Portuguese commemorative 2 euro coins 2010 - Centenary of the Portuguese Republic
The coin commemorates the 100th anniversary of the end of the constitutional monarchy of King Manuel II and the establishment of the Portuguese First Republic further to the 5 October 1910 revolution.
Commemorative 2 euro coins from Portugal
Description: The inner part of the coin shows in the centre the Portuguese coat of arms and the República effigy, two of the most representative symbols of the Portuguese Republic, surrounded by the legend República Portuguesa – 1910–2010, the mint mark and the name of the designer JOSE CÂNDIDO. The twelve stars of the European Union surround the design on the outer ring of the coin.Commemorative 2 euro coins from Portugal
Reverse: left from the coin centre face value: 2, on the right inscription: EURO; in the background of the inscription a map of Europe; in the background of the map vertically six parallel lines ending on both sides with five-pointed stars (the reverse is common for all euro coins)
Issuing volume: 2.035 million coins
Date of issue: September 2010
Face value: 2 euro
Diameter: 25.75 mm
Thickness: 2.2 mm
Weight: 8.5 gr
Composition: BiAlloy (Nk/Ng), ring Cupronickel (75% copper - 25% nickel clad on nickel core), center Nickel brass
Design Credit: José Cândido is credited as the sculptor for the Portuguese 2010 €2 Euro Commemorative coin.
Designer / Engraver Inscriptions: 'José Cândido' First and last name of the sculptor:
€2 Edge Inscription: The Portuguese €2 coin edge inscription is comprised of seven castles and five shields:
Mint Location: Imprensa Nacional e Casa da Moeda (INCM) (National Currency Mint House), in Lisbon, Portugal
Mint Marks: Abbreviation of the Lisbon Mint: INCM. Located at left side, center, inner circle.
National Identification: Text: 'PORTUGAL'
5 October 1910 revolution
The establishment of the Portuguese Republic was the result of a coup d'état organised by the Portuguese Republican Party which, on 5 October 1910, deposed the constitutional monarchy and established a republican regime in Portugal. The subjugation of the country to British colonial interests, the royal family's expenses, the power of the Church, the political and social instability, the system of alternating power of the two political parties (Progressive and Regenerador), João Franco's dictatorship, an apparent inability to adapt to modern times – all contributed to an unrelenting erosion of the Portuguese monarchy. The proponents of the republic, particularly the Republican Party, found ways to take advantage of the situation. The Republican Party presented itself as the only one that had a programme that was capable of returning to the country its lost status and place Portugal on the way of progress.After a reluctance of the military to combat the nearly two thousand soldiers and sailors that rebelled between 3 and 4 October 1910, the Republic was proclaimed at 9 o'clock of the next day from the balcony of the Paços do Concelho in Lisbon. After the revolution, a provisional government led by Teófilo Braga directed the fate of the country until the approval of the Constitution in 1911 that marked the beginning of the First Republic. Among other things, with the establishment of the republic, national symbols were changed: the national anthem and the flag. The revolution and the republic which it spawned are noted for a severe anticlericalism. The constitution which the revolution produced generally accorded full civil liberties, the religious liberties of Catholics being an exception.
República effigy
The official bust of the Republic was chosen through a national competition promoted by Lisbon's city council in 1911, in which nine sculptors participated. The winning entry was that of Francisco dos Santos and is currently exposed in the Municipal Chamber. The original piece is found in Casa Pia, an institution from which the sculptor was alumnus. There is another bust that was adopted as the face of the Republic, designed by José Simões de Almeida in 1908. The original is found in the Municipal Chamber of Figueiró dos Vinhos. The model for this bust was Ilda Pulga, a young shop employee from Chiado. According to journalist António Valdemar, who, when he became president of the National Academy of Art asked the sculptor João Duarte to restore the original bust:“ Simões found the face of the girl funny and invited her to be a model. The mother said that she'd allow it but with two conditions: that she would be present in the sessions and that the daughter would not be undressed. ”
—António Valdemar
The bust shows Republic wearing a Phrygian cap, influence of the French Revolution. Simões' bust was soon adopted by Freemasonry and used in the funerals of Miguel Bombarda and Cândido dos Reis, but when the final contest took place, despite its relative popularity, it was second place to the bust by Francisco dos Santos.