Slovenian euro coins
Encyclopedia
Slovenian euro coins were first issued for circulation on 1 January 2007 and a unique feature is designed for each coin. The design of approximately 230 million Slovenia
n euro coins (total value of approximately €80 million) was unveiled on 7 October 2005. The designers were Miljenko Licul
, Maja Licul and Janez Boljka. The Mint of Finland was chosen to mint
the coins through an international tender in 2007. Starting 2008, the Koninklijke Nederlandse Munt (Royal Dutch Mint) was chosen to mint the coins.
.
1 Slovenia achieved independence under the zodiac sign
of Cancer.
Since Slovenian euro coins place the indication of the member's name alongside the 12 stars of the union, a new design on the Slovenian euro coins is expected in the near future to comply with these new guidelines, although nothing has officially been announced yet.
The commission invited five well-known Slovene designers. A special jury of reputable Slovene artists, designers, professors and connoisseurs of Slovene cultural heritage was appointed to review and assess the designs submitted for the Slovene euro coins. The commission of the Bank of Slovenia and Ministry of Finance unanimously agreed with the proposed selected designs prepared by Mr Miljenko Licul, along with Ms Maja Licul and Mr Janez Boljka. The Government of the Republic of Slovenia gave their consent and adopted the decision on 28 July 2005 to submit the selected design proposals for the national side of the Slovene euro coins to ECOFIN (Economic and Financial Committee) - Coins Sub-Committee, which acknowledged the compliance of the Slovene design proposals with European legislation on 5 October 2005.
on the 2-cent coin caused a minor political stir in the Austrian State of Carinthia
. The stone, a fragment of an ancient Roman column from nearby Virunum
that was used in the ritual of installing the princes of Carantania and later of the Duchy of Carinthia, is kept in a museum in Klagenfurt
(Slovene: Celovec), the Carinthian capital, where it is also considered a historical icon of the state. The Carinthian state government (headed by governor Jörg Haider
) issued a resolution of protest on 25 October 2005, which was rejected as "not to be taken seriously" by the then Slovenian foreign minister, Dimitrij Rupel
. However, there were also objections against its use on the Slovene side. On academic grounds, for instance, Peter Štih
, professor of history at the Ljubljana University and member of the Slovene Academy of Sciences, argued that the Prince's Stone cannot be considered a Slovenian but rather a Carinthian historic symbol.
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
n euro coins (total value of approximately €80 million) was unveiled on 7 October 2005. The designers were Miljenko Licul
Miljenko Licul
Miljenko Licul was a Slovenian graphic designer of Croatian descent. He was one of the most prominent graphic designers in independent Slovenia.-Life and work:...
, Maja Licul and Janez Boljka. The Mint of Finland was chosen to mint
Mint (coin)
A mint is an industrial facility which manufactures coins for currency.The history of mints correlates closely with the history of coins. One difference is that the history of the mint is usually closely tied to the political situation of an era...
the coins through an international tender in 2007. Starting 2008, the Koninklijke Nederlandse Munt (Royal Dutch Mint) was chosen to mint the coins.
Slovenian euro design
The Slovenian euro coins were the first to feature a new common side, with a new map of Europe on the bicoloured and Nordic-gold coins. For images of the common side and a detailed description of the coins, see euro coinsEuro 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...
.
1 Slovenia achieved independence under the zodiac sign
Zodiac
In astronomy, the zodiac is a circle of twelve 30° divisions of celestial longitude which are centred upon the ecliptic: the apparent path of the Sun across the celestial sphere over the course of the year...
of Cancer.
Circulating Mintage quantities
| Face Value | €0.01 | €0.02 | €0.05 | €0.10 | €0.20 | €0.50 | €1 | €2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 44,600,000 | 44,150,000 | 43,700,000 | 42,700,000 | 37,150,000 | 32,100,000 | 29,650,000 | 21,250,000 |
| 2008 | *** | *** | *** | *** | *** | *** | *** | *** |
| 2009 | 17,900,000 | 12,300,000 | *** | *** | *** | *** | *** | *** |
| 2010 | *** | *** | *** | *** | *** | *** | *** | *** |
| 2011 | ** | ** | ** | ** | ** | ** | ** | ** |
Future changes to national sides
The Commission of the European Communities issued a recommendation on 19 December 2008, a common guideline for the national sides and the issuance of euro coins intended for circulation. One section of this recommendation stipulates that:- Article 4. Design of the national sides:
- "The national side of the euro coins intended for circulation should bear the 12 European stars that should fully surround the national design, including the year mark and the indication of the issuing Member State's name. The European stars should be depicted as on the European flag."
