Cypriot euro coins
Encyclopedia
Cypriot euro coins feature three separate designs for the three series of coins. Cyprus
has been a member of the European Union
since 1 May 2004, and is a member of the Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union
. It has completed the third stage of the EMU and adopted the euro
as its official currency on 1 January 2008.
For images of the common side and a detailed description of the coins, see euro coins
.
American artist Erik Maell and Greek artist Tatiana Soteropoulos were chosen by the Central Bank of Cyprus to create and illustrate the designs to be used for the final coins.
The artists were instructed to include the name of Cyprus in Greek
and Turkish
, that is, ΚΥΠΡΟΣ (Kypros) and KIBRIS in the design for the coins.
On 13 February 2007, the Republic of Cyprus formally applied to join the eurozone on 1 January 2008. The final decision was expected to be taken in Brussels on 21–22 June at an EU Summit to be ratified by all EU heads of state.
On 9 March 2007, the campaign to inform the citizens of Cyprus about the euro officially began in Cypriot media.
On 15 March 2007, the House of Representatives passed the necessary laws for the introduction of the euro on 1 January 2008.
On 16 May 2007, the Commissioner for Economic & Financial Affairs of the EU, Joaquín Almunia
, recommended that Cyprus adopt the euro as scheduled.
On 20 June 2007, the European Parliament voted affirmatively on this issue and on 21 June 2007, the date was confirmed by the EU leaders.
On 10 July 2007, the EU Finance Ministers set the permanent exchange rate to CYP 0.585274 to 1 euro.
On 23 October 2007, the designs were officially published in the Official Journal of the European Union
.
On 1 January 2008, the euro replaced the Cypriot pound
as the official currency.
in 2008, they already had one high value commemorative coin, minted in silver. This coin was minted as a legacy of an old national practice of minting gold and silver coins. This coin is not really intended to be used as means of payment, so generally they do not circulate.
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
has been a member of the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
since 1 May 2004, and is a member of the Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union
Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union
The Economic and Monetary Union is an umbrella term for the group of policies aimed at converging the economies of members of the European Union in three stages so as to allow them to adopt a single currency, the euro. As such, it is largely synonymous with the eurozone.All member states of the...
. It has completed the third stage of the EMU and adopted the euro
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
as its official currency on 1 January 2008.
Cypriot euro design
For images of the common side and a detailed description of the coins, see euro coins
Euro coins
There are eight euro coin denominations, ranging from one cent to two euros . The coins first came into use in 2002. They have a common reverse, portraying a map of Europe, but each country in the eurozone has its own design on the obverse, which means that each coin has a variety of different...
.
Circulating Mintage quantities
The following table shows the mintage quantity for all Cypriot euro coins, per denomination, per year.| Face Value | €0.01 | €0.02 | €0.05 | €0.10 | €0.20 | €0.50 | €1.00 | €2.00 | €2.00 CC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 28,930,000 | 99,930,000 | 59,930,000 | 69,930,000 | 64,930,000 | 29,930,000 | 27,930,000 | 15,930,000 | * |
| 2009 | 19,985,000 | 985,000 | 5,985,000 | 985,000 | 985,000 | 985,000 | 3,985,000 | 4,985,000 | 965,000 |
| 2010 | 200,000 | 200,000 | 200,000 | 200,000 | 200,000 | 200,000 | 200,000 | 200,000 | * |
| 2011 | 15,190,000 | 190,000 | 30,190,000 | 190,000 | 190,000 | 190,000 | 190,000 | 190,000 | * |
| Total | 75,305,000 | 101,305,000 | 96,305,000 | 71,305,000 | 66,305,000 | 31,305,000 | 32,305,000 | 30,305,000 | 965,000 |
Identifying marks
| National Identifier | "ΚΥΠΡΟΣ (Kypros) and KIBRIS" |
| Mint Mark | None |
| Engravers Initials | None |
| €2 Edge inscription | |
Design selection process
The official public contest for the design of the Cypriot euro coins, which ended on 14 October 2005, defined what the required motifs of the respective coins should encompass:- 1 cent, 2 cent and 5 cent: The mouflon, the most characteristic species of faunaFaunaFauna or faunæ is all of the animal life of any particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is flora.Zoologists and paleontologists use fauna to refer to a typical collection of animals found in a specific time or place, e.g. the "Sonoran Desert fauna" or the "Burgess shale fauna"...
in Cyprus, representing the island's nature and wildlifeWildlifeWildlife includes all non-domesticated plants, animals and other organisms. Domesticating wild plant and animal species for human benefit has occurred many times all over the planet, and has a major impact on the environment, both positive and negative....
