The poorest member of the EU, Greece saw EMU as an essential step towards achieving its strategic and economic ambitions. In spite of the euro's weakness when Greece entered the euro-zone on January 1 2001, opinion polls showed that some 70 per cent of Greeks were in favour of membership. There was little attachment to the drachma, as europe's second-oldest currency was linked in Greek minds with economic and political backwardness. Greece leveraged the euro to encourage foreign direct investment with a view to the country becoming a business and transport hub, linking south-east Europe with EU markets.
The following Official Blisters were issued in Greece since the introduction of the Common European Currency on January 1, 2002:
![]() | Official Blister 2009 The Official Blister 2009 is dedicated to the "Theran Ship”, a typical Cycladic ship from the 17th century BC. The construction model was based on the Miniature Ships Fresco, depicting a fleet in procession, discovered in the West House of the prehistoric settlement of Akritiri, on the island of Thera The "Theran Ship" blister was issued on 7 December 2009 with a mintage of 7,500 pieces. It contains the 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 cent and 1, 2 euros coins (unc).
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![]() | Official Blister 2008 The Official Blister 2008 is dedicated to the "Ancient coins of Thrace, Macedonia, Thessaly, Epirus and Peloponnese”. It was issued on 4 October 2008 with a mintage of 20,000 pieces. The blister contains the 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 cent coins and 1, 2 euros (unc)
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![]() | Official Blister 2007 The Official Blister 2007 is dedicated to the "Ancient coins of the Aegean Sea”. It was issued on 13 August 2007 with a mintage of 15,000 pieces. The blister contains the 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 cent coins and 1, 2 euros (unc)
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![]() | Official Blister 2005 The Official Blister 2005 is dedicated to the "Ancient coins of Athens”. It was issued on 11 January 2006 with a mintage of 25,000 pieces. The blister contains the 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 cent coins and 1, 2 euros (unc)
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![]() | Official Blister 2004 Bassae (Latin) or Bassai (meaning "little vale in the rocks") hosts the temple of Apollo Epikourios ("Apollo the helper"). It was designed by Iktinos, architect of the Temple of Hephaestus and the Parthenon and the ancient writer Pausanias praises the temple as eclipsing all others but the temple of Athena at Tegea by the beauty of its stone and the harmony of its construction. The Official 2004 Blister is dedicated to the "Epikourios Apollo’s temple” and it was issued in May 2005 with a mintage of 20,000 pieces. It contains the 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 cent coins and 1, 2 euros (unc)
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![]() | Official Blister 2003 The Official Blister 2003 was issued in June 2003. It contains the 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 cent coins and 1, 2 euros (unc)
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![]() | Official Blister 2002 The Official Blister 2002 was issued on 31 October 2002 with a mintage of 50,000 pieces. It contains the 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 cent coins and 1, 2 euros (unc)
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![]() | Official Blister (Dutch) 2002 The Dutch version of the Greek Blister 2002 was issued in 2002 with a mintage of only 5,000 pieces. The only visible difference between the Greek and the Dutch version of the blister is the issuing authority, namely the Greek ministry of Economy and the Greek ministry of Economics and Finance respectively. It contains the 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 cent coins and 1, 2 euros (unc)
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Italy - 2 euros 2009 (10th anniversary of the EMU and the birth of the euro)
EUR 3.30
Finland - 2 cents 2008 (The heraldic lion of Finland)
EUR 0.15
Slovenia - 2 euros 2010 (200th anniversary of the botanical garden in Ljubljana)
EUR 3.25