The timing is perfect. As speculation over Greece exiting the eurozone mounts, with bailout talks at a critical stage, an employee of the Bank of Greece has won the design competition for a new two-euro coin.
Beating designs from Spain, Slovenia, Italy and Cyprus, George Stamatopoulos – a part-time engraver from Athens – won the online competition conducted by the European Commission.
Stamatopoulos’ winning design depicts 12 people forming a human chain around the European Union flag.
Seventy-five million coins with his design will begin circulating in eurozone nations next month.
“I welcome the winning design by the Bank of Greece and the participation of tens of thousands of Europeans in its selection,” said EU Commission vice president Valdis Dombrovskis.
Meanwhile, some have speculated that if Greece does drop out of the euro, the Greek-designed coin could become a collector’s piece, adding significantly to its value.