€2 commemorative coins - 2023

Feature: 100 years from the birth of Maria Callas

Description: The design features a portrait of the legendary Greek soprano Maria Callas. Inscribed along the inner edge is the wording ‘100 YEARS FROM THE BIRTH OF MARIA CALLAS’, and at the right the minting year ‘2023’ and a palmette (mintmark of the Greek Mint); below the portrait runs the inscription ‘HELLENIC REPUBLIC’. The coin’s outer ring bears the 12 stars of the European flag.

Issuing volume: 750 000 coins

Issuing date: July 2023

Feature: 150 years from the birth of Constantin Carathéodory

Description: The design features a portrait of the Greek mathematician Constantin Carathéodory. Inscribed along the inner edge at the left is the wording ‘CONSTANTIN CARATHÉODORY 1873-1950’, and at right the minting year ‘2023’ and a palmette (mintmark of the Greek Mint); below the portrait runs the inscription ‘HELLENIC REPUBLIC’. The coin’s outer ring bears the 12 stars of the European flag.

Issuing volume: 750 000 coins

Issuing date: July 2023

Feature: Estonian national bird – the barn swallow

Description: The design depicts the silhouette of the barn swallow with the text ‘HIRUNDO RUSTICA’ (the barn swallow in Latin) at the top right, in semi-circle. At the bottom is the name of the issuing country ‘EESTI’ and underneath the year of issuance ‘2023’. The coin’s outer ring bears the 12 stars of the European flag.

Issuing volume: 1 000 000 coins

Issuing date: Second quarter 2023

Feature: Rugby World Cup France 2023

Description: On the occasion of the Rugby World Cup organised in France, Monnaie de Paris celebrates rugby and this competition which will bring together teams from twenty nations. The design represents a stylized rugby player making a pass. In the background, the rugby field is the globe on which the rugby goalposts are placed. The set is part of an imaginary rugby galaxy where the other planets are oval. The emblem of the competition is inserted next to the player, while the name of the competition surrounds the design. The indication of the issuing country ‘RF’, the mintmark and the mint master mark are inserted under the image on the right-hand side. The name of the competition, the issuing country ‘FRANCE’ and the year ‘2023’ are inserted on the left hand side. The name of the competition surrounding the design, as well as and the ‘RF’ mention appear in the official font of the event, called Mobius. The coin’s outer ring bears the 12 stars of the European flag.

Issuing volume: 15 000 000 coins

Issuing date: June 2023

Feature: The arrival of the French in Malta in 1798

Description: In June 1798, Napoleon Bonaparte ended the rule of the Order of St John in Malta. During his short stay in Malta, Napoleon established a Republican Government and issued a thorough reform of laws and institutions of Malta. Amongst other things, slavery and the privileges of nobility were abolished. A lay state was established, and the court of the Inquisition was closed. At the time, the far-reaching reforms were not universally accepted by the Maltese, and it was not long before they rebelled. The design depicts a personification of the French Republic as depicted on the official letterheads of the period. At the left-hand side is the inscription ‘225th ANNIVERSARY’ followed from the top to the right, in semi-circle, by the inscription ‘ARRIVAL OF THE FRENCH IN MALTA’. At the bottom is the year of issuance ‘2023’. The inscriptions ‘Liberté’ (Freedom) and ‘Egalité’ (Equality) are at the left and right side of the image, respectively. At the top left of the inscription ‘Egalité’ are the years ‘1798-2023’. The coin’s outer ring bears the 12 stars of the European flag.

Issuing volume: 85 500 coins

Issuing date: June 2023

Feature: The 550th anniversary of the birth of Nicolaus Copernicus

Description: The design depicts a profile portrait of Copernicus, together with a stylized heliocentric representation of the universe as proposed by Copernicus. At the top left is the inscription ‘NICOLAUS COPERNICUS 1473 – 1543’ and at the bottom left is the name of the issuing country ‘MALTA’ followed by the year of issuance ‘2023’. Also at the bottom is the signature of the artist Daniela Fusco ‘FUSCO’. The coin’s outer ring bears the 12 stars of the European flag.

Issuing volume: 95 500 coins

Issuing date: June 2023

Feature: The ‘year of art nouveau’, which takes place during 2023 in Belgium

Description: The design shows a decorative detail from the facade of the ‘Hotel Van Eetvelde’, an iconic town house in Brussels which has been designed by the Belgian art nouveau architect Victor Horta and has been recognized as Unesco World Heritage. The curved, asymmetrical lines of this decorative detail reflect the characteristic nature-inspired style of the art nouveau movement. This detail fills up the bottom half of the piece, leaving a vacant space on the upper half, which is filled with the description ‘ART NOUVEAU’. At the far right are the initials of the designer Iris Bruijns located. As the Royal Dutch Mint will strike the coins, the mintmark of Utrecht, a mercury staff is located on the far left together with the Belgian mint director mintmark, an aster flower in front of an Erlenmeyer flask, the country code BE and the year mark 2023. The coin’s outer ring bears the 12 stars of the European flag.

