Euro - Greece

The Minister for the National Economy and the Governor of the Bank of Greece chose the designs for their euro coins from a set of proposals presented by a national technical and artistic committee.

The designer of the winning motifs was sculptor Georges Stamatopoulos, sponsored by the Bank of Greece. There is a separate design for each denomination.

EUR 2	This coin depicts a scene from a mosaic in Sparta (third century AD), showing Europa being abducted by Zeus, who has taken the form of a bull. Europa is a figure from Greek mythology after whom Europe was named. Edge lettering of the 2 euro coin: (Hellenic Republic).
EUR 1	This coin shows an owl, copied from an ancient Athenian 4 drachma coin (fifth century BC).
50 cent	Eleftherios Venizelos (1864-1936), one of Greece’s most prominent political figures, is shown on this coin. He was a pioneer in social reform, a renowned diplomat and played a key role in modernising the Greek state and liberating Northern Greece and the Aegean islands.
20 cent	This coin commemorates Ioannis Capodistrias (1776-1831), a leading national and European politician and diplomat who became the first Governor of Greece (1830-31) following the Greek War of Independence (1821-27).
10 cent	Rigas-Fereos (Velestinlis) (1757-98) is featured on this coin. He was a forerunner and leading figure of the Greek enlightenment and confederation. He was a visionary of Balkan liberation from Ottoman rule.
5 cent	This coin shows a modern sea-going tanker, reflecting the innovative spirits of Greek shipping.
2 cent	This coin epicts a corvette, a type of ship used during the Greek War of Independence (1821-27).
1 cent	This motif shows an advanced model of an Athenian trireme, the largest warship afloat for more than 200 years, dating from the time of the Athenian democracy (fifth century BC).

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