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Austria
The edge lettering of the Austrian 2‐euro‐commemorative coins is :
Image Country Date Feature Ref. Volume  
 
🔎		 Austria 11 May 2005 50th anniversary of the Austrian State Treaty 20001
20002
20005 		7,000,000  
 

 
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Description : The purpose of the Austrian State Treaty was to restore the sovereign and democratic Republic of Austria after the National Socialist rule in Austria (1938‐1945) and the subsequent period of occupation (1945‐1955). The motif on the coin features the seals and signatures of the Foreign Ministers of the victorious Allied Powers, Vyacheslav Mikhailovich Molotov for the Soviet Union, John Foster Dulles for the United States, Harold Macmillan for the United Kingdom and Antoine Pinay for France, together with those of the High Commissioners of the four occupation zones Ivan I. Ilyichev, Llewellyn E. Thompson, Geoffrey Wallinger, Roger Lalouette and the Austrian Foreign Minister, Leopold Figl. The coin celebrates the "50 JAHRE STAATSVERTRAG" (50th anniversary of the State Treaty) this inscription can be seen above the seals and signatures, the year of issue "2005" is below. In the background can be seen the red‐white‐red flag of Austria, vertically hatched according to the heraldic rules of tincture, which symbolises the colour red. The coin was designed by Helmut Andexlinger. The coin was minted without a mint mark by the Austrian Mint Münze Österreich AG in Vienna. The coin does not bear the name of the issuing state.
 
🔎		 Austria 25 Mar. 2007 50th anniversary of the Signature of the Treaty of Rome 20001
20002
20005 		9,000,000  
 

 
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Description : The Treaty establishing the European Community, called the Treaty of Rome (originally called the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community and renamed the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union in December 2009) was signed on 25 March 1957 by Belgium, the Federal Republic of Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands at the Conservatory Palace in Rome. It came into force on 1st of January 1958. At the same time two other treaties were concluded, the Treaty establishing the European Atomic Energy Community, which established EURATOM, and the Agreement on Institutions Common to the European Communities, which stipulated that the European Economic Community (EEC), the European Atomic Energy Community (EURATOM) and the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) had a common parliamentary assembly (now the European Parliament), a common Court of Justice and a common Economic and Social Committee. On the 5th of May 2006, EU Commissioner Joaquín Almunia and Eurogroup President Jean‐Claude Juncker announced the first transnational 2‐Euro commemorative coin to mark the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome. The directors of the Italian mint Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato, the Spanish mint Real Casa de la Moneda and the Austrian Mint Münze Österreich AG met in Vienna to exchange ideas. The ideas were presented and amalgamated into a design by the commissioned engraver Helmut Andexlinger, after approval he produced a model of the coin. It shows the treaty with the signatures of the representatives from the six founding states, framed by the pavement pattern of the Capitol Square in Rome, designed by Michelangelo where the treaty was signed.
National characteristics : At the top are the words "VERTRAG VON ROM" (Treaty of Rome) and "50 JAHRE" (50 Years), below it is an illustration of the treaty with the words "EUROPA" (Europe), below that is the year "2007" and the country name "REPUBLIK ÖSTERREICH" (Republic of Austria). The coin was minted without a mint mark by the Austrian Mint Münze Österreich AG in Vienna.
 
🔎		 Austria 02 Jan. 2009 10th anniversary of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) 20001
20002
20005 		5,000,000  
 

 
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Description : In 1972 the European Exchange Rate Mechanism was created to limit fluctuations between currencies. In 1975 a basket of currencies was used to define the European Currency Unit (ECU) and in 1979 the European Monetary System was created. 1990 saw the start of the first stage of European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) and in 1994 the second stage, during which the European Monetary Institute prepared for the establishment of the European Central Bank (ECB). In 1996 the European Commission established the currency abbreviation €. In 1999, saw the third stage of EMU, all participating currencies were linked to the euro by exchange rate parity. In 2008 a design competition was held for the EMU Community Edition coin and out of 5 proposals a winner, Georgios Stamatopoulos was determined by an online vote. The design shows a stylised human stick figure on the blank space of an irregularly shaped ancient coin, with the € symbol on the left arm. It symbolises the transition from the bartering of archaic times to European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU). Below the € symbol are the designer's initials "ΓΣ" and the years "1999‐2009".
National characteristics : Above is the name of the issuing country "REPUBLIK ÖSTERREICH" (Republic of Austria), the acronym of the occasion of issue below is "WWU". The coin was minted without a mint mark by the Austrian Mint Münze Österreich AG in Vienna.
 
