Spain Euro Coins

Let’s begin this article dedicated to Spanish Euro coins by introducing the history of general Spanish numismatics.

Like all countries in the European Union, Spain had another currency before adopting the Single Currency.
The Spanish currency was the Peseta.

Specifically, it was introduced in the 19th century, when Spain was preparing to enter the Latin Monetary Union. The year of Spain's admission was 1868, which is also the year the first Peseta was minted.

The latter replaced the Escudo at an exchange rate of 2.5 Pesetas for one escudo.

The peseta was originally divided into 100 Céntimos or, in a much more informal way, into 4 Reales.

Specifically, the peseta was equal to 4.5 grams of silver or 0.290322 grams of gold and was the official currency in both Spain and Andorra. In the latter, however, it was used alongside the French franc.

Following political turmoil, the Latin Monetary Union was first revoked and subsequently officially dissolved in 1927. However, the peseta remained the official currency in Spain until 1999.

The Introduction of the Euro

On January 1, 1999, the Euro came into effect, replacing the peseta at a fixed exchange rate of 1 euro = 166.386 pesetas. As in all other European states, the peseta continued to be the “physical” currency until 2002, while the Euro began to be used for “non-physical” payments.

From January 1 to January 28, 2002, a phase of dual circulation began to allow the population to exchange Pesetas for Euros. From March 1, 2002, the peseta lost value both in Spain and in Andorra, although it was still possible to exchange Pesetas for euros until December 31, 2020.

After this brief but necessary introduction, we can begin our journey to discover Spanish Euro coins. Throughout this analysis, we will consider depicted subjects, technical characteristics of the coins, and interesting aspects.

Let’s get started!

The first coin we will analyze is naturally the 1 Euro Cent Spain. Specifically, the author of this coin is Garcilano Rollan.

There have been four editions of this same coin, precisely from the years 1999 to 2009 for the first two series, under King Juan Carlos I. For the third and fourth series, the years from 2010 to 2014 were under King Juan Carlos I first, and from 2015 onwards under King Felipe VI.

On the Obverse, the coin features the depiction of the Catedral de Santiago de Compostela. Between the two towers at the top is the mint year, while to the right is the crowned “M”, the symbol of the Madrid Mint.
On the left is the inscription ESPAÑA. The entire design is surrounded by 12 five-pointed stars symbolizing the member states of the European Union. Specifically, regarding the versions from 1999 to 2009, stars number 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12 are enclosed in a circular crown section, while in the more recent versions, this disappears.

On the Reverse, the coin features the same face as all other 1 Euro Cent coins in Europe.

Now let's look at the technical specifications:

Now let's move on to the 2 Euro Cents Spain coin, also created by Garcilano Rollan.

In this case, we are talking about four editions of the same coin which date back to the period between 1999 and 2009 for the first and second, and from 2010 to 2015 for the third and fourth.

On the Obverse, the coin features the depiction of the Catedral de Santiago de Compostela perfectly centered. At the top between the two towers is the year of minting, while to the left, arranged in a semicircle, is the inscription ESPAÑA.

On the right, the crowned “M” symbol of the Madrid Mint. The whole design is surrounded by the 12 five-pointed stars symbolizing the European Union.
It is important to note that in this case, for the first two series (1999 – 2009), the stars are enclosed in a circular crown section, while in the new editions this disappears.

On the Reverse, the coin features the same face as the other 2 Euro Cents coins in Europe.

Now let's take a look at the technical specifications:

We now arrive at the 5 Cents Euro Spain coin. In this case, the author is Garcilano Rollan.

Just like the 1 and 2 Cents coins, there are four editions dating back to 1999/2009 for the first two and 2010/2015 for the third and fourth.

On the Obverse, the coin features the depiction of the Catedral de Santiago de Compostela perfectly centered. To the right is the crowned “M” symbol of the Madrid Mint, while to the left is the inscription ESPAÑA in a semicircle.

At the top between the two towers is the minting symbol. The entire design is surrounded by 12 five-pointed stars symbolizing the member states of the European Union. In the first two editions (1999 – 2009), stars number 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12 are placed in a circular crown section that disappears in the new editions.

On the Reverse, the coin features the same face as the other 5 Cents coins with the depiction of Europe.

Now let’s take a look at the technical specifications:

Now we arrive at the 10 Euro Cents Spain coin, which differs from the previous ones. The author is no longer Rollan but Begoña Catellanos.

There are also four editions for the 10 Cents coin:

• 1st Series from 1999 to 2006
• 2nd Series from 2007 to 2009
• 3rd and 4th Series from 2010

On the Obverse, the coin depicts Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, a Spanish writer, poet, and playwright who lived between the 16th and 17th centuries.

To the left of the bust, there is the inscription “Cervantes” arranged in a semicircle and immediately above the inscription ESPAÑA.

Below the bust of the poet, there is the mint year in the center and slightly to the left the crowned “M,” the symbol of the Madrid Mint.
All of this is surrounded by 12 five-pointed stars. In the first 2 editions (1999 – 2019), the stars corresponding to the 12, 1, 2, and 3 o'clock positions are placed in a circular crown.
However, the panel that includes the stars disappears in the editions from 2010 onwards.

On the Reverse, the coin features the same face as the other 10 Euro Cents European coins.
Until 2006, the map of the European Union was depicted with borders between the various countries, which disappear from 2007 onwards.

But let's move on to the technical characteristics:

The design on the 20 Euro Cents Spain coin is created by the same author as the previous 10 cents coin, namely Begoña Catellanos.

