This commemorative collector coin is the 2017 Portuguese contribution to the European Silver Programme (also known as the Europa Coin or Eurostar Programme), an initiative dedicated to celebrating European identity through the issuance of legal tender coins in precious metals.
Within the theme of ‘The Ages of Europe’, featuring relevant European artistic movements, the category for 2017 was ‘The Age of Iron and Glass’. France, Italy, Spain, Greece, Belgium, Malta, Ireland and Portugal joined the call. Our response to the Imprensa Nacional-Casa da Moeda (the national mint and printing house) commission for the Portuguese coin was inspired by the iron structure of the entrance to the old Palácio de Cristal (Crystal Palace) in Porto (inaugurated in 1865 and demolished in 1951), part of the British influence on the city during the 19th century. A numismatic innovation, only possible with the dedication and technical support of the team at the national mint, this is the first coin in Portugal to be made with two different materials — metal and acrylic — in the special silver and gold versions, a nod to the interplay of iron and glass in 19th century architecture. In September 2017 the Bank of Portugal issued also a cupronickel-alloy circulation version of the coin, with face value of €5.
