Safekipedia20 euro cent coin
Adapted from Wikipedia · Adventurer experience
The 20 euro cent coin (€0.20) is worth one-fifth of a euro. It is made from a special material called Nordic Gold and has a unique shape that looks like a Spanish flower.
Like all euro coins, this coin has two sides: one side that looks the same in every country that uses the euro, and another side with a design special to each country. People have been using the 20 euro cent coin since 2002. The design on the common side changed in 2007 to the one we see today.
History
The 20 euro cent coin started in 2002 when euro coins and banknotes were first used in the eurozone and nearby areas. Some countries made their coins earlier, in 1999. The design was made by Luc Luycx, a Belgian artist who won a competition in Europe.
When the euro was introduced, coins worth 10 to 50 cents showed the different states of the European Union separately. In 2007, the design changed to show a new map of Europe as more countries joined the European Union. This new map included countries like Slovenia, Cyprus, Malta, Slovakia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Croatia. Andorra also started making its own designs in 2014.
Design
The 20 euro cent coins are made from a material called Nordic Gold. They have a shape that looks like a Spanish flower. These coins have been used since 2002, with some dated 1999, the year the euro was created.
The side of the coin that is the same for all countries, used since 2007, shows a map of Europe. The design includes twelve stars, like those on the flag of Europe, and the words “20 Euro Cent.” Each country also has its own side of the coin, which must show the country’s name or an abbreviation. Some countries write the value in their own language on their coins.
| State | Details | Years of minting (years shown) |
|---|---|---|
 Andorran euro coins | The Church of Santa Coloma d'Andorra. It features the word "Andorra" and the year of minting written vertically on the right-hand side. | 2014 onwards |
 Austrian euro coins | Belvedere Palace, an example of baroque architecture, symbolising national freedom and sovereignty due to the fact it was at Belvedere where the 1955 treaty re-establishing Austrian sovereignty was signed. The words "euro cent" appear at the top, with the denomination, followed by a hatched Austrian flag and the date appears below (but within the circle). | 2002 onwards |
 Belgian euro coins | FIRST SERIES: An effigy of King Albert II. To the right hand side among the stars was the kings monogram, a letter "A", underneath a crown. The year is lower down, also among the stars. | 1999–2007 |
| SECOND SERIES: A redesign to include the letters BE (standing for Belgium) beneath the monogram, which was moved out of the stars into the centre circle but still to the right of the King's renewed portrait. The date was also moved out and placed beneath the effigy and included two symbols either side (left: signature mark of the master of the mint, right: mint mark). This portrait did not comply with previous decisions by the ECOFIN in 2005 and 2008. Therefore, an amendment was made in 2009, which reverted to the portrait of Albert II found in the first series. Mint marks, year and stars remained the same. | 2008–2013 | |
| THIRD SERIES: In 2013, Albert II abdicated with Philippe of Belgium becoming King. He subsequently replaced Albert on Belgian coins. | 2014 onwards | |
 Bulgarian euro coins | A relief image of the Madara Horseman. The design also includes the year of issuance, the inscription “БЪЛГАРИЯ” (the country’s name in Bulgarian) and the word “СТОТИНКИ” (“CENT”) in Cyrillic script. | 2026 onwards |
 Croatian euro coins | Silhouette portrait of Nikola Tesla encircled by magnetic field lines and a checkerboard in the background. | 2023 onwards |
 Cypriot euro coins | A Kyrenia ship, a 4th-century BCE trading vessel symbolising the seafaring and trading history of Cyprus. It includes, in a semicircle to the top right, the name of Cyprus in Greek and Turkish (ΚΥΠΡΟΣ and KIBRIS) each side of the date. | 2008 onwards |
 Estonian euro coins | A geographical inset image of the territory of Estonia and the word “Eesti” (“Estonia”). | 2011 onwards |
 Finnish euro coins | The heraldic lion of Finland found on the Coat of arms of Finland. It is a reproduction of a design by the sculptor Heikki Häiväoja and has been used by previous Finnish coins such as the 1 markka between 1964 and 2001. The first series included the initial of the mint master of the Mint of Finland, Raimo Makkonen (an M), on the bottom left side of the lion and the date to the left. In 2007, the initial was replaced by the mint's mint mark and the letters FI (for Finland) were included on the right hand side of the horizon. Finland again amended the design of its coins in the 2008 issue, repositioning the mint mark and putting it on the inside of the coin. | 1999 onwards |
 French euro coins | FIRST SERIES: A sower in a field with a rising sun behind her. The image is taken from the previous one French franc coin designed by Louis Oscar Roty. Oscar Roty's Art Nouveau design reset the global trend, breaking from traditional static portraits to a full body, strident figure sowing the seeds of good fortune. For the euro coins, Jorio added hatching each side representing the French flag with the year to the left and the letters RF (République française) to the right. | 1999–2023 |
| SECOND SERIES: The coin features a portrait of Josephine Baker, a singer, dancer and civil rights activist. The sower also appears, depicted in a smaller size. | 2024 onwards | |
 German euro coins | The Brandenburg Gate as a symbol of the reunification of Germany and Europe. The year and mint mark is shown at the bottom. | 2002 onwards |
 Greek euro coins | A portrait of Ioannis Kapodistrias (1776–1831), diplomat and politician who was the first Governor (head of state) of Greece following their war of independence. His name in Greek is shown to the bottom left of the portrait and to the right is the denomination in Greek with the year to the left. | 2002 onwards |
 Irish euro coins | The national emblem of Ireland, an Irish harp (the Cláirseach, see Clàrsach). Vertically on the left hand side is the word "Éire" (Ireland in the Irish language) and on the right hand side is the date. The harp motif was designed by Jarlath Hayes. | 2002 onwards |