Since Slovenian euro coins place the indication of the member's name alongside the 12 stars of the union, a new design on the Slovenian euro coins is expected in the near future to comply with these new guidelines, although nothing has officially been announced yet.
Other commemorative coins (Collector's coins)
Slovenia joined the Eurozone on January 1, 2007. In such a short time they already built a small collection of collectors coins, with face value ranging from 3 to 100 euro. Although they are all legal tender in Slovenia, these coins are not really intended to be used as means of payment, so generally they do not circulate (the only exception is the 3 euro coins which can be found in circulation although rarely). Here you can find some samples from the series "Presidency of the European Union":Selection Process for the National Side
The first stage of the selection process started in April 2004, involving preliminary discussions with numismatists, designers and experts. The general public was also invited through the mass media to participate in a public tender concerning proposals of motifs (132 tenderers proposed 699 motifs). A special expert commission (9 different individual experts and members of different institutions, including the Ministry of Finance and the Bank of Slovenia) dealt with the proposals and the process. The second stage of selection started when the Government of the Republic of Slovenia confirmed the commission's decision that invitations would be addressed to some prominent designers for the production of designs.The commission invited five well-known Slovene designers. A special jury of reputable Slovene artists, designers, professors and connoisseurs of Slovene cultural heritage was appointed to review and assess the designs submitted for the Slovene euro coins. The commission of the Bank of Slovenia and Ministry of Finance unanimously agreed with the proposed selected designs prepared by Mr Miljenko Licul, along with Ms Maja Licul and Mr Janez Boljka. The Government of the Republic of Slovenia gave their consent and adopted the decision on 28 July 2005 to submit the selected design proposals for the national side of the Slovene euro coins to ECOFIN (Economic and Financial Committee) - Coins Sub-Committee, which acknowledged the compliance of the Slovene design proposals with European legislation on 5 October 2005.
Controversy
The use of the Prince's StonePrince's Stone
The Prince's Stone is the reversed base of an ancient Ionic column that played an important role in the ceremony surrounding the installation of the princes of Carantania in the Early Middle Ages...
on the 2-cent coin caused a minor political stir in the Austrian State of Carinthia
Carinthia (state)
Carinthia is the southernmost Austrian state or Land. Situated within the Eastern Alps it is chiefly noted for its mountains and lakes.The main language is German. Its regional dialects belong to the Southern Austro-Bavarian group...
. The stone, a fragment of an ancient Roman column from nearby Virunum
Virunum
Claudium Virunum was a Roman city in the province of Noricum, on today's Zollfeld in the Austrian State of Carinthia. Virunum may also have been the name of the older Celtic-Roman settlement on the hilltop of Magdalensberg nearby....
that was used in the ritual of installing the princes of Carantania and later of the Duchy of Carinthia, is kept in a museum in Klagenfurt
Klagenfurt
-Name:Carinthia's eminent linguists Primus Lessiak and Eberhard Kranzmayer assumed that the city's name, which literally translates as "ford of lament" or "ford of complaints", had something to do with the superstitious thought that fateful fairies or demons tend to live around treacherous waters...
(Slovene: Celovec), the Carinthian capital, where it is also considered a historical icon of the state. The Carinthian state government (headed by governor Jörg Haider
Jörg Haider
Jörg Haider was an Austrian politician. He was Governor of Carinthia on two occasions, the long-time leader of the Austrian Freedom Party and later Chairman of the Alliance for the Future of Austria , a breakaway party from the FPÖ.Haider was controversial within Austria and abroad for comments...
) issued a resolution of protest on 25 October 2005, which was rejected as "not to be taken seriously" by the then Slovenian foreign minister, Dimitrij Rupel
Dimitrij Rupel
Dimitrij Rupel is a Slovenian politician.- Biography :Rupel was born in Ljubljana, in what was then the Socialist Republic of Slovenia, into a bourgeois family of former anti-fascist political emigrants from the Julian March .After receiving a bachelor's degree in comparative literature and...
. However, there were also objections against its use on the Slovene side. On academic grounds, for instance, Peter Štih
Peter Štih
Peter Štih is a Slovenian historian, specialising in medieval history.Štih was born in Ljubljana, but spent most of his childhood years in the town of Most na Soči in the Goriška region of western Slovenia. He attended grammar school in Tolmin and studied history at the University of Ljubljana,...
, professor of history at the Ljubljana University and member of the Slovene Academy of Sciences, argued that the Prince's Stone cannot be considered a Slovenian but rather a Carinthian historic symbol.