Italian euro coins catalog with values
Previous - Italian coins before euro
Italian Republic
Reform 2002
Euro=100 euro cents

2 euro 2002 (2002-2006)
bi-metallic - nickel-brass/copper-nickel
2 EURO
IR / 2002
Coin value - 3-4 USD

2 euro 2008 (2007- )
bi-metallic - nickel-brass/copper-nickel
2 EURO
IR / 2008
Coin value - 8-10 USD

1 euro 2002 (2002-2006)
bi-metallic - copper-nickel/nickel-brass
1 EURO
IR / 2002
Coin value - 2-3 USD

1 euro 2008 (2007- )
bi-metallic - copper-nickel/nickel-brass
1 EURO
IR / 2008
Coin value - 2-3 USD

50 euro cent 2002 (2002-2006)
brass
50 EURO CENT
IR / 2002 / Sculpture of Marcus Aurelius on horseback
Coin value - ~1 USD

50 euro cent 2015 (2007- )
brass
50 EURO CENT
IR / 2015
Coin value - ~1 USD

20 euro cent 2002 (2002-2006)
brass
20 EURO CENT
IR / 2002
Coin value - <1 USD

20 euro cent 2018 (2007- )
brass
20 EURO CENT
IR / 2018
Coin value - <1 USD

10 euro cent 2002 (2002-2006)
brass
10 EURO CENT
IR / 2002
Coin value - <1 USD

10 euro cent 2009 (2007- )
brass
10 EURO CENT
IR / 2009
Coin value - <1 USD

5 euro cent 2013 (2002- )
copper plated steel
5 EURO CENT
IR / 2013
Coin value - <1 USD

2 euro cent 2004 (2002- )
copper plated steel
2 EURO CENT
IR / 2004
Coin value - <1 USD

1 euro cent 2002 (2002- )
copper plated steel
1 EURO CENT
IR / 2002
Coin value - <1 USD
Italian euro coins description
Italian Republic (it. Repubblica
Italiana)
Capital: Rome
Area: 301338 km2
Population: 59.944 million (2013)
Official language: Italian
Currency before the introduction of the
euro: Italian lira = 100 centesimo
Euro introduction date: 1 January 1999, 1 January 2002 in cash
Head of State: President
Form of government: parliamentary
republic
All euro coins of Italy have a different
design, which was developed by different artists. The winning
project was chosen by telephone voting on February 8, 1998, on the air of the
Domenica in program on the Italian TV channel Rai 1. Anyone could vote for their
favorite option. However, for one coin, the design was determined
in advance.

