France 2 Euro Jacques Chirac Commemorative

The France 2 Euro Jacques Chirac Commemorative is a bi-metallic €2 coin issued by France in 2022 to commemorate former French president Jacques Chirac. It is a standard-format euro commemorative: a legal-tender €2 coin with a national commemorative design on one face and the common European reverse shared by all €2 coins on the other.

The coin shown carries a right-facing profile portrait of Chirac with the date 2022, while the opposite side displays the familiar map-of-Europe reverse ringed by the twelve EU stars and the 2 EURO value. Because it is a commemorative rather than an ordinary circulation coin, it was struck for a single year and in limited numbers relative to regular €2 coins, though it remains legal tender across the eurozone.

As a recent, single-year commemorative of a well-known political figure, it appeals to euro-coin collectors who assemble France's annual €2 commemorative series and to those collecting coins linked to modern French history.

Jacques Chirac (1932–2019) served as President of France from 1995 to 2007 and was earlier Prime Minister and Mayor of Paris, making him one of the most prominent French political figures of the late twentieth century. France issued this €2 commemorative in 2022 as a national tribute to him, some years after his death.

The coin belongs to the wider €2 commemorative programme that eurozone countries have run since 2004, under which each member may issue a small number of commemorative €2 coins per year on national themes. France has used this programme to mark historical events, institutions and notable people, and the Chirac issue fits that tradition of honouring national figures.

Euro commemorative €2 coins keep the shared common reverse fixed while the national side changes with each theme, so the Chirac design updates only the national face of the coin. Like other French €2 commemoratives, it was produced by the Monnaie de Paris in circulation quality as well as, typically, higher-grade collector versions.

National side (shown, obverse): a profile portrait of Jacques Chirac facing right, accompanied by the year 2022. French euro coins carry the country identifier RF (République Française) and a small mint mark and mint-master's mark within the design.

Common side (reverse): the standard €2 European face — a map of Europe with the large numeral 2 and the word EURO, encircled by the twelve stars of the European Union. This side is identical to that on every other €2 coin regardless of issuing country.

Format: a bi-metallic coin about 25.75 mm in diameter, with a pale outer ring surrounding a gold-coloured centre, matching the standard €2 specification. The quickest identifiers are the right-facing Chirac portrait with the 2022 date and RF marking on the national side, combined with the ordinary €2 map reverse.

As a modern single-year €2 commemorative, ordinary circulated examples are worth little more than face value, and the coin spends at €2 anywhere in the eurozone. Collector demand for the type keeps most nice pieces modestly above face rather than at high premiums.

Uncirculated business-strike examples and, especially, official collector versions such as coincard or proof (BE) issues from the Monnaie de Paris carry higher premiums than coins pulled from change. Condition, whether the coin is still in original packaging, and the finish (circulation, BU or proof) are the main drivers of price.

Because the euro-commemorative market moves and depends on the exact version and grade, treat any single figure as a rough guide. Compare recent sales of the same 2022 Chirac €2 in comparable condition before buying or selling.