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, replacing the Maltese lira. For a period of one month until 31 January, there was a dual circulation for Malta where the Euro and Maltese lira were used alongside each other.
For images of the common side and a detailed description of the coins, see euro coins.
| €0.01 | €0.02 | €0.05 |
|---|---|---|
| Mnajdra temple altar | ||
| €0.10 | €0.20 | €0.50 |
 | ||
| Coat of arms of Malta | ||
| €1.00 | €2.00 | €2 Coin Edge |
 "2" with a Maltese Cross, repeated 6 times alternately upright and inverted. | ||
| The Maltese cross | ||
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. [1] [2]
The results of the first round voting were The Baptism of Christ in St John’s Co-Cathedral (3498 votes), [1] Malta’s Coat of Arms (2742 votes) [1] and Mnajdra Temple Altar (1872 votes). [1] 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. [1] 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.
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. [3] [4]
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. [5]
| Face Value [6] | €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 |
| 2009 | * | * | * | * | * | * | * | * |
| 2010 | * | * | * | * | * | * | * | 2,000,000 |
| 2011 | 50,000 | 50,000 | 50,000 | 50,000 | 50,000 | 50,000 | 50,000 | 50,000 |
| 2012 | 50,000 | 50,000 | 50,000 | 50,000 | 50,000 | 50,000 | 50,000 | 50,000 |
* No coins were minted that year for that denomination | ||||||||
2008, 2016-2018: France [7]
2010-2015: Netherlands [7]
| National Identifier | "MALTA" |
| Mint Mark | F (only the coins minted in France) |
| Engravers Initials | 1,2, 5 cent NGB  |
| €2 Edge inscription |  |
| Year | Number | Design |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 1 | First Election of Representatives in 1849 [8] |
| 2012 | 2 | Majority Representation in 1887 [9] |
| 2013 | 3 | Establishment of Self-Government in 1921 [10] [11] |
| 2014 | 4 | Independence from Britain in 1964 [12] [11] |
| 2015 | 5 | Proclamation of the Republic of Malta in 1974 |
| Year | Number | Design |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 | Ġgantija |
| 2017 | 2 | Ħaġar Qim |
| 2018 | 3 | Mnajdra |
| 2019 | 4 | Ta' Ħaġrat Temples |
| 2020 | 5 | Skorba Temples |
| 2021 | 6 | Tarxien Temples |
| 2022 | 7 | Hypogeum of Ħal-Saflieni |
Featuring the Role of the Malta Community Chest Fund in Society.
| Year | Number | Design |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 | Solidarity through love |
| 2017 | 2 | Solidarity and peace |
| 2018 | 3 | Cultural heritage |
| 2019 | 4 | Nature and Environment |
| 2020 | 5 | Children's games |
Malta joined the Eurozone in 2008 and they have minted several collectors' coins in silver and gold. [13] Their face value range from 10 to 50 euro. This is mainly done as a legacy of old national practice of minting gold and silver coins. These coins are not intended to be used as means of payment, so they do not circulate.
There are eight euro coin denominations, ranging from one cent to two euros. The coins first came into use in 2002. They have a common reverse, portraying a map of Europe, but each country in the eurozone has its own design on the obverse, which means that each coin has a variety of different designs in circulation at once. Four European microstates that are not members of the European Union use the euro as their currency and also have the right to mint coins with their own designs on the obverse side.
Dutch euro coins currently use two designs by Erwin Olaf, both of which feature a portrait of King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands. The new designs began circulating in 2014. Dutch Euro coins minted from 1999 to 2013 feature a portrait of Queen Beatrix designed by Bruno Ninaber van Eyben. All coins share the 12 stars of the EU and the year of imprint in their design.
French euro coins feature three separate designs for the three series of coins. The minor series was designed by Fabienne Courtiade, the middle one by Laurent Jurio and the major two coins are by Joaquin Jimenez. All designs share the 12 stars of the EU and the year of imprint as well as the letters "RF" for République Française.
Finnish euro coins feature three designs. Heikki Häiväoja provided the design for the 1 cent – 50 cent coins, Pertti Mäkinen provided the design for the 1 euro coin, and Raimo Heino provided the design for the 2 euro coin, which shows cloudberry, the golden berry of northern Finland. All designs feature the 12 stars of the EU and the year of imprint.