Issuing volume: 155 000 coins

Issuing date: June 2023

Feature: The Spanish Presidency of the Council of the EU

Description: The design shows two images. The first one is the logo of the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the EU. Surrounding the logo are the captions: “ESPANA 2023 – PRESIDENCIA ESPANOLA and ‘CONSEJO DE LA UNION EUROPEA’ (Spain 2023 – Spanish Presidency and Council of the European Union). The second image, in the lower part, represents the mint mark of the Fabrica Nacional de Moneda y Timbre Real Casa de la Moneda with the crowned ‘M’. The coin’s outer ring bears the 12 stars of the European flag.

Issuing volume: 1 500 000 coins

Issuing date: 1 June 2023

Feature: The 5th Centenary of the death of Pietro Perugino

Description: The design features Perugino’s portrait and a particular of the Baptism, fresco in the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican. At the top right, in semi-circle, is the inscription ‘CITTÀ DEL VATICANO’. At the bottom is the inscription ‘PERUGINO’ and underneath it the dates ‘1523◦2023’. At the left is the mintmark ‘R’. The coin’s outer ring bears the 12 stars of the European flag.

Issuing volume: 82 500 coins

Issuing date: May 2023

Feature: The 150th anniversary of the death of Alessandro Manzoni

Description: The design features Manzoni’s portrait, a pen and the beginning of his masterpiece, ‘I Promessi Sposi’. At the top, from left to right, in semi-circle, is the inscription ‘CITTÀ DEL VATICANO’. At the bottom is the inscription ‘Alessandro Manzoni’ and underneath it the dates ‘1873◦2023’. At the left is the mintmark ‘R’. The coin’s outer ring bears the 12 stars of the European flag.

Issuing volume: 82 500 coins

Issuing date: May 2023

Feature: Finland’s First Nature Conservation Act

Description: The theme of the coin is a stylized beetle. On the top in semi-circle is the lettering ‘NATURE CONSERVATION’ in Finnish and at the bottom in semi-circle are the lettering ‘NATURE CONSERVATION’ in Swedish and the year of issuance ‘2023’. The right-hand side of the inner part of the coin bears the lettering ‘FI’. The left-hand side of the inner part of the coin bears the mintmark of the Mint of Finland. The coin’s outer ring bears the 12 stars of the European flag.

Issuing volume: 400 000 coins

Issuing date: Spring 2023

Feature: The 500th anniversary of the death of Perugino

Description: The design shows in the centre the Virgin Mary with the Child Jesus, detail of the painting ‘Madonna with Child, Saint Sebastian and Saint John the Baptist’ by Perugino, preserved in the Uffizi Galleries (Florence). At the left-hand side are the inscription ‘PERUGINO’, the dates ‘1523’ and ‘2023’ and the mintmark ‘R’. At the right- hand side is the name of the issuing country ‘SAN MARINO’ and at the bottom right are the initials of the author Maria Angela Cassol, MAC. The coin’s outer ring bears the 12 stars of the European flag.

Issuing volume: 56 000 coins

Issuing date: April 2023

Feature: Together with Ukraine

Description: The design features a stylised sunflower in the centre, with petals looking like silhouettes of people holding hands, embracing, protecting each other, embodying unity, support and the power of being together. Using artistic means the sunflower is designed as the rising Sun, the hope of a new beginning, birds, freedom, hope and courage, as people rising above the circumstances, never accepting any imposed will, as an allusion to those who have sacrificed their lives and their departing souls. The composition is surrounded by the inscriptions ‘LIETUVA’ (LITHUANIA), ‘KARTU SU UKRAINA’ (TOGETHER WITH UKRAINE), the year of issue ‘2023’ and the mintmark of the Lithuanian Mint. The coin is designed by Eglė Žemaitė. The coin’s outer ring bears the 12 stars of the European flag.

Issuing volume: 500 000 coins

Issuing date: First quarter 2023

Feature: UNESCO: Cáceres

Description: The Old Town of Cáceres is an urban ensemble located in the Autonomous Community of Extremadura in the west of the Iberian Peninsula. It was registered on the World Heritage Site list for being unique due to its historic features, which (from the Middle Ages to the classical period) bear the traces of highly diverse and contradictory influences, such as Northern Gothic, Islamic, Italian Renaissance and arts of the New World. The design depicts a panoramic view of the monumental complex, specifically of the main square. At the top and in capital letters are the word ‘ESPAÑA’ and the year of minting ‘2023’. On the upper right hand is the mintmark. At the bottom and in capital letters is the word ‘CÁCERES’. The coin’s outer ring bears the 12 stars of the European flag.

