SV: The Euro Counts on Scrooge McDuck

Bror.Hellman@partena.se Bror.Hellman at partena.se
Fri Mar 2 11:50:27 CET 2001


> This was the headline of a brief news article on the front page
> of the Syracuse Post-Standard of Wednesday,Feb 28,2001.

> Europe is scheduled to switch to the euro Jan. 1,2002, with
> the help of Scrooge McDuck. Disney's cartoon bazillionaire
> is featured on "Uncle Scrooge" euro coins unveiled Tuesday
> to be distributed in schools to promote the European Union's
> single currency.

European newspapers had some more specific details about this 
(not surprising) and named the country issuing the Scrooge Coin
to be Italy (even LESS surprising :-)


For people not living in the European Union, perhaps I should
put some background to it.

EU isn't like the USA, but a more loosely held federation of
independent countries. Many of it's members (not everyone)
will abandon their local currencies in 2002 and switch to
the Euro.  

Each of the different countries are permitted to issue
different Euro bills (banknotes) and coins. The reverse
has a - for every country - common design, but the obverse
is free for every country state to put their own design 
on it (for example, Denmark and Belgium would most likely
want to put their respective monarchs on the coin.)


According to this article, it's Italy that is about to Issue
the first official "real" Disney Money. In my local paper it
says that "the Italian president Umberto Virri and minister 
of finance Vincenzo Visco presented this new coin in Rome
on the 27th of february."  .. otherwise it's the same
article that was published i Syracuse Post-Standard (but
translated into Swedish of course).

It's illustrated by a picture (somewhat blurry) that is
said to depict Virri and Visco and in the background a 
large projection of the coin, a picture of Scrooge and
the text "Zip Paperone".


The design looks familiar. I am not so good at identifyiong
artists, but perhaps som of our italian friends here on the
list have better information than my paper?


Interesting to note that Italy is the first (?) to issue
REAL Disney Currency.  I seem to remember that San Marino
(a small self-gouverned city-state located inside Italy)
was the first to issue real Disney stamps.

Considering Italy's long history and tradition with Disney
comics - I am not at all surprised about them issuing these
coins.

I just wonder when Finland will do the same.. :-)


// Steamboat Willie




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