2 Euro 2014, 70th Anniversary of the Normandy Landings [France]

Coins-Europe

Country: France
Shape: Round
Weight: 8.5 g
Name: 70th Anniversary of the Normandy Landings
Metal: Nickel Silver
Bimetallic: center - nickel plated with nickel brass. ring - copper-nickel alloy
Designation: Cu-Ni-Zn
Cladding: Nickel
Denomination: 2 Euro
Currency: Euro
Orientation: Medal alignment
Summary: KM# 2174
Diameter: 25.75 mm

Reverse
In the central part, a large numeral 2 on the left, with the English inscription 'EURO' to its right, translating to '2 Euro'. Below the letter 'O' is the engraver's mark of Luc Luycx 'LL'. The inscription is placed over the outlines of a map of Europe. Six vertical parallel lines extend upwards and downwards from it, with 12 stars at their ends.
Obverse
Along the rim on the outer ring, 12 stars of the European Union are evenly distributed. In the upper part of the inner disc, the inscription '1944—2014': 1944 is the year of the military operation; 2014 is the year of issue and the 70th anniversary of the commemorative date. Below is the stylized inscription 'DDay', translating to 'D-Day'. This inscription is a combination of several symbols: the word itself with an underscore symbolizes tank tracks; the horizontal line to the right of the first 'D' is a tank barrel; the rounded shape of the 'y' is the bow of a landing craft. The letters 'RF' below the first letter of the inscription denote the French mint mark on EU coins. Below the symbolic 'DDay' is the inscription '70e anniversaire du Débarquement', translating from French as '70th Anniversary of the Landings'. In the lower part of the inner disc, a stylized Normandy beach is depicted with the footprints of Allied troops being washed away by water. The sea waves are represented by three lines of words from the first verse of Paul Verlaine's 'Chanson d'automne' in French. At the very bottom are the mint mark of the Paris Mint (cornucopia) and the mark of the mint's chief engraver, Yves Sampo (pentagon).