Facing Left

Luxembourg's euro coins are getting a new face. Starting 13 July, coins bearing the likeness of Grand Duke Guillaume will enter circulation, ending Grand Duke Henri's 23-year run on every Luxembourgish euro coin since the currency launched in 2002.[1]

The abdication in October 2025 made the change inevitable, but numismatic tradition still has rules. Guillaume V faces the opposite direction from his predecessor: Henri looked right, Guillaume looks left. This alternating portrait convention goes back centuries, a small visual handshake between reigns.

The new national side was designed by Italian artist Chiara Principe, who previously designed a 2-euro commemorative coin for the Vatican in 2021. The portrait was based on photographs provided by the Maison du Grand-Duc. Collector coins were entrusted separately to Helmut Andexlinger, an engraver at Munze Osterreich in Austria.[1]

Luxembourg maintains three distinct designs based on denomination: one for 1 to 5 cents, another for 10 to 50 cents, and a third for 1 and 2 euro coins. The system has been in place since the beginning.

A modest mint

Luxembourg does not operate its own mint. The first euro coins were struck in the Netherlands until 2004, then in Finland between 2005 and 2006. The initial issuance sent roughly ten million coins into circulation, a tiny figure compared to France's seven billion or Belgium's one billion for the launch.[1]

Luxembourg's small requirement was partly due to its long-standing currency union with Belgium, which meant existing Belgian coins already circulated alongside Luxembourgish ones. The population difference also helped: fewer people, fewer pockets, fewer coins.

Commemorative side

Since 2004, Luxembourg has issued annual 2-euro commemorative coins. The first featured Grand Duke Henri's monogram. Subsequent editions marked Guillaume's 25th birthday in 2006, the Grand Ducal Palace in 2007, Colmar-Berg Castle in 2008, and the wedding of Guillaume and Stephanie in 2012.[1]

Limited-edition silver and gold coins are especially prized among collectors, often drawing on Luxembourgish history, the monarchy, and national culture. The new Guillaume coins will likely join that commemorative pipeline soon enough.

For now, the transition is simple: a new face, a new direction, and the end of a numismatic era that lasted 23 years. If you get one in change after 13 July, take a look. History is literally passing through your hands.