New national faces of Luxembourg euro coins

In the context of the abdication of HRH the Grand Duke Henri and the accession to the throne on October 3rd of RHR the Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume, the Central Bank of Luxembourg (BCL) is honored to present the new design of Luxembourgish euro coins to the public. "Through their design, these coins continue the rich numismatic tradition of the country while paying tribute to the Sovereign, Head of State and symbol of national unity and independence. By contributing to the creation of these coins, the BCL is honoured to participate in this major event for the Grand Duchy and its monetary history," states Mr. Gaston Reinesch, President of the BCL. The new coins bearing the effigy of HRH the Grand Duke Guillaume will be put into circulation at the beginning of 2026.

  

Context and creation process

  

Coins issued on behalf of and for the account of the Luxembourg State bear the effigy of our reigning Sovereign. In consultation with the Maison du Grand-Duc and in collaboration with the Ministries of State and Finance, the BCL coordinated the preparatory work for these new coins.

Given the limited time between the announcement of the designation of HRH the Hereditary Grand Duke as lieutenant-representative, and then the date of his accession to the throne, it was decided in agreement with the Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance to call on artists specialised in coin design. Indeed, transferring a portrait or drawing a concept created in two dimensions onto a coin requires specific knowledge, especially regarding the production of plaster, a preliminary step in the production of coin striking tools.

Different design proposals were created based on several photos of the portrait of HRH the Hereditary Grand Duke provided by the Maison du Grand-Duc. Among the design proposals submitted to the Maison du Grand-Duc, HRH the Hereditary Grand Duke chose the final design for the coins intended for circulation and for collector coins. The Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance then jointly approved the design of the new faces of Luxembourg euro coins.

The artist behind the designs of the new Luxembourgish coins intended for circulation is Ms. Chiara Principe (https://www.chiaraprincipecoindesign.com).
The artist, who created the portrait of the Grand Duke that will adorn the obverse of the collector’s coins, is Mr. Helmut Andexlinger (https://www.muenzeoesterreich.at/ueber-uns/graveure), engraver at the Austrian Mint (Münze Österreich).

  

Description of the new coins

 

The new national sides come in three different designs corresponding to the three groups of denominations: 1, 2, and 5 cents; 10, 20, and 50 cents; and 1 and 2 euros.

In accordance with tradition, the orientation of the monarch’s portrait changes with a new reign: the Sovereign then looks in the opposite direction to that of his predecessor. Thus, Grand Duke Guillaume is looking towards the left.

Animated video featuring the new designs  

Description of the design of the new circulation coins 

 

1, 2 and 5 cents

• The national side of the coin depicts, on the left, a partial effigy of Grand Duke Guillaume looking towards the left. To the right of the effigy, the word “LËTZEBUERG” indicates the issuing country in a vertical reading from the bottom to the top. On the right, a stylised version of the Luxembourg flag is depicted. The year-date appears in the middle-part of the flag in a horizontal reading.The 12 stars of the European Union flag fully surround the national design.

• The effigy created by the artist is in a classical style, opting for a detailed representation through a partial portrait, complemented by the inscription “LËTZEBUERG”. The effigy of the Grand Duke, depicted alongside a stylised version of the Luxembourg flag, is meant to symbolise perfect balance with the Luxembourgish nation. The colours of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg’s flag are represented using hatched lines. All elements together convey visual harmony through balanced arrangement and high readability, even in the smaller denominations.

10, 20 and 50 cents

• The national side of the coin depicts, on the right, the effigy of Grand Duke Guillaume looking towards the left. Facing the effigy, a stylised version of the Luxembourg flag is depicted on the left side of the coin. The word “LËTZEBUERG” indicates the issuing country in a semi-circular upward direction to the left of the flag. The year-date appears at the bottom right of the effigy in a diagonal upward reading. The 12 stars of the European Union flag fully surround the national design.

• For this group of coins, the artist chose to depict a full portrait. Opposite the portrait, the flag of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg is represented. The colours of the flag are shown using hatched lines.

1 and 2 euros

• The national side of the coin depicts, on the right, the effigy of Grand Duke Guillaume looking towards the left. Facing the effigy is the inscription of the issuing country “LËTZEBUERG” in a vertical reading. A stylised partial representation of the Luxembourg Lion is depicted at the left of the inner part of the coin. The year-date appears in the lower third in a vertical reading, between the word “LËTZEBUERG” and the effigy. The 12 stars of the European Union flag fully surround the national design on the outer part.

• The portrait of the Grand Duke is shown in full profile. A modern version of the Luxembourg Lion was specifically created by the artist to complement the design of these two highest denominations.

For each coin includes the year-date “2026”, and the initials of the artist’s “CP”, for Ms. Chiara Principe, are featured under the Grand Duke’s shirt collar.

  

Description of the design of the new collector coins 

  

• Unlike the practice followed for the collector coins featuring the portrait of HRH the Grand Duke Henri, a different design has been developed for the collector coins to be issued from 2026.

• Among the design proposals submitted to the Maison du Grand-Duc, HRH the Hereditary Grand Duke chose the final design for the collector coins. The Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance then jointly approved the design of the obverse side of the future collector coins.

• The artist chose to depict the portrait of the Grand Duke through a complete but stylised effigy, giving the coins a modern and contemporary look.

• The design of the collector coins will include, below the portrait of the Grand Duke, the inscription of the issuing country, “LËTZEBUERG”, and the year of issue, namely “2026”. The artist’s initials, Mr. Helmut Andexlinger (A.H.), appear below the Grand Duke’s tie.

  

 

Production, issuance and circulation of the new circulation coins

 

At the beginning of August 2025, the BCL launched a tender for the production of the production of the new Luxembourg coins from 2026 onwards. At this stage, the mint designated following the tender is not yet known, and the total quantity of coins to be minted in 2026 has not yet been determined. As a guide, a total of about 9 million Luxembourgish coins were minted with year-date 2025.

The coins with the new Sovereign’s effigy will be released over the course of 2026. All 8 common denominations from 1 cent to 2 euros will be minted and will bear the year-date 2026.

All Luxembourgish euro coins issued since 2002 will remain legal tender. With the gradual introduction of the new coins with the effigy of Grand-Duke Guillaume, those bearing the portrait of Grand Duke Henri may continue to be used. They will not be withdrawn nor will they lose their legal tender status.

The public and collectors will be informed by the BCL of the availability of new coins.

For collectors, the new coins will also be issued in different minting qualities (brillant universel/brilliant uncirculated, belle épreuve/proof) and in different packaging or sets. They will be available at the Numismatics shop or via the website https://eshop.bcl.lu/.

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