Coining a face

Austria has the image of Mozart minted on one of its euro coins, Italy's coin depicts the birth of Venus, Ireland went for the traditional harp and Malta will have the image of the baptism of Christ.

What's in an image depicted on a small coin, one might ask? But the choice by most EU states clearly reflects centuries-old traditions and different levels of patriotism - especially among the new EU states.

Each eurozone member has its own design on the national side of the coin, varying from simply depicting the same design on all coins (like Belgium) to a different design for every coin (like Italy).

After an SMS and telephone poll in Malta, nearly 20 per cent voted for the image of the sculpture by Giuseppe Mazzuoli at St John's Co-Cathedral in Valletta for the euro coin, which is expected to be introduced in 2008. The other two designs earmarked for the euro coins, which came second and third in the poll, are the Malta coat of arms and the Mnajdra Temple altar.

The only other state with a religious design on its euro coins is the Vatican -an effigy of Pope John Paul II, while from now on newly minted coins will feature Pope Benedict XVI.

In nations represented by monarchies, the national side usually features a portrait of the country's king or queen, often in a design carried over from the former currency. Dutch euro coins have two designs, both of which feature a portrait or effigy of Queen Beatrix of The Netherlands.

In fact, some countries did not waste time and opted for a single and straightforward design. The Irish euro coins show a harp, a traditional symbol for Ireland since the Middle Ages. The same harp is used as the official Irish state symbol, the Great Seal of Ireland.

The republics use a variety of figures from literature, mythology, art and history or may use well-known national symbols on some of the coins, like the oak leaves which were on the German pfenning and have been carried over into the low-denomination cent coins. 

Austrian euro coins have a unique design for each denomination, with a common theme for each of the three series of coins. The minor coins feature Austrian flowers, the middle coins examples of architecture from Austria's capital, Vienna, and the two major coins famous Austrians.

Italian euro coins all have a design unique to each coin, though there is a common theme of famous Italian works of art from one of the country's renowned artists.

Like several other countries, the choice of the design of the coins was left to the Italian public by means of a TV broadcast where alternative designs were presented.

Well-known monuments are popular choices, with Berlin's Brandenburg gate and Rome's Colosseum carving their way onto the coin. The Maltese National Euro Changeover Committee also proposed several Maltese monuments in the shortlist.

Several countries opted for their coat of arms or traditional symbols. Germany has its eagle, a symbol of German sovereignty and France has Marianne, the symbol of the French Republic.

History was of course the underlying theme of the Greek euro coins. The minor coins depict Greek ships, the middle ones famous Greeks and the two large denominations examples of Greek history and mythology.

So what are the other new EU states mapping out?

Estonia was the first of the 10 new EU states to unveil its design though it opted for the plain and simple - a single design for all the euro coins depicting a map of the country. Likewise, Lithuania went for one design showing the Vytis symbol.

Latvians had an open competition, organised by the Central Bank, and opted for the Freedom monument, a girl in national costume and, thirdly, the state seal.

An official public contest for Slovak euro coin designs was held over two rounds with the popular design being the Coat of Arms of Slovakia.

Slovenia, which is expected to introduce the euro currency as early as January 1, 2007 opted for no less than eight designs - one for each coin.

Polish euro coins have not yet been designed and there is no official information on the design process for the Polish national sides, though it has been indicated that some kind of public vote will be used.

Poland has not even set an official target date for introduction of the euro, which led to much criticism from the European Commission.

With tourism being a staple of the Maltese economy, it would not be long after the euro is introduced to Malta to find coins of a dozen nations making their way into our pockets.