Italian euro coins have a design unique to each denomination, though there is a common theme of famous Italian works of art throughout history. Each coin is designed by a different designer, from the 1 cent to the 2 euro coin they are: Eugenio Driutti, Luciana De Simoni, Ettore Lorenzo Frapiccini, Claudia Momoni, Maria Angela Cassol, Roberto Mauri, Laura Cretara and Maria Carmela Colaneri. All designs feature the 12 stars of the EU, the year of imprint, the overlapping letters "RI" for Repubblica Italiana and the letter R for Rome. There are no Italian euro coins dated earlier than 2002, even though they were certainly minted earlier, as they were first distributed to the public in December 2001.
The lira or pound was the currency of Malta from 1972 until 31 December 2007. One lira was divided into 100 cents, each of 10 mils. After 1986 the lira was abbreviated as Lm, although the original £M sign continued to be used unofficially. In English the currency was still frequently called the pound even after its official English language name was changed to lira.
Sammarinese euro coins feature separate designs for every coin. All the coins are inscribed with the words "San Marino" and the twelve stars of the EU. The Sammarinese euro coins are minted by Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato (IPZS), in Rome, Italy.
Vatican euro coins are issued by the Philatelic and Numismatic Office of the Vatican City State and minted by Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato (IPZS), in Rome, Italy. The euro is the official currency of the Vatican City, although Vatican City is not a member of the Eurozone or the European Union. The euro has been the official currency of Vatican City since 2002. Before that, the Vatican lira was the official currency.
The Slovak euro coins are the European monetary union euro coins issued by Slovakia since 2009. They feature three separate designs for the three series of coins.
Estonian euro coins feature a single design for all eight coins. This is a design by Lembit Lõhmus and features a silhouette map of Estonia together with the word Eesti (Estonia) and twelve stars, symbolic of the European Union, surrounding the map. This was the winning design in a public vote of ten announced in December 2004.
The coat of arms of Malta is the national coat of arms of the country of Malta.
Cypriot euro coins feature three separate designs for the three series of coins. Cyprus 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. It has completed the third stage of the EMU and adopted the euro as its official currency on 1 January 2008.
Mnajdra is a megalithic temple complex found on the southern coast of the Mediterranean island of Malta. Mnajdra is approximately 497 metres (544 yd) from the Ħaġar Qim megalithic complex. Mnajdra was built around the fourth millennium BCE; the Megalithic Temples of Malta are among the most ancient religious sites on Earth, described by the World Heritage Sites committee as "unique architectural masterpieces." In 1992 UNESCO recognized the Mnajdra complex and four other Maltese megalithic structures as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. In 2009 work was completed on a protective tent.
Coins of the Maltese lira have been struck from when Malta adopted decimal currency in 1972, to 2007, after which Malta adopted the euro. There were 10 mils in one cent, and 100 cents in one Maltese lira.
Christopher Ironside OBE, FRBS was an English painter and coin designer, particularly known for the reverse sides of the new British coins issued on decimalisation in 1971.
The 2 euro coin (€2) is the highest-value euro coin and has been used since the introduction of the euro in 2002. The coin is used in 22 countries with a collective population of about 341 million. The coin is made of two alloys: the inner part of nickel brass, the outer part of copper-nickel. All coins have a common reverse side and country-specific national sides. The coin has been used since 2002, with the present common side design dating from 2007.
The euro came into existence on 1 January 1999, although it had been a goal of the European Union (EU) and its predecessors since the 1960s. After tough negotiations, the Maastricht Treaty entered into force in 1993 with the goal of creating an economic and monetary union (EMU) by 1999 for all EU states except the UK and Denmark.
The postal history of Malta began in the early modern period, when pre-adhesive mail was delivered to foreign destinations by privately owned ships for a fee. The earliest known letter from Malta, sent during the rule of the Order of St John, is dated 1532. The first formal postal service on the islands was established by the Order in 1708, with the post office being located at the Casa del Commun Tesoro in Valletta. The first postal markings on mail appeared later on in the 18th century.
Euro starter kits are packs of euro coins of all the eight denominations sealed in a plastic sachet. The kits' purpose is primarily to familiarise citizens of a nation joining the eurozone with their new currency. A further objective is to provide coins for retailers' cash registers well in advance of their respective €-Day. Usually these kits are available from local banks some weeks before euro changeover.
Andorra has a monetary agreement with the EU allowing it to make the euro its official currency, and permitting it to issue euro coins from 1 July 2013. They planned to issue their first coins by March or April 2014. On 23 December 2014, coins were delivered for pre-booked customers at the Government Administration Building, and actual circulation began on 15 January 2015.
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| Denominations |
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| Coins by country with minting rights |
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Potential adoption by other countries | |||||||||
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| History |
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