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The story began exactly a century ago with words that became forever linked to the birth of radio in Croatia: «Halo, halo! Ovdje Radio Zagreb!» — «Hello, hello! This is Radio Zagreb»—.
One hundred years later, that first greeting broadcast over the airwaves has ended up being turned into a 2 euro coin.
Croatia put into circulation its commemorative €2 coin dedicated to the centenary of Croatian Radio and Television (HRT) on July 16, 2026. Now the issue enters a second phase that is particularly interesting for numismatists: since August 20, two presentations specifically designed for collectors have been available, one in Brilliant Uncirculated (BU) condition and the other in Proof.
Thus, an issue that originated as a genuine circulation coin is completed with two other versions that retain the same design and face value, but present important differences in finish, presentation and mintage.
From "Radio Zagreb" to the current HRT
To understand the reason chosen for this coin, we must go back to May 15, 1926.
At 8:30 p.m., Radio Zagreb began broadcasting on a medium-wave wavelength of 350 meters. Actress, writer, and broadcaster Božena Begović uttered the words that inaugurated this new era: "Hello, hello! Welcome to Radio Zagreb!" This was followed by the Croatian national anthem, a speech, music by Beethoven, Haydn, Chopin, Rameau, and Saint-Saëns, and a news segment.
Croatia was thus among the first countries in Central and Eastern Europe to have a radio station. That Radio Zagreb is the historical origin of the current Hrvatska radiotelevizija (HRT), the Croatian public broadcaster.
There is also a curious coincidence of dates. Exactly 30 years later, on May 15, 1956, the first television transmitter, installed on Mount Sljeme, began broadcasting, marking the start of Croatian television history. Therefore, in 2026, HRT will simultaneously celebrate 100 years of radio and 70 years of television.
It is that journey, from those first radio signals to the current multimedia institution, that Croatia has wanted to condense into the mere 25.75 millimeters of a 2 euro coin.
The design of the national face is by the academic sculptor Karlo Gross and deliberately departs from a figurative representation.
Its main element is five lines of radio waves that evoke the first signals broadcast by Radio Zagreb in 1926. Within these waves are typographically integrated the year "2026", the inscription "100 GODINA HRVATSKE RADIOTELEVIZIJE" —"100 years of Croatian Radio and Television"— and the letters "HR", symbol of the Republic of Croatia.
The combination of the waves and the surface of the coin's core visually creates the characteristic Croatian checkerboard pattern, one of the essential elements of the national coat of arms. In this way, a seemingly simple motif brings together radio waves, the country's identity, and the anniversary itself in a single graphic composition.
The stylized initials "KG", corresponding to Karlo Gross, also appear, while the twelve stars of the European flag occupy the outer ring.
The coin was minted by the Croatian Mint.
As with the Croatian 2 euro note, the edge also has significant symbolic meaning. It reads:
Its translation can be expressed as "Oh beautiful, oh dear, oh sweet freedom".
The text comes from the Hymn to Freedom, integrated into the pastoral work Dubravka, written by the Croatian poet Ivan Gundulić in the 17th century.
Therefore, the coin combines two very different eras of Croatian culture: a centuries-old literary expression on its edge and, at its core, the waves that represent the birth of one of the great media of the 20th century.
The National Bank of Croatia set July 16, 2026 as the official date for the release of the currency.
The total authorized print run is 200,000 copies. Of these, 190,000 were allocated for exchange among the public, a process that began on July 20.
That was the first phase of the issue: the coin itself as a commemorative piece intended for circulation.
However, another 10,000 units remained, which now allow us to complete the numismatic history of this issue.
Croatian Mint has prepared two versions specifically for the numismatic market. Both maintain the same face value of 2 euros and the same design by Karlo Gross, but differ from ordinary coins in their minting quality and accompanying presentation.
And the figures are especially easy to remember: 5,000 BU units and 5,000 Proof units.
The first presentation incorporates a Brilliant Uncirculated (BU) quality coin inside a blister or Coincard specially designed by Croatian Mint for the HRT centenary.
The coin retains the physical characteristics established for the 2 euro:
Quality Brilliant Uncirculated (BU)
Weight 8.50 g
Diameter 25.75 mm
Designer Karlo Gross
Print run 5,000 copies
The difference with respect to the coins initially intended for circulation lies, therefore, in the selection and quality of the piece and, especially, in its specific numismatic presentation.
The Proof version, the most carefully crafted version of the broadcast
The third option takes the commemorative 2 euro note to its highest level of finish.
The Croatian Mint has minted 5,000 Proof quality coins, expressly intended for collectors. They are presented in a Croatian Mint case and accompanied by a numbered certificate, signed by the Director General of the Croatian Mint.
Its characteristics are:
Feature Data
Face value 2 euros
Quality Proof
Weight 8.50 g
Diameter 25.75 mm
Designer Karlo Gross
Print run 5,000 copies
The Proof finish allows you to appreciate with particular clarity the lines formed by the radio waves and the visual interplay through which they end up evoking the characteristic Croatian checkerboard pattern.
A mintage of 200,000 coins in three presentations
The complete structure of the broadcast is as follows:
Presentation Quality Amount
Currency intended for exchange and circulation Circulation 190,000
Coincard / blister Brilliant Uncirculated 5,000
Numismatic edition in case Proof 5,000
Total issuance
200,000
The National Bank of Croatia established a total issue of 200,000 coins, of which 190,000 were reserved for exchange among citizens. The Croatian Mint, for its part, set mintages of 5,000 units for each of the two collector versions.
This completes an issue that has had two clearly differentiated moments: July 16, with the release of the commemorative 2 euro note, and August 20, with the arrival of the BU and Proof versions.
One hundred years separate that first "Halo, halo, Zagreb" uttered into a microphone in 1926 from the sound waves that now travel across the national side of this Croatian 2 euro note. A story that began in the airwaves and that, a century later, has also been engraved in metal.
Commemorative 2 euro coins 2026
Croatian commemorative 2 euro coins
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