Issuing volume: 1 500 000 coins

Issuing date: First quarter 2023

Feature: The 1275th anniversary of the birth of Charlemagne (748–814), King of the Franks and Holy Roman Emperor

Description: The design combines two contemporary elements: Charlemagne’s personal monogram and the octagon of Aachen Cathedral. The two motifs are deftly merged into a distinctive work of art. The strength of the design lies in its dynamic, three-dimensional quality. Overall, it is an innovative tribute to an outstanding figure in European history. The coin’s inner ring also features the inscription ‘KARL DER GROßE’ (‘Charlemagne’) at the top and, in the bottom half, the year of issue ‘2023’, the dates ‘748–814’, Germany’s issuing country code ‘D’, the mint mark of the respective mint (‘A’, ‘D’, ‘F’, ‘G’ or ‘J’) and the artist’s initials (‘TW’). The coin’s outer ring bears the 12 stars of the European flag.

Issuing volume: 20 000 000 coins

Issuing date: March 2023

Feature: The 100th anniversary of the first blood transfusion in Slovakia

Description: The design features an equilateral cross as an internationally recognised symbol of medical aid, hope and humanity. Inscribed in each arm is one of the four blood groups: A, B, 0, and AB. Incused within the cross are two more equilateral crosses, one within the other, with a drop of blood appearing at the centre of this image. Depicted around the central cross are the equally spaced lower parts of eight test tubes, each containing an incused stylised blood drop. Between each tube is a blood drop in relief. To the right of the bottom tube are the stylised initials ‘MP’, referring to the national side’s designer Mária Poldaufová; to the left is the mint mark of the Kremnica Mint (Mincovňa Kremnica), consisting of the letters ‘MK’ placed between two dies. Around most of the edge of the coin’s inner part is the inscription ‘PRVÁ TRANSFÚZIA KRVI 1923 – 2023’ (in English the words mean ‘first blood transfusion’). Along the lower part of the edge is the name of the issuing country ‘SLOVENSKO’, with a dot on either side separating it from the inscription. The coin’s outer ring bears the 12 stars of the European flag.

Issuing volume: 1 000 000 coins

Issuing date: March 2023

Feature: The 175th anniversary of the Luxembourg Parliament

Description: The design depicts at the left-hand side the effigy of the Grand Duke Henri and at the right-hand side the building of the Chamber of Deputies. The year date ‘1848’ and the text ‘Chambre des députés’ appear above and at the right of the building. At the bottom centre, the name of the issuing country ‘LUXEMBOURG’ as well as the issuing year date ‘2023’ are represented. The coin’s outer ring bears the 12 stars of the European flag.

Issuing volume: 500 000 coins

Issuing date: February 2023

Feature: Olympic Games Paris 2024

Description: One hundred years after the Paris 1924 Olympic Games, the French capital will once again host the Summer Games in 2024. One year before the launch of the Olympic Games, the Monnaie de Paris is continuing the celebration by counting down to the start of the Games by highlighting its heritage and that of Paris. An event with international echo whose intensity gradually increases in the years leading up to the event, with already several €2 commemorative coins dedicated to the Olympic Games over the past years. The design of the coin depicts the Sower, a national figure and icon of French numismatics, practicing pugilism, the forerunner of boxing, in reference to the Antic Olympic Games. Her silhouette is in the foreground in front of the Pont-Neuf and its surroundings, typical of the Ile de la Cité area, a key element of the Parisian landscape. In the background, an athletic track, into which the emblem of Paris 2024 is inserted on the right-hand side, is represented. The year date, the RF mention and the mintmarks are inserted under the arch, on the bridge railing and in the Seine. The coin’s outer ring bears the 12 stars of the European flag.

Issuing volume: 260 000 coins

Issuing date: January 2023

Feature: The 100th anniversary of the Air Force

Description: The design depicts the reproduction of the logo of the Centenary of the Air Force. On the left ‘R’, identifying the Mint of Rome; above, ‘RI’, acronym of the Italian Republic; below, the arch-shaped inscription ‘AERONAUTICA MILITARE’; on the right, ‘VdS’, initials of the designer Valerio De Seta. The coin’s outer ring bears the 12 stars of the European flag.

Issuing volume: 3 000 000 coins

Issuing date: January 2023

Feature: The 150th anniversary of the death of Alessandro Manzoni

Description: The design features the half-length portrait of Alessandro Manzoni, inspired by the image of the Italian writer as depicted on the 100 000 lire banknote issued in 1967. On the left, ‘RI’, acronym of the Italian Republic, the dates ‘1873-2023’, the year of the death of the writer and the year of the coin’s issue, respectively, and the arch-shaped inscription ‘ALESSANDRO MANZONI’. On the right, ‘R’, identifying the Mint of Rome, and ‘AV’, initials of the designer Antonio Vecchio. The coin’s outer ring bears the 12 stars of the European flag.

Issuing volume: 3 000 000 coins

Issuing date: January 2023