New coin marks euro's 10th anniversary

The 10th anniversary of the euro was marked today with the launch of a new €2 coin with a unique and simple design by a Greek artist.

Five million coins with a so-called “stylised human figure” are being issued across the 16 euro states commemorating 10 years of the currency.

The design, created by Georgios Stamatopoulos of the Minting Department of the Greek Central Bank, was voted for in an on-line poll of EU residents.

It shows a stick man grasping the euro symbol.

The name of the issuing country in the national language appears at the top of the coin, while the years 1999-2009 and the acronym EMU translated into the national language appears at the bottom.

The outer ring shows the 12 stars of the European flag.

At the turn of the year, the euro reached its highest value against Sterling since it came into circulation.