The new €2 coin – it could have been a YAY
ByIn your alcohol and/or food induced stupor over the Christmas and New Year you might have missed the news that we are getting a new €2 coin.
Crack open another bottle of champagne because this is a really special event. For it was on the 31st December 1998 that the economic brains of Europe sat down together over some Ferrero Rocher and talked money. By the end of the second tower of the most luxurious chocolates in Europe they had worked out how much each franc, schilling, lira, guilder, peseta, drachma and pound would be worth in the new currency.
So, when you are out an about in the next few weeks – keep an eye out for the new coin. It was designed by Greek artist George Stamatopoulos and voted the best from a list of 5 which went forward to the public vote. 41.48% of the 141,675 citizens of Europe who voted in the competition selected his design as the winner.
Speaking about the win, George said :”The euro is the latest step in the long history of trade, from pre-historic barter – evoked by the deliberately primitive design – to economic and monetary union.”.
Personally, I am very sad my own design was not chosen for the coin. I feel it is also primitive in design. The “YAY” brings a modern motif and is universally understood to be a joyous exclamation. The birthday cake and 10 Euro symbols complete what I believe is the real winner.
Alas, it will never see the inside of a greasy till or a condom machine for that matter. What a shame.
Links of note:
The Contest | Business Post | Central Bank
6 Comments
January 12th, 2009 at 10:54 am
Perhaps the “yay” translated differently in other regions. A shame indeed.
January 12th, 2009 at 11:49 am
Ah, that’s a possibility – didn’t think of that
January 12th, 2009 at 1:10 pm
Amazing how prescient it is to have design showing an Greek anarchist preparing to throw a bike at the police!
January 13th, 2009 at 12:13 am
January 13th, 2009 at 8:11 pm
AJ, just in case you are in the mood: http://www.bbc.co.uk asks any Blue Peter viewer to design a 50p coin in time for olympics.
What is it with these isles? The Empire stretching as far as India and beyond, depending which direction you come from, the English still refer to mainland Europe as “the continent” as if they weren’t part of it [Europe]. In the country of George Orwell there are surveillance cameras on every corner, supermarket loyalty cards recording our every vice, yet the English will fend against identity cards and the dreaded Euro (now virtually 1:1) as if their lives depended on it.
And yes, your design is lovely, and may you only buy Brussels’ prescribed straight shaped cucumbers and bananas.
U
January 13th, 2009 at 9:43 pm
Well, I could do the Only fools and horses trick of pretending I’m under 12 – but I think they might suss it. Those BP people are quite clever you know.
Funnily enough, “the continent” is a term used quite frequently in Ireland too. We’re that bit further away and feel cut off from things. The whole attachment to a currency I really don’t understand. It’s a bit of paper/metal – it’s nothing to do with identity. Although, probably wise that the UK stayed out of it given the current economic conditions.
Oh yes, only the proscribed banas and ‘cumbers here!