1 euro cent coin


The 1 euro cent coin has a value of one hundredth of a euro and is composed of copper-covered steel. It is the lowest-value coin in the Eurozone; the next lowest are the 2 and 5 euro cent coins. All euro coins have a common reverse and a country-specific obverse. The coin has been used since 2002 and was not redesigned in 2007 as was the case with the higher-value coins.

History

The coin dates from 2002, when euro coins and banknotes were introduced in the then 12-member eurozone and its related territories. Despite this, the coins of some countries were issued beginning in 1999. The common side was designed by Luc Luycx, a Belgian artist who won a Europe-wide competition to design the new coins. The design of the 1- to 5-cent coins was intended to show the European Union's place in the world, as opposed to the one- and two-euro coins showing the 15 states as one and the 10- to 50-cent coins showing separate EU states.
The national sides, then 15, were each designed according to national competitions, though to specifications which applied to all coins, such as the requirement of including twelve stars. National designs were not allowed to change until the end of 2008, unless a monarch dies or abdicates. This happened in Monaco and the Vatican City, resulting in three new designs in circulation. However, starting in 2007, some national designs underwent minor changes due to regulations requiring national designs to meet a series of specifications.
As the EU's membership has since expanded in 2004 and 2007, with further expansions envisaged, the common face of all euro coins from the value of 10 cent and above were redesigned in 2007 to show a new map. The 1- to 5-cent coins, however, did not change, as the highlighting of the old members over the globe was so faint it was not considered worth the cost. However, new national coin designs were added in 2007 with the entry in the eurozone of Slovenia, in 2008 with Cyprus and Malta, in 2009 with Slovakia, in 2011 with Estonia, in 2014 with Latvia, in 2015 with Lithuania, in 2023 with Croatia, and in 2026 with Bulgaria. Andorra began minting its own designs in 2014 after winning the right to do so.

Design

The coins are composed of copper-covered steel, with a diameter of 16.25 mm, a 1.67 mm thickness and a mass of 2.30 grams. The coins' edges are smooth. The coins have been used from 2002, though some are dated 1999 which is the year the euro was created as a currency, but not put into general circulation.

Reverse (common) side

The reverse was designed by Luc Luycx and displays a globe in the bottom right. The then-fifteen members of the EU are lightly highlighted and the northern half of Africa and the western half of Asia are shown. Six fine lines cut diagonally behind the globe from each side of the coin and have twelve stars at their ends. To the top left is a large number 1 followed, in smaller text, by the words "EURO CENT". The designer's initials, LL, appear to the right of the globe.
Starting in 2017 coins from individual member states have started adjusting their common side design to a new version, identified by smaller and more rounded numeral "1" and longer lines outside of the stars at the coin's circumference.

Obverse (national) sides

The obverse side of the coin depends on the issuing country. All have to include the name or an abbreviation of the issuing country. The national side of circulation coins shall bear a circle of 12 stars that shall fully surround the national design, including the year mark and the indication of the issuing Member State’s name. The side cannot repeat the denomination of the coin unless the issuing country uses an alphabet other than Latin. Currently, Greece, Cyprus and Bulgaria are the only such countries. Greece engraves "1 ΛΕΠΤΟ" on its coins and Bulgaria engraves "СТОТИНКА". Austria ignores this rule, engraving "EIN EURO CENT" on its coins, hence will have to change its design to comply this rule.
Belgium, Finland, France, the Netherlands and Spain minted coins dated 1999, 2000 and 2001 although these entered circulation in 2002. Monaco minted coins dated 2001 although these entered circulation in 2002 too.
StateDetailsYears of minting Image

Potential designs

Austria, Germany and Greece will also at some point need to update their designs to comply with guidelines stating they must include the issuing state's name or initial, and not repeat the denomination of the coin. On the other hand, Slovenia and Greece have to comply with the star rule.
In addition, there are several EU states that have not yet adopted the euro, some of them have already agreed upon their coin designs; however, it is not known exactly when they will adopt the currency, and hence these are not yet minted. See enlargement of the eurozone for expected entry dates of these countries.

Usage

The one- and two-cent coins were initially introduced to ensure that the transition to the euro was not used as an excuse by retailers to heavily round up prices. However, due to the cost of maintaining a circulation of low-value coins by business and the mints, Belgium, Estonia, Finland, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands and Slovakia round prices to the nearest five cent if paying by cash, while producing only a handful of those coins for collectors, rather than general circulation. However, each euro country will always have to accept the small coins as legal tender.
The Nederlandsche Bank calculated it would save $36 million a year by not using the smaller coins. Other countries such as Germany favoured retaining the coins due to retailers' desire for €1.99 prices, which appear more attractive to the consumer than €2.00. According to a 2021 Eurobarometer survey of citizens across the Eurozone, 67% of respondents were in favor of the removal of the 1 and 2 cent coins and rounding of prices; with over 75% in Finland, Ireland, Italy and Slovakia. All countries in the eurozone showed a plurality of people in favor of the abolishment.

Nicknames

In Flemish, the 1- to 5-cent coins have the nickname koper, ros or rostjes due to their colour. In Portugal, the 1-cent coin gained the nicknames botão, feijão and moedas-pretas due to its small size, colour and value: instead of gambling with real money, buttons sometimes are used. In Italy 1, 2 and 5 cent coins are called "ramini" or "bronzini", meaning respectively "little coppers" and "little bronzes". In Ireland they are also known as "coppers".