World Coins

France honors artist Auguste Rodin on €2 coin

France celebrates the artistic legacy and life of sculptor Auguste Rodin with a 2017 circulating commemorative €2 coin.

Images courtesy of the Monnaie de Paris.

The Monnaie de Paris is issuing a circulating commemorative €2 coin in 2017 to mark the centennial of the death of famed sculptor Auguste Rodin.

Rodin, best known for The Thinker, appears on the obverse of the new coin with his famous work. Born in 1840, he is one of the major icons of the realistic style. The style of the design is inspired by the sculpture and the shaping of the material, which was metal in this case.

According to the Monnaie de Paris, “With a zooming effect, the design shows the famous pose with the hand under the chin of this man in meditation.”

The dual dates 1917–2017 on the obverse indicate the centennial of Rodin’s death.

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The reverse carries the common European map design.

The 12 stars of the European flag appear in the outer ring of both sides of the ringed bimetallic €2 coin.

In total, 10 million examples are due to begin circulating Feb. 21, with an additional 20,000 examples dedicated for collector sales in Proof and in Brilliant Uncirculated versions, each with a mintage limit of 10,000 pieces.

The Proof coin will retail for €20 and the BU coin retails for €10.

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

Each nation is allowed to issue up to two different circulating commemorative designs annually, with designs of their choosing, though few nations have issued the maximum number of designs.

Joint euro programs like the 2015 coins honoring the 30th anniversary of flag of the European Union do not count toward this limit.


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