Medal European Union ECU Coinage (European Economic Community) 1975 to 1993

These are really medals or tokens, not legal tender coins, issued by the European Economic Community. They were issued in precious metals and in base metals, and you must determine what your medal is made of to compute its value. The official ECU medals have various patterns on the front, but the backs all look the same, with small circular country emblems around the outside. In addition to official issues, small look-alike tokens have been manufactured by gift and novelty companies.

ECU: Bronze
ECU: Gold-plated bronze (medals dated 1980 only)
ECU: Aluminum-bronze
ECU: Copper-nickel-zinc
ECU: Silver, 40 grams weight, 1.19 troy ounces silver
ECU: Silver, 10 grams weight, 0.305 ounces silver
ECU: Gold, 50 grams weight, 1.479 ounces gold
ECU: Gold, 12.5 grams weight, 0.369 ounces gold
ECU: Platinum, 13.75 grams weight, 0.4416 ounces platinum
5 ECU: Bronze
5 ECU: Silver, 26 grams weight, 0.773 ounces silver
Commercial tokens: Base metal, e.g., copper, bronze, aluminum

To find the value for the precious metal pieces, first compute the base value (BV), or the intrinsic value of the precious metal. For instance, if you have a 50 gram gold ECU and gold is trading at $1300 US dollars per troy ounce (look it up, it changes every day, at kitco.com), then BV = 1.479 x 1300 = $1923 US dollars. Do similar calculations for silver and platinum pieces.

There are small premiums added to these medals if they are in tip-top condition and are accompanied by official packaging. If they are circulated, then they are worth BV alone. Here is a breakdown:

ECU & 5 ECU IN BASE METAL
circulated: $5 US dollar approximate catalog value
fully uncirculated: $12

ECU & 5 ECU IN PRECIOUS METAL
circulated: BV
fully uncirculated: multiply BV by 1.15

ECU COMMERCIAL TOKENS
circulated: less than $1 US dollar
fully uncirculated: $3
cqLastNotify