Greek 2 euro coins
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.
All designs feature the 12 stars of the EU, the year of imprint and a tiny symbol of the Bank of Greece (the anthemion
flower). Uniquely, the value of the coins is expressed on the national side in the Greek alphabet, as well as being on the
common side in the Roman alphabet. The euro cent is known as the lepto (plural lepta) in Greek, in reference to the former
currency, the drachma, which was divided into 100 lepta.
Greece did not enter the eurozone until 2001 and was not able to start minting coins as early as the other eleven member
states, so a number of coins circulated in 2002 were not minted in Athens but in Finland (€1
and €2 - mint mark S = Suomi), France (1c, 2c, 5c, 10c and 50c - mint mark F) and Spain (20c - mint mark E = Espana).
The coins minted in Athens for the Euro introduction in 2002 as well as all the subsequent Greek euro coins do not carry any
mint mark.
The following 2 euros coins have circulated in Greece since the introduction of the
Common European Currency on January 1, 2002:
 | 2 euros - 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome
The Treaty of Rome established the European Economic Community and ultimately led to the introduction of the euro in 1999 and the euro banknotes and coins in 2002. The anniversary was celebrated on 25 March 2007 and the euro area countries have marked the ...| Krause - Misler | #216 | | Diameter | 25.75 mm | | Thickness | 2.2 mm | | Weight | 8.5 gr | | Composition | BiAlloy (Nk/Ng), ring CuNi25, center CuAl5Zn5Sn1 | | Edge | Combination of the number 2 and ** repeated six times | | Comments | Legend: TRAITÉ DE ROME/50 ANS/EUROPE/LËTZEBUERG |
| Date | Mintage | Grade | Price | Shop | | 2007 | 3,978,549 | Uncirculated | € 3.1 | Buy |
|
 | 2 euros - Europa abducted by Zeus
Portrays a scene a scene from a mosaic in Sparta (third century AD), showing Europa being abducted by Zeus, who has taken the form of a bull. In Greek mythology Europa was a beautiful Phoenician princess, daughter of Agenor and Telephassa. Zeus saw her ga ...| Krause - Misler | #215 | | Diameter | 25.75 mm | | Thickness | 2.2 mm | | Weight | 8.5 gr | | Composition | BiAlloy (Nk/Ng), ring CuNi25, center CuAl5Zn5Sn1 | | Edge | Edge lettering (Hellenic Republic), fine milled | | Comments | Designer: G.Stamatopoulos - 2 Varieties (A and B) |
| Date | Mintage | Grade | Price | Shop | | 2008 | 1,000,000 | Uncirculated | € 3.5 | Buy | | 2007 | 20,000 | Uncirculated | - | View |
|
 | 2 euros - Myron Discus Thrower
The Discobolus of Myron ("discus thrower") is a famous Roman marble copy of a lost Greek bronze original, completed during the zenith of the classical period between 460-450 BC. A discus thrower is depicted about to release his throw. The moment captured ...| Krause - Misler | #209 | | Diameter | 25.75 mm | | Thickness | 2.2 mm | | Weight | 8.5 gr | | Composition | BiAlloy (Nk/Ng), ring CuNi25, center CuAl5Zn5Sn1 | | Edge | Edge lettering (Hellenic Republic), fine milled | | Comments | 2 Varieties (A and B) |
| Date | Mintage | Grade | Price | Shop | | 2004 | 35,000,000 | Uncirculated | € 3.2 | Buy |
|
 | 2 euros - Europa abducted by Zeus
Portrays a scene a scene from a mosaic in Sparta (third century AD), showing Europa being abducted by Zeus, who has taken the form of a bull. In Greek mythology Europa was a beautiful Phoenician princess, daughter of Agenor and Telephassa. Zeus saw her ga ...| Krause - Misler | #188 | | Diameter | 25.75 mm | | Thickness | 2.2 mm | | Weight | 8.5 gr | | Composition | BiAlloy (Nk/Ng), ring CuNi25, center CuAl5Zn5Sn1 | | Edge | Edge lettering (Hellenic Republic), fine milled | | Comments | Designer: G.Stamatopoulos - 2 Varieties (A and B) |
| Date | Mintage | Grade | Price | Shop | | 2006 | 1,000,000 | Uncirculated | € 3.4 | Buy | | 2005 | 1,000,000 | Uncirculated | € 3.4 | Buy | | 2003 | 550,000 | Uncirculated | € 2.9 | Buy | | 2002 | 74,400,000 | Uncirculated | € 3.9 | Buy | | 2002 - "S - Suomi" | 70,000,000 | Uncirculated | € 3.9 | Buy |
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The size of the images above are related to the diameter of the coins they represent.
Euro collector coin issues
According to the Conclusions of the Ecofin Council meeting on January 31, 2000, to ensure that Euro collector coins will
be readily distinguishable from Euro coins intended for circulation, the coins must bide to the following rules:
- The face value of collector coins should be different from that of the coins intended for circulation (i.e.
Euro coins cannot have a face value equal to the 8 denominations: 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 Euro cent and 1 and 2 Euro)
- Collector coins should not use images, which are similar to the common sides of the euro coins intended for
circulation. Furthermore, as far as possible, the designs used should also be at least slightly different from those
of the national sides of circulation coins
- Out of colour, diameter and thickness, euro collector coins should differ significantly from the coins intended
for circulation in two respects
- Collector coins should not have a shaped edge with fine scallops, or "Spanish flower"
- The identity of the issuing Member State should be clearly and easily recognisable
Euro collector coins may be sold at or above face value and the approval for the volume of collector coins issue
should be sought on an aggregate basis rather than for each individual issue. With respect to collector coins'
denominations, that may coincide with the low denominations of euro banknotes, there does not seem to exist any significant
risk of substitution. However, Member States should stand ready to consider any demands by the ECB on this matter. While
Euro collector coins will have legal tender status in the issuing Member State, the competent authorities (NCBs, Mints or
other institutions) should set up temporary arrangements through which owners of euro collector coins issued in other
euro area Member States can receive the face value of those coins while bearing the costs related to this transaction.
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