Tuesday, 5 December 2023

3094) Elefsina, Greece: A 6 Euro Silver Coin commemorates the Greek City designated as the 2023 European Capital of Culture City - Date/Year of Coin issue :2023:

3094) Elefsina, Greece: A 6 Euro Silver Coin commemorates the Greek City designated as the 2023 European Capital of Culture City -  Date/Year of Coin issue:2023:

What is the European Capitals of Culture initiative?:

- It is an initiative putting culture at the heart of European cities with EU support for a yearlong celebration of art and culture.

The European Capitals of Culture (ECOC) initiative is designed to:

- Highlight the richness and diversity of cultures in Europe.

- Celebrate the cultural features Europeans share.

- Increase European citizens' sense of belonging to a common cultural area.

- Foster the contribution of culture to the development of cities.

In addition to this, experience has shown that the event is an excellent opportunity for:

- Regenerating cities

- Raising the international profile of cities

- Enhancing the image of cities in the eyes of their own inhabitants

- Breathing new life into a city's culture

- Boosting tourism

The initiative was developed in 1985 and has, to date, been awarded to more than 60 cities across the European Union (EU) and beyond.

Designation of European Capitals of Culture:

- Six years before the title year the selected host Member States publish a call for applications, usually through their Ministry for Culture. Cities interested in participating in the competition must submit a proposal for consideration.

- The submitted applications are reviewed against a set of established criteria at the end of a pre-selection phase by a panel of independent experts in the field of culture or culture-based city development. The panel agrees on a short-list of cities, which are then asked to submit more detailed applications.

- The panel then reconvenes to assess the final applications and recommends one city per host country for the title. The relevant authority in the Member State concerned then formally designates the recommended city as European Capital of Culture.

- The role of the European Commission is to ensure that the rules established at EU level are respected all along the way.

- Moreover, cities in EU candidate countries, potential candidates or members of the European Free Trade Association party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area (so-called EFTA/EEA countries) can also hold the title in 2022, 2024, 2028, 2030 and 2033. These cities are selected through an "open competition", meaning that cities from various countries may compete with each other.

In 2023, the following cities have been designated as the European Capitals of Culture:

Elefsina (Greece)

Veszprém (Hungary)

Timisoara (Romania)

Bergamo and Brescia (Italy)

Elefsina - 2023- European Capital of Culture (Greece):

Awarded Greek City for 2023 is "Eleusis" (modern-day Elefsina), one of the most sacred sites of antiquity, inextricably linked with the goddess Demeter and her daughter, Persephone, as well as the "Eleusinian Mysteries" that were held in their honour. 

Presently Eleusis, a bustling and dynamic city just 20 km from Athens, is trying to reverse the brutal alteration of its landscape by industrial development, improve the life quality of its 30 thousand citizens and take advantage of its huge cultural potential. 

The events and actions organised by “2023" heart man, society, work, culture and the environment, is an effort to shed light on the unseen side of Eleusis and connect its past with the present and a promising future.

The Coin:

The 6 Euro (6 ΕΥΡΩ) Silver Proof Coin has been minted by the Hellenic Mint at their facilities in Athens on behalf of the Bank of Greece and has been designed by M.Antonatou. 

The Reverse of the 10 Euro (10 ΕΥΡΩ) Silver Proof Coin shows a stylised floral emblem.

On the upper periphery is the year of issue, "2023", together with is the distinctive mintmark of the Greek Mint, a "stylised palmette" in the centre design. The peripheral inscriptions are - "Elefsina - Capital City of Culture" (in Greek).

The Obverse of the 6 Euro (6 ΕΥΡΩ) Silver Proof Coin depicts stylised images of wheat and barley symbols of the Goddess Demeter and her daughter Persephone.

Around the depiction at left is the crest of the Hellenic Republic, and off-centred towards the left is the text "ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΗ ΔΗΜΟΚΡΑΤΙΑ" which is pronounced as "(H)ellenik(eh) Democratia" (meaning the "Greek Democracy").

To the right of the primary design is the denomination of "6 ΕΥΡΩ". 

The specifications of the €6 ("6 ΕΥΡΩ") - Six Euro) Coin are:

Country of issue: Hellenic Republic of Greece; Date/Year: 2023; Coin Theme: "Elefsina - European Capital of Culture City": Denomination/Face Value: €6 (Six Euro); Metal Composition: .925 Fineness Silver (Ag); Weight: 10.00 grams; Diameter/Size: 28.50 mm; Coin Quality: Proof (P); Mint: Mint of Greece, on behalf of the Bank of Greece; Mintage: 2,500 pieces; Designer: M. Antonatou.

- Each Proof-quality coin is presented in a custom Presentation of Greece-branded case accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity (COA). 




Links to other posts on European Capital of Culture:

i) "Valetta", European Capital of Culture - A Commemorative Coin issued by the Royal Dutch Mint (RDM) for the Central Bank of Malta and Malta Post celebrating the designation by issue of a 10 Euro Silver Coin and a silver fol replica stamp on 22.05.2018

ii) "Leewarden", European Capital of Culture - 2018: Commemorating Coins issued by the Royal Dutch Mint (RDM) celebrating the designation by issue of 10 Euro Gold Coins, 5 Euro Silver Coins and 5 Euro Silver plated Coins in April 2018

iii) Rijeka (Republic of Croatia) and Galway (Republic of Ireland) declared "European Capitals of Culture - 2020": A Joint-Stamp issue brought out by Croatian Post and An Post celebrating the designation: Stamps issue date: 23.01,2020

iv) Bergamo and Brescia, Italy: Five Euro Commemorative Copper Coins issued by Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato Italiano (IPZS) commemorate the designated Italian Cultural Capital Cities: Date/Year of Coin issue: 20.02.2023

v) Veszprem-Balaton, Hungary: Magyar Posta (Hungarian Post) has issued a postage stamp of 1250 HUF (Hungarian Forint) commemorating the Hungarian City designated as the 2023 European Capital of Culture City - "VEB2023 ECoC": Date/Year of Stamp issue: 02.08.2023

vi) Elefsina, Greece: A 6.00 Euro Silver Coin commemorates the Greek City designated as the 2023 European Capital of Culture City: Date/Year of Coin issue: 2023

Greek Mythology Coin Series:







Other interesting posts on Greek Coinage and Commemorative Coins:

 2) Some ancient coins depicting Greek mythology & history 





















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4 comments:

  1. coins and more6 December 2023 at 11:51

    Rajan Trikha has commented:
    "Nice and informative."

    ReplyDelete
  2. coins and more6 December 2023 at 13:50

    Santosh Khanna has commented:
    "A VERY interesting and informative article. Thanks for sharing."

    ReplyDelete