. - 10 cent, 20 cent and 50 cent: The ancient Greek Kyrenia shipKyrenia shipThe Kyrenia ship is the wreck of a 4th century BC Greek merchant ship. It was discovered by Greek-Cypriot diving instructor Andreas Cariolou in November 1965 during a storm. Having lost the exact position Cariolou carried out more than 200 dives until he re-discovered the wreck in 1967 close to...
of 4th Century B.C., representing Cyprus's history and its character as an island as well as its importance in trade. - €1 and €2: The Idol of PomosIdol of PomosThe Idol of Pomos, is a prehistoric sculpture from the Cypriot village of Pomos.It dates back to the Chalcolithic period, circa the 30th century BC.The sculpture is on display in the Cyprus Archeological Museum in Lefkosia .-Symbolism:...
, a cross-shaped idol dating back to the Cypriot chalcolithic period (3000 B.C.), found in Pomos, a village in the district of PaphosPaphosPaphos , sometimes referred to as Pafos, is a coastal city in the southwest of Cyprus and the capital of Paphos District. In antiquity, two locations were called Paphos: Old Paphos and New Paphos. The currently inhabited city is New Paphos. It lies on the Mediterranean coast, about west of the...
. It is a characteristic example of prehistoric artPrehistoric artIn the history of art, prehistoric art is all art produced in preliterate, prehistorical cultures beginning somewhere in very late geological history, and generally continuing until that culture either develops writing or other methods of record-keeping, or it makes significant contact with another...
in Cyprus, representing the island’s antiquity, culture and civilization.
American artist Erik Maell and Greek artist Tatiana Soteropoulos were chosen by the Central Bank of Cyprus to create and illustrate the designs to be used for the final coins.
The artists were instructed to include the name of Cyprus in Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
and Turkish
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
, that is, ΚΥΠΡΟΣ (Kypros) and KIBRIS in the design for the coins.
Euro adoption
On 11 October 2006 the final designs of the Cypriot euro coins were presented at the exhibition "Από τη Λίρα στο Ευρώ" ("From the Pound to the Euro") of the Central Bank of Cyprus about the history of currency in Cyprus. They do not appear to include "Cyprus" in English, as demanded by the revised competition rules, but instead only in the state's two official languages, Greek and Turkish.On 13 February 2007, the Republic of Cyprus formally applied to join the eurozone on 1 January 2008. The final decision was expected to be taken in Brussels on 21–22 June at an EU Summit to be ratified by all EU heads of state.
On 9 March 2007, the campaign to inform the citizens of Cyprus about the euro officially began in Cypriot media.
On 15 March 2007, the House of Representatives passed the necessary laws for the introduction of the euro on 1 January 2008.
On 16 May 2007, the Commissioner for Economic & Financial Affairs of the EU, Joaquín Almunia
Joaquín Almunia
Joaquín Almunia Amann is a Spanish politician and prominent member of the European Commission, currently responsible for Competition under the second mandate of President Barroso. He was previously responsible for Economic and Monetary Affairs in Barroso's previous mandate...
, recommended that Cyprus adopt the euro as scheduled.
On 20 June 2007, the European Parliament voted affirmatively on this issue and on 21 June 2007, the date was confirmed by the EU leaders.
On 10 July 2007, the EU Finance Ministers set the permanent exchange rate to CYP 0.585274 to 1 euro.
On 23 October 2007, the designs were officially published in the Official Journal of the European Union
Official Journal of the European Union
The Official Journal of the European Union is the official gazette of record for the European Union . It is published every working day in all of the official languages of the member states. Only legal acts published in the Official Journal are binding.It was first published on 30 December 1952 as...
.
On 1 January 2008, the euro replaced the Cypriot pound
Cypriot pound
The pound, also known as the lira , was the currency of Cyprus, including the Sovereign Base Areas in Akrotiri and Dhekelia, until 31 December 2007, when the Republic of Cyprus adopted the euro...
as the official currency.
Other commemorative coins (Collectors' coins)
Although Cyprus joined the EurozoneEurozone
The eurozone , officially called the euro area, is an economic and monetary union of seventeen European Union member states that have adopted the euro as their common currency and sole legal tender...
in 2008, they already had one high value commemorative coin, minted in silver. This coin was minted as a legacy of an old national practice of minting gold and silver coins. This coin is not really intended to be used as means of payment, so generally they do not circulate.
External links
- Website of the Central Bank of Cyprus with the final national designs. (Click on the name of each denomination to see the respective design)
- Website for the Euro from the Republic of Cyprus
- The Euro Information Website – Cyprus