Two Euro, Austria, Coin Type from Austria - detailed information

The Two Euro coin (€2.00) is a circulating bi-metallic coin made of two alloys: the inner part of nickel brass, the outer part of copper-nickel. Like all the common circulation coins (from 1 cent to €2), the denomination is issued by the separate countries in the Eurozone and is legal tender in all of them, irrespective of which country has issued it. The denomination was introduced in 2002, when Austria retired the Austrian Schilling currency and introduced the Euro.

The coins have a common reverse designed by Luc Luycx in 1999 which shows a map of the European Union; it was changed in 2007 to reflect the enlargement of the Union. Each country has its own national obverse; the Austrian obverse was designed by Josef Kaiser. It features a portrait of Bertha von Suttner, a radical Austrian pacifist and Nobel Peace Prize winner, as a symbol of Austria's efforts to support peace. Austria is the only country which uses the Latin alphabet, and yet repeats the denomination on the national side of the coins - thus not adhering to a rule which only allows members of the Eurozone to show the denomination in their own language if it uses non-Latin script.

The €2 is also the only denomination in which circulating commemorative coins are issued; these are also legal tender in all countries of the Eurozone, no matter which country issued them. Commemoratives of other denominations are only legal tender in the issuing country.

The edge lettering on Austrian €2 coins reads 2 EURO followed by three stars, repeated four times, alternately upright and inverted.

All Austrian coins are struck by the Austrian Mint in Vienna.