At that time he was the Italian Minister
of Economy, presented a sketch of the future 1-euro coin depicting the
world-famous drawing by Leonardo da Vinci "The Vitruvian Man".
Despite the fact that the minting of
Italian euro coins began in 1999, they are all dated from the year of issue -
2002. Although it is worth noting that in 1999 more than 1.1 million coins were
minted in denominations of 20 euro cents with an erroneous date - 1999 instead
of 2002. In practice the entire circulation was seized by the financial guard
(the so-called Italian financial police) as the exclusive property of the state
and destroyed. However, an unknown number of defective coins did
find their way into circulation.
The obverse of the 1 cent euro coin
adorns the Castell del Monte (translated as “castle on the mountain”), built in
the 13th century. for Emperor Frederick II. It is 16
km from Andria, in the Puglia region. The image was created by the
artist Eugenio Driutti (Eugenio Driutti, b. 1949).
The construction of the Castel del Monte
castle was completed in 1250, but the interior decoration
and was not finished. The
building was built in the Gothic style in combination with the Arab traditions
of architecture. Its outlines are a regular octagon with octagonal
towers at the corners. In 1996, the castle was included in the
UNESCO World Heritage List.
The design of the national side of the 2
cent coin was created by the artist Luciana De Simoni (b. 1957). The
obverse depicts the Mole Antonelliana, built in Turin in the 19th century. It
is similar to the famous Eiffel Tower. Over time, the tower became
a symbol of the city, and its stylized image served as the emblem of the 2006
Winter Olympics.
The project of the tower - the main
synagogue of the country - was created by the architect Alessandro Antonelli and
was supposed to cost 280 thousand lire. Construction began in 1863,
and in 1876 the costs had already exceeded 620,000 lire. Initially,
the tower was planned to be 66 meters high, but, at the insistence of Antonelli,
its height was increased to 167.5 meters. As a result, the Jewish
community stopped funding the construction and handed over the project to the
local authorities. Construction work was completed in 1889, and in
1908 the Risorgimento Museum was located in the building, which at that time
became the highest museum in the world. In 2000, the building of
the Mole Antonelliana was given to the National Museum of Cinematography.
The design of the 5-cent coin was created
by the artist Ettore Lorenzo Frapiccini (born 1957). Its obverse is
decorated with the image of the Roman Colosseum (from Latin colosseus - huge) -
the largest amphitheater of the ancient world and the famous symbol of Rome.
The construction of the Colosseum became
a family affair of the emperors of the Flavian dynasty, so its first name is the
Flavian Amphitheatre. Construction work began in 72 AD. e. under
the emperor Vespasian, and ended in 80 under his son Titus.
The Roman Colosseum is considered one of
the most grandiose buildings of the ancient world that have survived to this
day. On the days of performances, the amphitheater accommodated up
to 50 thousand spectators.
For many years, the Colosseum was the
main place of entertainment for the Romans. Animal persecution,
gladiator fights and other spectacular events were held here. However,
over time, gladiator fights were banned, later this ban also affected animal
baiting, and a period of desolation and destruction began for the amphitheater.
From the middle of the XVIII century. The
popes took the Colosseum under their protection, taking care of the safety of
the surviving fragments of buildings and strengthening the walls. Today
it is under state protection. The structure is being restored, the
surviving fragments are being returned to their places, and archaeological
excavations are underway in the arena.
The national side of the 10 eurocents is
decorated with a fragment of the painting by Sandro Botticelli "The Birth of
Venus". The image was created by the artist Claudia Momoni (Claudia
Momoni, b. 1963).
Sandro Botticelli (Sandro Botticelli,
1445-1510) - the great Italian painter, a representative of the Tuscan school,
who worked during the Early Renaissance. He brought allegory and
ancient mythology to the painting of his time, created mythological and
religious subjects. One of the artist's best creations is the
frescoes he created in the Sistine Chapel of the Vatican. The last
and one of the most famous paintings by Botticelli was The Birth of Venus.
"The Birth of Venus" is a fine example of
tempera painting created
on canvas measuring 172.5x278.5 cm. Today, the painting is kept in the Uffizi
Gallery in Florence. The artist depicted on canvas a naked goddess
in an open shell. On the left is the god of the west wind Zephyr
with his wife Chloris (Rom. Flora), embracing her husband. Zephyr
blows, creating a "flowery" wind that drives the shell with Venus to the shore. On
the shore, the goddess is met by Gracia, one of the goddesses of beauty and
grace.
Historians believe that the painting "The
Birth of Venus" was created for Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco
Medici and was kept at the Villa
Castello, later taken over by Cosimo Medici. At the end of the XX
century. The restoration of the painting was completed in 1987.
The 20 euro cent coin is decorated with
the sculpture “Unique forms of continuity in space”, created by the famous
Italian sculptor and artist Umberto Boccioni in 1913. The design project of the
coin was proposed
The famous drawing by Leonardo da Vinci
"The Vitruvian Man" (1490, Gallery of the Academy of Venice)
9. Tempera (it. tempera, from temperare -
mix paints) - mineral paints, grated on egg yolk, liquid glue, honey and other
emulsions, used in painting before the invention of oil paints. The
history of tempera has more than 3 thousand years.
artist Maria Angela Cassol (born 1956).
Umberto Boccioni (1882-1916) is a
prominent representative of futurism and one of the main theorists of the
avant-garde movement. The motif of the total transformation of the
world and general construction prevails in his works. The bronze
sculpture "Unique Forms of Continuity in Space" became one of the most important
works of Boccioni, along with a series of paintings "State of the Soul", the
canvas "The City Rises" and the sculpture "The Development of the Bottle in
Space". Today it is represented in the New York Museum of Modern
Art.
The national side of the 50 eurocents is
decorated with the image of the monument to Marcus Aurelius (Marcus Aurelius
Antoninus, 121-180), created by the artist Roberto Mauri (Roberto Mauri, b.
1949). This is the only bronze equestrian statue that has survived
from ancient times to the present day. Today, it rises on the
Capitoline Hill of Rome.
The statue was probably created in 176 in
honor of Marcus Aurelius, the Roman emperor from the Antonian dynasty, who ruled
from 161 to 180. Marcus Aurelius is depicted on horseback, dressed in a
soldier's cloak over a tunic, while the size of the monument is only twice the
actual size.
In the Middle Ages, it was believed that
the sculpture depicts St. Constantine, but in the XV century. an
employee of the Vatican Library recognized the identity of the rider by
comparing it with the images on the coins.
The 1 euro coin is adorned with the
famous drawing "Vitruvian Man", created by Leonardo da Vinci around 1490 as an
illustration to the works of Vitruvius. The
design of the coin was proposed by the artist Laura Cretara (born 1939).
The figure shows two figures of a naked
man superimposed on each other. One figure with legs and arms
spread apart is inscribed
in a circle, and the other, with legs
brought together and arms outstretched, is inscribed in a square. The
famous drawing is accompanied by explanations made by Leonardo da Vinci. Thus,
it is a rare combination of a work of art and scientific work. The
Vitruvian Man is often used as a symbol of the internal symmetry of the human
body in particular and the universe in general.
The 2-euro coin depicts a portrait
created by Raphael of the famous Italian poet, one of the creators of the
literary Italian language Dante Alighieri (Dante Alighieri, 1265-1321). Today,
the portrait is kept in the Vatican Palace. This design of the
national side of the coin was proposed by the artist Maria Carmela Colaneri
(born 1963).
Dante Alighieri created such famous works
as the story "New Life", the treatise "On Folk Eloquence", "Feast" and many
others. However, the peak of the poet's work was the famous "Divine
Comedy" - a kind of poetic encyclopedia of the Middle Ages. It was
this work that had a considerable influence on the development of European
culture.