🔎		 Austria 02 Jan. 2012 10th anniversary of the Euro‐Currency 20001
20002
20005 		11,060,000  
 

 
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Description : To mark the tenth anniversary of the final adoption of the euro as cash, all 17 EU countries using the euro as their official currency issued a commemorative € 2 coin. There were five designs submitted, which could be voted for online. The result was announed on the 30th of June 2011: the winning design was created by Helmut Andexlinger and shows a globe in the middle, overlaid with the euro symbol. The importance of the euro in Europe and the world as a whole coupled with the fact that it has become a global player in the international monetary system over the last ten years, is illustrated by the euro symbol. According to the designer, the symbolic elements around the stylised globe represent the suggestion that the euro offers more opportunities for businesses and markets which in turn ensures economic stability by encouraging investment in this environment. The factory shape symbolises production, the cargo ship trade, all of which benefit the symbolic family of four with three homes by providing more quality jobs and stable consumer prices. The symbol of the Eurotower in Frankfurt/M. represents financial strength and the two wind turbines shows stimulation in innovative investments that this environment presents, whose central element is the euro. At the bottom of the coin are the years "2002 and "2012".
National characteristics : At the top of the coin is the name of the issuing country "REPUBLIK ÖSTERREICH" (Republic of Austria). The coin was minted without a mint mark by the Austrian Mint Münze Österreich AG in Vienna.
 
🔎		 Austria 30 Oct. 2015 30th anniversary of the EU‐Flag 20001
20002
20005 		2,500,000  
 

 
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Description : From 1950, the Council of Europe had been working on the design of a flag for Europe. The proposal to adopt the emblem of the Paneuropa Union, founded by Richard Coudenhove‐Kalergi in 1922, was rejected because of its supposed Christian symbolism. In 1955 it was agreed that the European flag, also adopted by the European Community on 29th of June 1985, would be the European flag with the twelve (a number of twelve is considered a sign of perfection) golden stars in a circular (symbolising unity) arrangement on a blue background. To mark the 30th anniversary of the EU flag, all 19 EU countries which use the euro as their official currency issued a commemorative €2 coin. There were five designs to choose from which could be voted for online. The result was declared on 28th of May 2015. The coin design was created by Georgios Stamatopoulos, coin designer at the Bank of Greece, whose initials "ΓΣ" can be seen in the lower right‐hand corner. It shows twelve stylised persons in a circle around a European flag with the twelve euro stars.
National characteristics : Above is the name of the issuing country "REPUBLIK ÖSTERREICH" (Republic of Austria), followed by the dates "1985‐2015". The coin was minted without a mint mark by the Austrian Mint Münze Österreich AG in Vienna.
 
🔎		 Austria 02 Dec. 2015 200th anniversary of the foundation of Austria's central bank
"Oesterreichische Nationalbank"		 20001
20002
20005 		16,060,000  
 

 
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Description : The motif, designed by Herbert Wähner, depicts two gods from Roman mythology, which appear on the stone relief above the entrance to the main building of the Austrian National Bank (OeNB). On the coin superimposed on an illustration of the main building of the OeNB, designed by the architect Leopold Bauerstone are the two Roman Gods. On the left Mercury, who was the messenger of the gods and god of merchants and trade with his attribute, the staff of Mercury, and on the right Fortuna, the goddess of fate and prosperity, depicted with a horn of plenty. A band runs along the lower edge of the coin's inner part, which is intended to refer to the red‐white‐red design of the Austrian flag. According to the heraldic rules of tincture, vertical hatching symbolises the colour red, but not the depicted radial orientation of the hatching. The years "1816" and "2016" to the left of Mercury refer to the year the OeNB was founded and its bicentenary. At the top it says "REPUBLIK ÖSTERREICH" (Republic of Austria), below in a semicircle "200 JAHRE OESTERREICHISCHE NATIONALBANK" (200 years of Austrian National Bank). The coin was minted without a mint mark by the Austrian Mint Münze Österreich AG in Vienna.
 
