Spain Euro Coins
Spain moved mountains economically to ensure membership of the euro. Between 1997 and 2000 annual real output growth
averaged more than 4 per cent creating 2 million new jobs that brought the unemployment rate down from 21.5 per
cent to 13.6 per cent. Once considered an economic backwater, Spain saw an unprecedented rise in its phone and
internet sectors. Spain was also one of the first countries to phase out its old currency after the
introduction of euro notes and coins in January 2002 - the peseta ceased to be legal tender on February 28.
In April 1998 the Spanish Prime Minister unveiled the designs chosen for the national side
of the Spanish coins: the 1 and 2 euro coins bear the effigy of King Juan Carlos I; the 10, 20
and 50 cent coins have the portrait of Miguel de Cervantes, the father of Spanish literature;
and the 1, 2 and 5 cent coins depict the Obradoiro facade of the Cathedral of Santiago de
Compostela, one of the masterpieces of Spanish baroque. The final images of the three designs
are the work of the Spanish Royal Mint's engravers: Garcilaso Rollan designed the 1, 2 and 5
cent coins; Begona Castellanos the 10, 20 and 50 cent coins; and Luis Jose Diaz those of 1 and
2 euro.
All designs feature the 12 stars of the EU, the year of minting, and the word Espana
(Spanish for Spain). The Spanish Euro Zone includes the overseas territory of the Canary Island.
2010 redesign
In 2010, Spain will revise the design of its national sides in order to comply with the
common guidelines recommended by the European Commission, as endorsed by the Council
conclusions of 10 February 2009. The new national sides will continue to bear the same
effigy of His Majesty King Juan Carlos I, but the year mark will now feature in the inner
part of the coin, together with the mint mark and the name of the issuing country. The
twelve stars in the outer ring will now be depicted as on the European flag, with no
raised section around them.
2015 redesign
Spain changed the national side of the 1 and 2 euros in 2015, replacing the effigy of Juan Carlos I
with effigy of the new King of Spain, Philip VI. According to the regulations of the European Union,
the design of the euro coins intended for circulationy can be modified if the Head of State changes.
The Spanish 2 euro coin edge inscription
| Edge |
|---|
 |
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| The sequence "2 * *" repeated six times alternately upright and inverted |
Mintmarks on Spanish euro coins