2012 Europa Coin Programme “European Artists”

The Europa Coin Programme, also referred to as the Europa Silver Star Coin Programme or Eurostar Programme, is an interesting concept that has been running for several years.

Member countries of the European Union cooperate to issue coins celebrating common aspects of European identity with a different theme selected for each year. All coins must be at least .900 fine silver, crown size, and carry the “Europa Star” privy mark. Coins may be issued in euros as well as other currencies.

The theme for 2012 is European Artists with 14 countries participating this year:

  • Austria – Egon Schiele
  • Belgium – Paul Delvaux
  • Czech Republic – Jiří Trnka
  • Finland – Henrik Wigström
  • France – Daniel Buren
  • Hungary – József Reményi
  • Ireland – Jack B. Yeats
  • Italy – Michelangelo Buonarroti
  • Latvia – Kārlis Zāle
  • Malta – Antonio Sciortino
  • Netherlands – Netherlands and the Arts
  • Portugal – José Malhoa
  • Slovakia – Master Pavol of Levoča
  • Spain – Juan Gris

The lines with included links lead to coverage on CoinUpdate. Not all of the coins have been released yet and some designs remain unannounced. Below is a selection of some of the design or coins that have been released so far.

Italy- Michelangelo Buonarroti

Austria – Egon Schiele

Finland – Fabergé Artistry of Henrik Wigström

Slovakia – Master Pavol of Levoča

Spain – Juan Gris

I like the idea of all countries cooperating to focus on a common theme. The coins of the program also showcase the different styles and design conventions utilized by the different countries.

The themes for previous years of the Europa Coin Programme are shown below:

  • 2004 – EU Enlargement
  • 2005 – Peace and Freedom
  • 2006 – Distinguished European Figures
  • 2007 – European Realisation
  • 2008 – Cultural Heritage
  • 2009 – European Heritage
  • 2010 – European Architecture
  • 2011 – European Explorers
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Comments

  1. JC says

    Any chance there will be a post about Chinese silver pandas? They seems like really cool coins and I wonder what’s the best way to obtain them.

  2. Samuel says

    Off topic.

    Captain,
    I just received the 2 oz colored dragon (the one said same as the ANDA one). the color is VERY nice. much better than the colored proof one. so i am thinking to buy a 10oz one.

  3. says

    OT here too.

    Samuel,

    I am still waiting on my two ounce painted dragon. As soon as I get one, I will snap a picture and compare it against a picture of the ANDA coin on my blog.

    Also on the colored dragons, they are also selling the five and ten ounce colored bullion varieties at APMEX for what I think is a very good price. People should pick them up if they can’t get enough of dragon-mania. I purchased a ten ounce coin a couple days ago.

    Additionally, Schalk discovered yet ANOTHER Perth dragon variety available – painted dragons with gold rims, sold only in Asia. They just keep coming and coming! http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-2012-Australia-dragon-1oz-silver-1-10-oz-gold-coin-set-/370595485697?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5649365801#ht_1680wt_957

    While I like the 10 coin set coming next month, I think it is too expensive and will be giving it a pass. I agree with most of Bullion Baron’s reasoning and especially think the set is likely to sell poorly for the same reason the one kilo gemstone coins tend to sell poorly.

  4. Two Cents says

    CaptainOverkill, any thoughts on why the colorized 10-oz. silver dragon is less expensive than the regular 10-oz. silver dragon at APMEX? It would seem that the colorized version has an added feature that would make it more desirable than the normal one.

    Also, in regards to the 9- or 10-piece colored sets, do you think there would be a market for individual colors? Then the sets might be broken up, and the individual coins could sell for more than the coins together in a set. Of course, popular colors might sell for more than the less popular colors.

    For myself, I would like to purchase the blue or the purple dragons, but have no interest in the other colors. (I already have the Berlin black dragon.)

  5. says

    Two Cents,

    On the issue of APMEX pricing, APMEX has engaged some kind of new pricing scheme in recent weeks which seems very strange to me. It appears to be based partly on how much buying activity there is on a given coin and how many they have left in stock. By way of example, APMEX was selling a 70-graded commemorative coin for $15 over spot a week or two ago (they had perhaps eight of them in stock). My buying group discovered this just after Michael’s article on commemoratives, so everyone thought this was a great way to get cheap gold.

    Three of them (myself not included) went ahead and got the coin. Sometime later in the day, APMEX hiked the premium on the commemorative coin by $60. This happened with the high relief dragon proof and also with the Niue titanic coin. Currently, APMEX has fewer 10 and 5 oz bullion coins than they do 10 and 5 oz colored dragons, and the colored coins are not selling rapidly, and I honestly think that’s all there is to it.

    I’ve noticed that since I bought earlier in the week, the gap has actually closed slightly. It was steeper between the two five ounce version before.

  6. Rolling Thunder says

    Two Cents & Capt
    In general I think the uncolored versions are more popular amongst bullion stackers & therfore greater demand than for colored versions – however I like the looks of colored versions better.

    As for prices, when both dealers have the same coins in stock usually Gainesville Coins is less expensive than APMEX – currently for example
    5 oz dragon $227.71 Gainseville, $253.64 APMEX
    5 oz dragon colored $221.70 Gainesville,, $233.04 APMEX
    2 oz dragon, $91.16 Gainesville, $102.49 APMEX
    etc.

