The idea behind Erasmus came from an Italian: in 1958 the lawyer and educator Sofia Corradi saw her Columbia University master’s degree go unrecognised at home, and in 1969 she proposed to Europe’s rectors that study abroad be mutually recognised. She became known as «Mamma Erasmus», and in 2022 Italy and the other euro area countries marked the programme’s 35th anniversary with a commemorative 2 euro coin.

The coin is a joint euro area issue with a common design by Joaquin Jimenez. It shows Erasmus of Rotterdam himself, the Renaissance humanist who gave the programme its name, and a beam of links running from one beacon to another as an image of student exchange, with the number 35 emerging from stars. The Italian version carries ERASMUS PROGRAMME, the dates 1987–2022, the RI monogram, the initials J.J. and the R mint mark of Rome.

The programme was launched in 1987; its name is both the humanist’s and a backronym for European Community Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students. By 2021 more than 13 million people had taken part.

Italy’s circulation mintage is 3 million coins, and the joint issue is dated 1 July 2022. The coin fits both a run of Italian commemorative 2 euro coins and the set of joint issues, in which every country has its own version. UNC grade: no signs of circulation, mint lustre intact.

This coin is one of the items in the VPcoins catalogue, which brings together commemorative, circulation and bullion coins from around the world.