2 Euro Commemorative coins Ireland 2022

35 years of the Erasmus Programme

The Obverse depicts two key elements of the Erasmus programme, a European Union student mobility project aimed at university students. On the right is Erasmus of Rotterdam (Dutch humanist and philosopher), in one of his best-known portraits, after whom the programme was named because of his numerous journeys throughout Europe, with the aim of learning about its different cultures. The effigy of the theologian is superimposed on a net that crosses the coin from one point to the other, which is intended to represent the cultural and human exchanges between European students; on the left-hand side, thanks to a special type of graphics, the number '35' appears (to identify the 35th anniversary). Superimposed on the portrait are the circular inscriptions "1987-2022", "ERASMUS" and "PROGRAMM" on three lines, while further down, adjacent to the inner edge, is the inscription "éıre". Above the philosopher's right hand are the author's initials 'J.J.'. On the outside part are placed 12 five-pointed stars, representing the European Union.The coin's Reverse is the new common side of Euro coins, with the face value "2" on the left and the European continent on the right, overlapped by the inscription "EURO". Six vertical lines with a star at each end are placed behind the Europe's image.
Edge: finely milled, with six "2" in incuse (repeated alternately from bottom to top and vice versa) and twelve five-pointed stars.
Diameter: 25,75 mm
Thickness: 2,20 mm
Weight: 8,5 g
Composition: bimetallic coin (outer part: copper-nickel, inner part: nickel-brass).