Maltese euro coins feature three separate designs
for the three series of coins.
Malta
has been a
member of the European Union since 1
May 2004, and is a member of the Economic and
Monetary Union of the European Union. Malta adopted the
euro as its official currency on 1 January
2008. For a period of one month until 31 January, there was a dual
circulation for Malta where the Euro and Maltese lira are used
alongside each other.
Maltese euro designs
For
images of
the common side and a detailed description of the coins, see
euro coins.
Design selection process
The selection of the designs of the coins was decided by public
consultation in two rounds. The first round of the consultation
process started on 14 January 2006 and ended on 29 January 2006.
During this period the Maltese public could participate in the
process by choosing from a total of twelve options, divided into
four design themes – Prehistoric Malta, Renaissance Malta, The
Maltese Identity and The Maltese Archipelago. Three different
options were presented for each theme.
The results of the first round voting were The Baptism of Christ in
St John’s Co-Cathedral (3498 votes),
Malta’s Coat of Arms (2742 votes) and
Mnajdra Temple Altar (1872 votes). Another
design, The Fort St. Angelo option, received 2037 votes, but was
not included as one of the three chosen options, since the Baptism
of Christ received the most votes in that theme.
Along with the visual design options, the public was also given
several alternative options, which were voted on in the same
manner. The first and second most popular suggestions made by the
public were the
Maltese cross and
Dun Karm, respectively on the Maltese euro
coin set. The Steering Committee for the adoption of the euro
ultimately decided to include the most popular suggestion, the
Maltese Cross, with the three chosen by the public.
These four finalists were then sent to a designer (
Noel Galea Bason) and four designs were
rendered for the second round of voting.
Image:Eurocoins.malta.choice4.jpg|1st place:
Maltese cross
Image:Eurocoins.malta.choice1.jpg|2nd place:
Maltese coat of arms
Image:Eurocoins.malta.choice3.jpg|3rd place:
Mnajdra temple
Image:Eurocoins.malta.choice2.jpg|4th place:
Baptism of Christ
During the second phase, running from 29 May until 9 June 2006, the
public was asked to choose the actual designs for the euro coins
from the four mock ups produced by the designer. The three designs
with the highest number of votes would then become the final design
for the Maltese face of the euro coin set.
The results of the second round were
Maltese cross, followed by the
Coat of arms of Malta and the
Mnajdra Temples.
The Central Bank of Malta released the final designs of the euro
coins on 19 February 2007.
On 23 October 2007, the designs were officially published in the
Official Journal
of the European Union.
Mintage quantities
| Face Value |
€0.01 |
€0.02 |
€0.05 |
€0.10 |
€0.20 |
€0.50 |
€1.00 |
€2.00
|
| 2008 |
10,000,000 |
36,000,000 |
34,000,000 |
41,000,000 |
40,000,000 |
15,000,000 |
14,000,000 |
10,000,000
|
| /// = has not been minted, ??? =
unknown as of yet, --- = only minted for sets |
|
€2 commemorative coins
File:Malta 2009 uem.png|Ten years of
Economic and
Monetary Union (EMU) and the
birth of the euro. (2009)
Other commemorative coins (Collectors' coins)
Malta joined the Eurozone in 2008 and in such a short period they
have minted two collectors' coins in
silver
and
gold. Their face value range from 10 euro
to 50 euro. This is mainly done as a legacy of old national
practice of minting gold and silver coins. These coins are not
really intended to be used as means of payment, so generally they
do not circulate.
See also
External links
References
- http://eurocoinscollectionmalta.freehostia.com
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