 Italian euro coins | A depiction of the futurist sculpture Unique Forms of Continuity in Space by Umberto Boccioni. Boccioni, a leading futurist painter and sculptor from Reggio Calabria, created the sculpture in 1913 and it is considered a masterpiece of futurism. It includes the interconnected letters IR (Repubblica Italiana), the year is shown to the top right with the mint mark just above it. | 2002 onwards |
 Latvian euro coins | The coat of arms of the Republic of Latvia above the word LATVIJA (Latvia). | 2014 onwards |
 Lithuanian euro coins | The Vytis (symbol of the coat-of-arms) and the word “Lietuva”, which means “Lithuania”. The twelve stars, symbols of the EU, surrounds the Vytis. | 2015 onwards |
 Luxembourgish euro coins | FIRST SERIES: A stylised effigy of Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg. The name "LËTZEBUERG" (Luxembourg in Luxembourgish) and the year is written round the outer left side of the coin. | 2002–2025 |
| SECOND SERIES: On the right, the effigy of Grand Duke Guillaume looking towards the left. Facing the effigy, a stylised version of the Luxembourg flag is depicted on the left side of the coin. The word "LËTZEBUERG" indicates the issuing country in a semi-circular upward direction to the left of the flag. The year-date appears at the bottom right of the effigy in a diagonal upward reading. | 2026 onwards | |
 Maltese euro coins | The Coat of arms of Malta, which includes the Maltese flag and a mural crown of fortifications symbolising a city state. Shield of the arms is bound by an olive branch and a palm branch as Maltese symbols of peace, tied at their base by a ribbon reading “Repubblika ta’ Malta” (Republic of Malta). The name Malta sits round the upper left inner edge and the year in a similar fashion on the right. | 2008 onwards |
 Monégasque euro coins | FIRST SERIES: The seal of Monaco with the name MONACO was written across the top of the coin's outer circle and the year across the bottom of the outer circle with the mint marks. | 2001–2005 |
| SECOND SERIES: Upon the death of Prince Rainier III in 2005, and the accession of Prince Albert II the seal was replaced with the monogram of Prince Albert II and the name Monaco and the year were brought within the inner circle. | 2006 onwards | |
 Dutch euro coins | FIRST SERIES: A stylised profile of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands surrounded by the twelve stars and other dots, with the inscription “Beatrix Queen of The Netherlands” in Dutch around the edge. The date and mint marks are located at the bottom. | 1999–2013 |
| SECOND SERIES: Following the accession to the throne of King Willem-Alexander, a new series of euro coins was issued depicting the effigy of the new Head of State. | 2014 onwards | |
 Portuguese euro coins | The royal seal of 1142 surrounded by the country's castles and five escutcheona with silver bezants set in relation to the surrounding European stars which is supposed to symbolise dialogue, exchange of values and dynamics in the building of Europe. Between the castles are the numbers of the year towards the bottom and the letters of the name Portugal between the upper icons. The stars are inset on a ridge. | 2002 onwards |
 Sammarinese euro coins | FIRST SERIES: Saint Marinus who founded the city state, which is the world's oldest surviving republic, in the year 301 after fleeing persecution for his Christian beliefs in what is now Croatia. The image is based on a canvas from the Guercino school. In a semicircle to his left are the words San Marino, and in a similar fashion to his right is the date with the mint marks between the stars to the bottom right. | 2002–2016 |
| SECOND SERIES: Mount Titano with the three Towers | 2017 onwards | |
 Slovak euro coins | Bratislava Castle, with the national emblem in the bottom left of the picture. Below the image is the date and curving just above the circling stars is the name SLOVENSKO (Slovakia). | 2009 onwards |
 Slovenian euro coins | A pair of Lipizzaner horses. The moral claim over the prestigious animals had been fought over between Slovenia and its neighbours. Slovenia considers them part of their culture and their home town, Lipica, has been in Slovenia since the second world war. In 2005, the Lipica Stud Farm celebrated its 425th anniversary. In a semicircle above that are two lines of text, the outer one reading SLOVENIJA (Slovenia) between the twelve stars and the inner one reading "Lipicanec", Lipizzaner in Slovenian. | 2007 onwards |
 Spanish euro coins | FIRST SERIES: An effigy of Miguel de Cervantes, the father of Spanish literature. His name and a quill is shown to the left, the name España (Spain) above it and the mint mark below. The date is shown at the bottom of the coin. The top right four stars are indented on a raised area, inverting the effect of the rest of the coin. | 1999–2009 |
| SECOND SERIES: In 2010 the raised area around the stars was removed. | 2010 onwards | |
 Vatican euro coins | FIRST SERIES: An effigy of Pope John Paul II. The name CITTA DEL VATICANO (Vatican City), followed by the year and mint mark, was written in a break between the stars below. | 2002–2005 |
| SECOND SERIES: Following the death of John Paul II in 2005, a new coin was issued during the Sede vacante until a new Pope was chosen. This contained the insignia of the Apostolic Chamber and the coat of arms of the Cardinal Chamberlain. | 2005 | |
| THIRD SERIES: When Pope Benedict XVI was elected, his effigy appeared on the coins, with the name of the city now broken to his top right with the year and mint mark in the middle to his right. | 2006–2013 | |
| FOURTH SERIES: In 2014 the coins were updated with the election of Pope Francis. CITTA DEL VATICANO is written around the top, broken by Pope Francis' head, with the date below the O in Vaticano. | 2014–2016 | |
| FIFTH SERIES: After the announcement that Pope Francis would not appear on any coins issued by the Vatican, a new series of euro coins were issued to depict the papal coat of arms of Francis. | 2017–2025 | |
| SIXTH SERIES: Following the election of Pope Leo XIV, new coins with his effigy are expected. | 2026 onwards |
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