The national side of the new €2 commemorative coin. (source: Courtesy of NBS)
ON NOVEMBER 10, the National Bank of Slovakia (NBS) issued a memorial coin with a face value of €2 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Day of the Fight for Democracy and Freedom, November 17. Anyone can buy the memorial coin, but purchases are limited to 50 per person.
“On the national side of the €2 coin, there is a stylised bell composed of a bundle of keys. [The ringing of keys was a symbolic gesture during the Velvet Revolution, - Ed. note]. The author of the artistic design of this side of the coin is Pavol Károly, and the Kremnica Mint minted one million of these coins,” NBS spokesperson Jana Kováčová said. The NBS will exchange the memorial coins for regular currency at cash-desks in its headquarters in Bratislava, and in branches in Nové Zámky, Trenčín, Banská Bystrica, Žilina, Poprad, Košice and in Bratislava during working hours.
Apart from standard coins, every member country of the eurozone can also issue collectors’ coins and memorial coins with a nominal value of €2. Memorial coins are legal tender in all eurozone countries, while collectors’ coins are lawful means of payment only within the territory of the issuing state. “Any memorial euro coin is legal tender in the eurozone, so can be used in normal commercial relations and must be accepted as are all other euro coins,” Kováčová concluded.
The NBS issued its first memorial coin in January 2009, to mark the 10th anniversary of the formation of Europe’s Economic and Currency Union. The design of that memorial coin was common to all eurozone countries, and was issued by all eurozone members.
