An Estonian euro currency coins starter kit

Estonian euro coins feature a single design for all eight coins. This is a design by Lembit Lõhmus and features a silhouette map of Estonia together with the word Eesti (Estonia) and twelve stars, symbolic of the European Union, surrounding the map. This was the winning design in a public vote of ten announced in December 2004.

Estonian euro coins entered circulation on 1 January 2011. Estonia is the fifth of ten states that joined the EU in 2004, and the first ex-Soviet republic to join the eurozone.[1]

History

Of the ten new EU member states, Estonia was the first to unveil its design. The country originally planned to adopt the euro on 1 January 2007; however, it did not formally apply when Slovenia did, and officially changed its target date to 1 January 2008, and later, to 1 January 2011.[1]

On 12 May 2010, the European Commission announced that Estonia had met all criteria to join the eurozone.[2] On 8 June 2010, the EU finance ministers agreed that Estonia would be able to join the euro on 1 January 2011.[3] On 13 July 2010, Estonia received the final approval from the ECOFIN to adopt the euro as from 1 January 2011. On the same date of 13 July 2010, the exchange rate at which the kroon would be exchanged for the euro (€1 = 15.6466 krooni) was also announced. On 20 July 2010, mass production of Estonian euro coins began in the Mint of Finland. 2012 coins were produced by the Royal Dutch Mint, having won the production bid.

Estonian euro design

For images of the common side and a detailed description of the coins, see euro coins. A design competition was first held in 2004 for the design of the Estonian euro coins. 134 designs were submitted to the competition, and the 10 best designs were selected, which were then voted on by telephone by the Estonian people. The design features an outline map of Estonia and its islands: Saaremaa, Hiiumaa, Muhu, Vormsi, Kihnu, the Pakri Islands, Naissaar and Ruhnu; and the lake of Võrtsjärv.[4]

Depiction of Estonian euro coinage | Obverse side
€ 0.01 € 0.02 € 0.05
Link to file Link to file Link to file
Silhouette map of Estonia
€ 0.10 € 0.20 € 0.50
Link to file Link to file Link to file
Silhouette of Estonia
€ 1.00 € 2.00 € 2 Coin Edge
Link to file Link to file "O" and "E E S T I" repeated alternately upright and inverted
Relief silhouette of Estonia

Circulating mintage quantities

Face value[5] €0.01 €0.02 €0.05 €0.10 €0.20 €0.50 €1.00 €2.00 €2.00 CC Total
2011 32,000,000 30,000,000 30,000,000 30,000,000 25,000,000 20,000,000 16,000,000 11,000,000 * 194,000,000[6]
2012 25,000,000 25,000,000 * * * * * * 2,000,000 52,000,000[7]
2015 14,000,000 17,000,000 * * * * * * 350,000 31,350,000[8]
2016 20,000 20,000 20,000 20,000 20,000 20,000 20,000 20,000 500,000[9] 660,000[10]
2017 29,000,000 9,000,000 4,550,000 * 3,250,000 * * * 1,500,000[11] 47,300,000[10]
2018 500,000 8,500,000 4,500,000 500,000 4,000,000 500,000 500,000 500,000 1,822,800 21,317,800

* No coins were minted that year for that denomination

Mints

2011: Finland
2012: Netherlands
2015: Lithuania
2016-2018: Finland

Design controversy

See also: Territorial issues between Estonia and Russia

Ethnic Setos have protested the design of the coin, claiming that the outline of the map of Estonia does not include the former south eastern region of Estonia that constituted a part of the Seto homeland annexed by Stalin during the occupation of the Baltic states.[12] On the other hand, a Russian lawyer Sergei Seredenko claimed that the outline included Russian-controlled areas.[13] The Russian embassy was prompted to issue a statement that the euro coins do indeed depict the current borders of the country's territory.[14]

References

  1. ^ a b "Alcohol and tobacco tax to rise in Estonia next year". Helsingin Sanomat. 25 May 2007. Retrieved 1 January 2009.
  2. ^ "Estonia ready for euro". European Commission. 12 May 2010. Retrieved 12 May 2010.
  3. ^ "Estonia to Join Euro 1 January 2011". Archived from the original on June 11, 2010.
  4. ^ "The Estonian euro coin". Tere Euro. Bank of Estonia. 2011-07-11. Retrieved 2019-02-09.
  5. ^ "Production of the Estonian euro coins". Bank of Estonia. Archived from the original on 2011-10-10. Retrieved 2011-11-09.
  6. ^ "Eesti euromünte vermitakse Soomes 194 miljonit tükki". EPL. Retrieved 2010-12-30.
  7. ^ "Eesti Pank laseb käibele 2012. aasta 1- ja 2-sendised mündid". BoE. Archived from the original on 2012-05-04. Retrieved 2012-05-02.
  8. ^ "Mintage quantities of the euro coins and official euro collector folders". BoE. Archived from the original on 2011-07-19. Retrieved 2014-07-06.
  9. ^ "New national side of euro coins intended for circulation". Official Journal of the European Union. 18 December 2015. Retrieved 25 August 2018.
  10. ^ a b "Euro coins". Bank of Estonia. Archived from the original on 2019-03-25. Retrieved 2018-04-09.
  11. ^ "New national side of euro coins intended for circulation". Official Journal of the European Union. 30 June 2017. Retrieved 25 August 2018.
  12. ^ "Setos Protest Truncated Map of Estonia". Estonian Public Broadcasting News. 1 January 2011. Retrieved 8 January 2011.
  13. ^ Richard Giedroyc (14 February 2011). "Coin Reflects Estonia Border Dispute". World Coin News. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.
  14. ^ "Another Side to the Euro Coin Map Dispute". Estonian Public Broadcasting News. 7 January 2011. Retrieved 8 January 2011.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Euro coins of Estonia.
Estonia articles
Euro topics
Categories