving Euro collectors.

The Association has defined four objectives:

1. Information: Collecting as much information as possible about euro coins and banknotes and making it available on their website.

2. Engagement: Creating and maintaining connections among members, answering their questions, and managing a discussion forum.

3. Collection Management: Regularly updating an online catalogue, facilitating bulk orders for members to secure euros at favourable rates, and regularly issuing numismatic items featuring the association's insignia.

4. Representation: Thanks to the number and expertise of its members, the association represents collectors to the European Central Bank, the European Commission, and the press, among others. The association also participates in major French and international trade shows.