Silver 10 Euro (2004, European Union)

What's up plebs?

Time for another silver photoshoot!

Let's see what we got this time!

Yep, yet another commemorative 10 euro coin from Germany. This one is minted in 2004 and it's dedicated to the European Union.

As always, one of the sides features prominently a unique design of the German imperial eagle. This one is also surrounded by twelve stars, representing ideals of unity, solidarity and harmony among the peoples of Europe.

The number of stars has nothing to do with the number of member countries, though the circle is a symbol of unity. source and more info

Moving on the other side, things get a bit interesting. Personally, I have never seen so much text engraved in any other coin! Essentially, it's a quick historical summary of the European Union.

Starting from the centre, we have "SCHUMANPLAN · EG 1950", a reference to the Schuman Declaration, or Schuman Plan which proposed the creation of a European Coal and Steel Community and was essentially a predecessor of the European Union.

Next we have ECKS SECHS GRÜNDUNGS MITGLIEDER 1952, or as it is known in English the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), which was the direct result of the aforementioned Schuman Plan

The European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) was a European organization created after World War II to integrate Europe's coal and steel industries into a single common market based on the principle of supranationalism. It was formally established in 1951 by the Treaty of Paris, signed by Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and West Germany. source

One thing led to the other and as the coin hints with the text "BELGIEN·DEUTSCHLAND·FRANCE·ITALIA·LUXEMBOURG·NEDERLAND 1958", the ECSC eventually led to the treaty of Rome and the creation of the European communities

The Treaty of Rome, or EEC Treaty (officially the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community), brought about the creation of the European Economic Community (EEC), the best known of the European Communities (EC). The treaty was signed on 25 March 1957 by Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and West Germany, and it came into force on 1 January 1958. source and more info

After this point, more and more countries joined the European Communities which later in 1993 with the Maastricht Treaty establishing the European Union.

All these countries that joined the EC and later the EU (till the year 2004) are engraved on the coin, along with the joining date

ANMARK·ÉIRE·UNITED KINGDOM·EΛΛΑΣ 1973-1981
ESPAÑA·PORTUGAL·ÖSTERREICH·SUOMI·SVERIGE 1986-1995
CESKÁ REPUBLIKA·EESTI·CYPRUS·LATVIJA·LIETUVA·MAGYARORSZÁG·MALTA·POLSKA·SLOVENIJA·SLOVENSKO 2004
ERWEITERUNG DER EUROPÄISCHEN UNION

Finally, we have the edge of the coin that is also engraved with the following text

FREUDE SCHÖNER GÖTTERFUNKEN

These words are the opening line of Friedrich Schiller's poem "An die Freude" (Ode to Joy), which was later set to music by Ludwig van Beethoven in his Ninth Symphony. The phrase translates to "Joy, beautiful spark of divinity". The European Anthem is a piece of instrumental music from the prelude of "Ode to Joy", the final movement of Beethoven's 9th Symphony, hence the chosing of this phrase!

---

---

---

---

Ok plebs, I think I have covered all the basics you need to know about the coin and the history it represents. Just click any of the provided links if you want to learn... pretty much everything there is to know about the EU. Just be warned, there's lots of shit to digest in one go!

Oh. Almost forgot.! This is a sterling piece (0.950) with a weight of 18 g. Not bad. Not bad at all!

See you soon with another piece of silver!

Posted Using LeoFinance Alpha