🔎		 Austria 06 Dec. 2017 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Republic of Austria 20001
20002
20005 		12,660,000  
 

 
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Description : The coin, designed by Helmut Andexlinger and Herbert Wähner, shows the head of Athena, taken from the Athena Fountain in front of the Austrian Parliament building in Vienna. The fountain made out of Lasa marble and completed in 1902 was designed by Carl Kundmann, Joseph Tautenhayn and Hugo Haerdtl based on the Athena Farnese statue (a Roman copy of a Greek original). Athena, the goddess of wisdom, serves as a symbol of Austrian parliamentarism and stands for knowledge, reason and strategic abilities ‐ she is supposed to symbolize the timeless validity of democracy. Initially an allegorical depiction of Austria was planned, but out of consideration for the strong national feelings in the Habsburg Monarchy, the politically neutral Athena was ultimately chosen. She wears an Attic helmet with sphinx, flanked by winged horses as helmet bush holders. The front gable of the Parliament building, depicted on the coin was designed by Theophil von Hansen in neoclassical style, this was completed in 1883 and features a sculpture of Emperor Franz Joseph I (1830‐1916) as a Roman emperor, created by Edmund von Hellmer in 1879. On the carriage way, historians are depicted as political admonishers, symbolically reminding the Members of Parliament before entering the Parliament building that their activities must stand before the judgment of history and future generations. Two of these are shown on the coin, on the right the statue of Sallust (86 to ∼35 BC), designed by Wilhelm Seib in 1896, on the left the statue of Titus Livius (59 BC ‐ 17 AD), created by Josef Lax in 1900 ‐ he was also the motif on an Italian 2 € commemorative coin in 2017 celbrating the 2000th anniversary of his death. On the left is the date "2018", below it "100 JAHRE" (100 Years), to the right in a semi circle are the words "REPUBLIK ÖSTERREICH" (Republic of Austria). The coin was minted without a mint mark by the Austrian Mint Münze Österreich AG in Vienna.
 
🔎		 Austria 01 Jul. 2022 35th anniversary of the Erasmus Program 20003
20005
20009 		2,600,000  
 

 
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Description : ERASMUS is a backronym for EuRopean Community Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students. The ERASMUS exchange programme is aimed at EU citizens who have been studying at a university for at least one year and supports a three to twelve‐month stay abroad at a university within the EU, or an internship. In addition, there are master's and doctoral programmes, programmes for young entrepreneurs, for school education, vocational training and adult education. Internships as well as professional development measures are financially supported and language courses abroad are also made possible for working people. The backronym refers to the Dutch philosopher and theologian Erasmus of Rotterdam (∼1466‐1536), described as "the crowning glory of the Christian humanists", depicted after a painting by Hans Holbein the Younger created in 1523. The French coin designer Joaquin Jimenez, whose initials "J.J." appear next to Erasmus' pen, has designed as a background a network of connecting lines between the twelve stars arranged in a circle and symbolising Europe, which is intended to represent the manifold intellectual and human exchanges between European students. By relieving some partial areas between the connecting lines, the numbers 3 and 5 emerge, referring to the 35th anniversary of the programme. In a block of three to four lines of lettering arranged in a quarter circle at the bottom right, the commemorative period is written as "1987-2022" (the last number also designating the year of issue) below the occasion of issue, followed by the name of the issuing state, if this does not consist of an abbreviation placed in the centre of the motif.
National characteristics : The quarter circle at the bottom right has four lines; below the commemorative period the occasion of issue "ERASMUS PROGRAMM" (Erasmus Programme in German) is written in two lines, below it the issuing country "REPUBLIK ÖSTERREICH" (Austrian Republic). The coin was produced without mint mark by the Austrian mint Münze Österreich AG in Vienna".
 
References :
20001 Images taken with authorisation by the ECB ‐ Mail dated 20.Feb.2020
© "European Central Bank"		 20002 Data mirrored from Wikipedia Page "2_euro_commemorative_coins"
with friendly support of the guardians of that page.
20003 Not Applicable   20004 Coloured version of this Commemorative Coin in circulation
EU‐legal‐technical specifications do not recongnise colour prints. The EU nevertheless tolerates them, as their numbers are very small and they are sold in special packs and therefor are very unlikely to be used as currency.
20005 enlarged Images taken with authorisation by Gerd Seyffert
© "Gerd Seyffert 2021"		 20006 Not Applicable  
20007 Images taken by Münzen Kreuzberg
© "Münzen Kreuzberg 2021"		 20008 enlarged Images taken by Münzen Kreuzberg
© "Münzen Kreuzberg 2021"
20009 Text with kind permission by Gerd Seyffert
© "Gerd Seyffert 2023"		 20010 Not Applicable  
Bridging the gap ....