Ireland ST. PATRICK 'S CAT Irish Pattern Ecu CROWN COIN

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Ireland: 'St. Patrick's Cat'/Irish Harp 1995 25-Ecu Crown-sized Pattern coin: Cupro-Nickel, brilliant mint state. Struck by the Tower Mint, Greenwich: brilliant mirror fields, satin/frosted designs. Very low mintage: just 1500 (and most of these 'vanished' 12 years ago, with almost the whole issue bought-out immediately by a single European dealer, for the strong Continental Ecu/Euro market). Very high quality overall. Full 'Crown' size, i.e. 1.5 inches across. (And yes, St.Patrick did indeed have a cat! Several, in fact). The European Currency Unit (ECU) was an artificial unit used from 1979 by Member States of the European Economic Community (EEC) for their internal accounting. In January 1999 it was replaced by the new single European currency, the Euro. Throughout this period, mints (State and private) in European countries produced 'Pattern' Ecu & Euro issues such as the coin , demonstrating their design and minting expertise to Member States in the hope of contracts to produce the new coinages.