Portugal : circulating silver coins in EUR denomination 2004-2021 ?

Hello, dear collectors & numismatists!

I am collecting silver circulation coins from the XX. century and when I went through the portuguese coins struck after the introduction of the EUR, I was surprised to see, that numista listed a lot of 5, 7 ½ , 8 and 10 EUR coins produced in 500/1000 silver as circulating commemorative coins. Who can tell me, if these coins did really circulate or not?

Thanks in advance!

hello,

I like your question and i cannot solve it.

Don't believe, that such “circulating” coins were really used.

Could be a legal difference between the Ag500 and Ag925 proof.

Stefan0205

hello,

I like your question and i cannot solve it.

Don't believe, that such “circulating” coins were really used.

Could be a legal difference between the Ag500 and Ag925 proof.

Hi and thanks for answering. Those years are definitely not so far as one couldn`t ask people from Portugal about the true situation (of course not the ones who do not even notice the difference between silver and copper…). There must be some members from Portugal on Numista, they should actually know, right? Lets wait for an “adequate” answer

I would think the Portugal referee would know.

All those “odd” denominations are valid means of payment in the country issuing them ! On the other hand, nobody would accept them, since they are not known by the public.

123zoltann

Hello, dear collectors & numismatists!

I am collecting silver circulation coins from the XX. century and when I went through the portuguese coins struck after the introduction of the EUR, I was surprised to see, that numista listed a lot of 5, 7 ½ , 8 and 10 EUR coins produced in 500/1000 silver as circulating commemorative coins. Who can tell me, if these coins did really circulate or not?

Thanks in advance!

Que eu tenha conhecimento, estas moedas comemorativas, nunca circularam como moeda corrente, ou seja nunca entraram em circulação. 

You'll not find them in circulation, since you normally pay more than their denomination, when you buy them. It's a very bad business to use them for their face value. Nevertheless, they are valid payment means.

That's true for all non-circulating euro coins in their country of origin, though. The coins in question here are marked as circulating in the Numista catalog, and that's what I believe the original poster is asking about.

TheGame

That's true for all non-circulating euro coins in their country of origin, though. The coins in question here are marked as circulating in the Numista catalog, and that's what I believe the original poster is asking about.

Certo. Mas estas moedas nunca tiveram circulação em Portugal, pois é disso que que estamos a falar, ou não? 

I have no idea but coins like this one aren't being traded/bought in UNC condition only.

N#12578

rsirian1

I have no idea but coins like this one aren't being traded/bought in UNC condition only.

 

N#12578

??? Como assim? 

Falves1961

rsirian1

I have no idea but coins like this one aren't being traded/bought in UNC condition only.

 

N#12578

??? Como assim? 

Look at the grade entered by the ~400 members that entered this coin in their collection.

I'm from Portugal and I'm here to explain the big question about these coins.

I'm a numismatist who knows a lot about this stuff.

I'll break it down into questions and answers to make it easier to understand.

Are they real?

The coins are real and can be used like normal coins. They're made by the Mint as commemorative coins. This explains the ‘strange’ denominations. There is a big difference here, as there is the cupronickel/silver 500 version (depending on the coin), which are the normal ones - sold by the Mint at face value; then there is the silver proof (non-circulating) version; and there are also some gold ones.

This shows that there is a difference between circulating and non-circulating coins.

Now comes another question - Do people know about their existence?

The vast majority do not. Apart from the numismatic community, most people are unaware of their existence. This leads to another problem: even though they can be used legally in shops, many people may not believe in their authenticity (due to lack of knowledge and ignorance on the subject), and you end up having to explain this whole story to them to make them understand.

Finally, how much do they cost?

As I said, at the Mint, coins (except for proof coins) are sold at face value. Numismatic shops usually sell them at a higher price. For example:

1.5 euro coins are sold for 3 or 4 euros; 2.5 euro coins for 5; 7.5 euro coins for 10; 8 euro coins for 12 and 10 euro coins for 15.

These values are estimates, as they vary from shop to shop. They are often sold by private collectors at face value plus 2 euros.

Summing up: Apart from the proof coins, they are worth their face value, being commemorative and legally usable in establishments. Due to a lack of knowledge, many people are unaware of their existence (also partly because they are only obtained from the mint), so it is necessary to make these coins known to the public.

Interesting fact: One of the last coins to be released was a €5 coin, commemorating a very well-known rock band (Xutos & Pontapés), which appeared in the news and on social media, introducing many people to the world of numismatics. This also led to a rush to acquire them, with private individuals selling them for more than €35 (the cupronickel coin; the silver proof coin already exceeds €150).

I hope this helps to clarify the issue.

Happy New Year!

DINIZ BRITES