This coin also has four editions and two different Kings.

• 1st Series from 1999 to 2006
• 2nd Series from 2007 to 2009
• 3rd and 4th Series from 2010

On the Obverse, the coin features the bust of Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, a renowned Spanish writer, poet, and playwright who lived between the 16th and 17th centuries.

To the left of the bust, there is a quill pen that draws the inscription Cervantes.

Just above is the inscription ESPAÑA, while below, immediately under the bust, are the year of minting and the crowned “M” symbol of the Madrid Mint. All of this is surrounded by 12 five-pointed stars representing the member states of the European Union.

In the first 2 editions, those from 1999 – 2009, the stars corresponding to the hours 12, 1, 2, and 3 are enclosed in a raised semicircle, which disappears in the editions after 2010.

On the Obverse, the coin features the same face as the other 20 Euro Cents coins in Europe. Until 2006, the Eurozone countries are depicted with borders between the various states; afterwards, the common face changes and the borders disappear.

Now let's look at the technical specifications:

We have arrived at the 50 Cents Euro Spain coin, which, like the previous one, was designed by Begoña Catellanos.

In this case, there are four different editions:

• The 1st Series from 1999 to 2006
• The 2nd Series from 2007 to 2009
• The 3rd and 4th Series from 2010

On the Obverse, the coin features a depiction of the bust of Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, a Spanish poet, writer, and playwright who lived between the 16th and 17th centuries.

Next to the bust of the poet, precisely on the left, there is a goose feather and the inscription Cervantes.

Immediately above the inscription is ESPAÑA, while below is the year of minting and the crowned M symbol of the Madrid Mint.

All of this is surrounded by 12 five-pointed stars representing the member states of the European Union. It is interesting to note that while in the first two editions the stars corresponding to the 12, 1, 2, and 3 o'clock positions are placed in a circular crown section, this disappears in the subsequent editions.

On the Reverse, the coin features the same face as the other 50 Cents European coins. Only for the 1st series is the map of European countries shown with borders between the various states; in the other editions, a map with unified countries is adopted.

Now let's look at the technical specifications:

We arrive at the 1 Euro Spain coin, which denotes the first real difference between the old and the new edition. The author of this coin is Luis José Diaz.

Regarding the 1st edition and the 2nd edition, which span the years 1999 – 2009, the face of King Juan Carlos I of Bourbon is depicted at the center of the coin. To the left of the bust is the inscription ESPAÑA placed within a section of circular crown, while immediately below is the crowned M symbol of the Madrid Mint.

All around are the 12 stars symbolizing the member states of the European Union and the year of minting placed, in groups of two digits, among the 3 stars located at the bottom.

In contrast, the 3rd edition, minted from 2010 to 2014, sees the disappearance of the crown that enclosed the inscription Espana, and the year of minting moves to the central flan of the coin on the left. Meanwhile, the mint symbol is engraved on the right, while the depiction of King Juan Carlos I remains unchanged.

As for the 4th edition (from 2015 onwards), the bust represented at the center is that of King Felipe VI facing left.
To the right of the face is the crowned M of the Madrid Mint, while to the left is the year of minting and the inscription ESPAÑA.
All surrounded by the 12 stars.

On the Reverse, the coins are identical to other 1 Euro coins from Europe. Therefore, until 2006, the 1st edition of the coin features a map of the Eurozone with the borders between countries marked, borders that disappear from 2007 onwards, namely in the 2nd/3rd/4th editions.

Let’s discover the technical characteristics together:

Finally, we have arrived at the last coin, namely the 2 Euro Spain. The author is the same as that of the 1 Euro, namely Luis José Diaz. Remember that if you cannot find the 2 Euro Spain coin you might be looking for, you should probably check the Spanish commemorative coins, which you can find here: 2 euro commemorative Spain.

In this case, we are talking about four different editions:

• First Edition: 1999/2006 featuring King Juan Carlos I and the borders between the Eurozone countries
• Second Edition: 2007/2009 King Juan Carlos I but without borders between the states that use the Euro
• Third Edition: 2010/2014 King Juan Carlos I with new graphics and a map without borders
• Fourth Edition: 2015 featuring King Felipe VI and a common face map without borders between the different Eurozone countries.

1st Edition of the 2€ Spain

The 1st Edition on the Obverse shows the semi-bust of King Juan Carlos I facing left in three-quarters view, surrounded by the 12 stars symbolizing the countries of the European Union, while the year of minting is enclosed among the stars at the bottom in groups of two digits on the nickel-plated coin.

2nd Edition of the 2€ Spain

The 2nd Edition (2007 – 2009) has the Obverse identical to the first series and changes the Reverse, which renewed the graphics from 2007 by removing the borders in the map of the depicted countries.

3rd Edition of the 2€ Spain

The 3rd Edition (2010 – 2014) differs in the Obverse from the first by the presence of the year of minting directly below the inscription ESPAÑA while the crowned M moves directly to the right. The Reverse remains the same without borders between Eurozone countries.

4th Edition of the 2€ Spain

Finally, the 4th Edition (2015 onwards) represents on the Obverse the face of King Felipe VI facing left. To the left is the inscription ESPAÑA followed by the year of minting. On the right is the crowned M. Once again, all of this is surrounded by the 12 five-pointed stars.
As for the Reverse, the coin features the same face as the other 2 Euro coins in Europe with the map without borders between the states.

Let’s take a look at the technical specifications: