The Diplomat
The Government has agreed to issue, mint and put into circulation two-euro coins commemorating the V Centenary of the Circumnavigation.
According to the order signed in early December by the Minister of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation, Nadia Calviño, and published by the Official State Gazette (BOE), the Royal Mint will proceed with the minting of a two-euro coin whose obverse – the so-called “national side”, since the reverse is common to all Eurozone States – will be dedicated to the fifth centenary of the Circumnavigation.
In the center of the obverse, and on a background of a globe, the image of Juan Sebastián Elcano will be reproduced, taken from the portrait kept in the Naval Museum of Madrid, on which will appear, in its lower part and in capital letters, the legends 1519 1522, JUAN SEBASTIÁN ELCANO and PRIMUS CIRCUMDEDISTI ME. To its left will appear the mint mark and to its right, in capital letters, will appear the legend ESPAÑA and the year of minting, 2022. Surrounding all the motifs and legends, in the outer circular area of the coin will appear the twelve stars of the European Union.
The initial issue and circulation date of the coins will take place during the first quarter of 2022 and the maximum volume will be one million pieces. The coins will be minted, on behalf of the State, at the Royal Mint, which will deliver them to the Bank of Spain as its manufacturing capacity permits. The Bank of Spain will put the coins into circulation according to the needs of the market.
The Royal Mint has already issued in recent years several coins commemorating the fifth centenary, but these were ten euro coins minted in sterling silver, without the common reverse (in fact, the reverse also includes commemorative motifs) and destined almost exclusively for collectors. The four issues have been produced at an annual rate since 2019 and will conclude in 2022, and coincided with the four years of Magellan and Elcano’s expedition (1519-1522). For its part, Portugal issued in 2019 its own two-euro coin commemorating the V Centenary of the Circumnavigation, in this case with the image of Ferdinand Magellan.
Apart from that, the Government has also authorized the issuance, in 2022, of two-euro legal tender coins dedicated to the Garajonay National Park (included in the UNESCO World Heritage list), the 35th anniversary Erasmus Program, the 275th anniversary of Francisco de Goya and the History of the Railway.
