Greece is issuing a circulating commemorative €2 coin to celebrate the ancient settlement of Philippi. 

An image of the archaeological site featuring part of Basilica B, and linear motifs inspired by a border pattern from an ancient Greek mosaic discovered at the site appear on the obverse of the coin. 

Inscribed along the inner circle are Greek inscriptions translating to “Archaeological Site of Philippi” and “Hellenic Republic.” Also inscribed in the background is the year of issuance 2017 and to the right a palmette (the Mint mark of the Greek Mint). Visible at the lower left is the monogram of the artist, George Stamatopoulos.

There was a time when the Morgan dollar was actually a half dollar: Another column in the July 31 issue of Coin World explains how collectors can create their own archival-quality holders for oversized paper money.

The city was renamed by Philip II of Macedon in 356 B.C. and abandoned in the 14th century after being conquered by the Ottomans. 

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In 2016, the city joined the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization World Heritage Site list. 

A total of 750,000 of the Greek €2 coins are due for release in the second half of 2017. 

The ringed-bimetallic coin has a copper-nickel core and copper-aluminum-nickel ring.

The coin’s outer ring depicts the 12 stars of the European flag. The common reverse shows a map of the European Union.

The €2 coin weighs 8.5 grams and measures 25.75 millimeters in diameter.