    And I think Gainesville shipping is cheaper too

  7. Shutter says

    APMEX has engaged some kind of new pricing scheme in recent weeks which seems very strange to me. It appears to be based partly on how much buying activity there is on a given coin and how many they have left in stock.

    Sorry, I don’t get it. Why is this strange?

  8. says

    Sorry, I don’t get it. Why is this strange?

    I think it over-reacts to small changes like the commemorative I described. I can certainly understand why this might occur for “hot” items such as the dragons, but it leads to weird results like an unpopular coin with low stock jumping in price simply because one or two people bought it.

    It also leads to odd results like the colored dragons being cheaper than regular bullion dragons. I’m pretty sure the bullion dragons are more common in terms of mintages than the colored variety, so I do find it strange that the coloreds are selling so cheaply. There are some other coins on APMEX under the current scheme which I think might also be selling too cheaply.

  9. Samuel says

    Captain,
    I have noticed that for a while, that APMEX’s price is mostly based on inventory level for hot coins.

    For the com gold coins, I think it is about a month ago, all the $5 gold coins are on sale, the coin is their choice. But the bald eagle one was listed separately with same price. I hesitated a little bit then the bald eagle was gone.

  10. Two Cents says

    Thanks to all for your insightful replies to my questions about APMEX’s pricing. I wonder if their pricing structure is computer driven, especially after hours and on the weekends. That could lead to some bargain hunting for those who check their website often.

  11. Two Cents says

    By the way, I just received notification from my credit card company that a $118 charge from Downies was made to my credit card. I was one of those who had ordered an Australian 2012 High Relief Dragon from Downies on March 1, and later received an email from them that the order could not be fulfilled due to a website error. The $118 charge is exactly the cost of the coin plus shipping.

    I emailed Downies today asking about the charge and if that meant that my order was indeed accepted.

    People who had ordered the coin from Downies and were turned down might want to see if a charge came thru on their credit card. I can easily check on my credit card company’s website for that information, and have set up automatic email notifications whenever charges over $100 come thru.

  12. G says

    I have to give Downies credit- they had canceled my order, and then today I got an email that they were able to secure a high-releif dragon for me at the same issue price. I take back my negative comments about them. Well done, Downies. You got a customer back.

  13. Samuel says

    Off topic.

    Last year is ASE 25th set, next week is Panda 30th annu set!!!

    The People’s Bank of China is to issue a set of gold and silver commemorative coins for the 30th anniversary of the issuance of China Panda Gold Coin on March 30th 2012.The set consists of 5 coins, including three gold coins and two silver coins, all of which are the legal tender of the People’s Republic of China.

    I. Design of the coins

    i. Obverse design

    The gold and silver commemorative coins bear the common obverse of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests (The Temple of Heaven), the words of “30th Anniversary of the Issuance of China Panda Gold Coin” in Chinese, the title of the People’s Republic of China and the year date.

    ii. Reverse design

    The reverse of 5oz round gold coin features the figure of a panda, with the ornaments of the Great Wall and bamboos, the words of “5oz Au .999” and the face value.

    The reverse of 1oz round gold coin features the image of two pandas, with the decorations of bamboos, the words of “1oz Au .999” and the face value.

    The reverse of 1/10oz round gold coin features the figure of two pandas, with the decorations of inverted pattern of a panda and bamboos, the words of “1/10oz Au .999” and the face value.

    The reverse of 5oz round silver coin features the image of three pandas, with the decorations of rocks and bamboos, the words of “5oz Ag .999” and the face value.

    The reverse of 1/4 oz silver coin features the animated design of a panda, symbolizing the 30th anniversary of the issuance of China Panda Gold Coin, with the ornaments of bamboos, the words of “1/4oz Ag .999” and the face value.

    II. Specifications and mintage of the coins

    i. 5oz round gold coin is proof in quality, 60mm in diameter, 2000 Yuan in face value, 99.9% in fineness and contains 5 troy ounces of pure gold. The total mintage is 3000 pieces.

    ii. 1oz round gold coin is proof in quality, 32mm in diameter, 500 Yuan in face value, 99.9% in fineness and contains 1 troy ounce of pure gold. The total mintage is 30000 pieces.

    iii. 1/10oz round gold coin is proof in quality, 18mm in diameter, 50 Yuan in face value, 99.9% in fineness and contains 1/10 troy ounce of pure gold. The total mintage is 100000 pieces.

    iv. 5oz round silver coin is proof in quality, 70mm in diameter, 50 Yuan in face value, 99.9% in fineness and contains 5 troy ounces of pure silver. The total mintage is 30000 pieces.

    v. 1/4oz round silver coin is proof in quality, 25mm in diameter, 3 Yuan in face value, 99.9% in fineness and contains 1/4 troy ounce of pure silver. The total mintage is 300000 pieces.

    III. This set of gold and silver coins are minted by Shenzhen Guobao Mint Co., Ltd, Shenyang Mint Co., Ltd and Shanghai Mint Co., Ltd, and solely distributed by China Gold Coin Incorporation.

  14. JC says

    Whoa, is there a direct way to buy from the Chinese mint or do we have to go through resellers?

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