Hestian euro
Heist-op-den-Berg uses the euro to make cash payments. The Republic used the euro unofficially during the first eight months of its existence and only became its official currency on 1 July 2012.
History
Immediately after the independence in November 2011, Heist was in need of a way to pay in cash and a solution. Using the euro was the only option for the Republic since its small economy couldn’t maintain a stable currency on its own and the country had used it for years being a former part of Belgium, a eurozone country.
The Bank of Heist (Dutch: Bank van Heist) was founded together with a board of directors to start up negotiations with the European Union. It was decided that local meetings would be organized in the former community hall, a late 19th century building very close to the House of Vogt and other buildings of the government. Later on, this would become the official building of the Bank of Heist. It soon became clear that Heist-op-den-Berg never would be allowed to enter the Eurozone as an independent nation. The European Union unanimously agreed Heist-op-den-Berg should form a monetary and customs agreement with Belgium, comparable to other micro states on the continent. If this agreement could exist for at least ten years without problems, Heist-op-den-Berg would be allowed to follow the same integration steps like all other micro states.
This type of agreement and politics wasn’t new in the EU and therefor for the European Commission nothing more than a formality. Belgium agreed to mint 780.000 coins a year for the Republic, but insisted to lower this original maximum mintage quantity to 510.000 from 2013 onwards because it put too much pressure on the Royal Mint of Belgium. The agreement between the two countries was signed on 29 January 2012.
The ECB calculated that the Republic needed about 5.4 million eurocoins or about 2.3 million euros for its introduction. Since Belgium refused to produce more than 780.000 pieces a year, only the 2012 €0.01, €0.02 and €2 coins are produced by the Royal Mint of Brussels. All other denominations, including the 2012 €2 commemorative coin, are produced by the Monnaie de Paris.
The development and production went very smoothly. The first coins, €0.02 and €1, were already put into circulation on 1 July 2012. €0.01, €0.20 and €2 followed in September 2012, together with the first commemorative €2 coin. Finally, the €0.05, €0.10 and €0.50 coins were introduced in February 2013.
The 2012 and 2013 coins produced in Belgium are engraved by the Royal Mint of Brussels, indicated on the coin by a feather (2012) and cat (2013) privy mark. From 2014 onwards, the Bank of Heist has its own engraver, who choose to use a snail privy mark. The globus cruciger, indicating the coins were minted in Brussels remains present on all coins throughout.
From 2018 onwards, the Royal Mint of Brussels ceased all production of regular coins. This also includes the regular coinage produced for the National Bank of Heist-op-den-Berg. The production for 2018 coinage onwards will be done by the Royal Dutch Mint in Utrecht, together with the Belgian coins. For the Bank of Heist it was cheaper to stick to the contract it had with the Royal Mint of Brussels. Coins from the Royal Dutch mint have a caduceus as mint mark.
Regular coins
The regular coins of the country depict known buildings and art. Every coin represents one municipality of the country, excepting the €2 coins which bears a Swan, the national symbol and animal of the country. A summary of the coins:
| National side | Value | Edge | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
€0.01 | Smooth | Pillory of Gestel |
 |
€0.02 | Smooth with a groove | Town hall of Hallaar |
 |
€0.05 | Smooth | XVIIIth century Wimpel barn in Wiekevorst |
 |
€0.10 | Fine scallops | Asparagus peasant. Statue referring to the history of the people of Schriek. Donated to celebrate the parish’s 900th anniversary in 2009. |
 |
€0.20 | Plain | Pietà inspired statue to commemorate the fallen WWI soldiers of Itegem. |
 |
€0.50 | Fine scallops | The castle of Booischot. |
 |
€1.00 | Interrupted milled | The wrought iron pump of the Hestian artist Arthur Vereecke. |
 |
€2.00 | Fine milled, a repetition of two swans followed by two stars | The national symbol of the Republic. |
Commemorative Coins
Commemorative €2 coins
Very similar to other countries in the Eurozone a series of commemorative €2 coins was announced. These eurocoins are used to commemorate mostly minor and/or foreign events. They are always produced in small mintages and sold in coincards to the public.
From 2019 onwards, a series will be started called the "communities series". One of two commemorative 2 euro coins will bear the coat of arms of one of the seven municipalities of the country, in cronological granting order. The series will continue untill 2025.
| Date | National side | Mintage | Subject | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 |  |
60,000 | 10 years of euro coins and banknotes. | Fine milled, a repetition of two swans followed by two stars |
| 2012 |  |
40,000 | Olympic Games in London. | Fine milled, a repetition of two swans followed by two stars |
| 2013 |  |
100,000 | Wiekevorst 800 years. | Fine milled, a repetition of two swans followed by two stars |
| 2013 |  |
100,000 | 100th edition of the Tour de France. | Fine milled, a repetition of two swans followed by two stars |
| 2014 | 100,000 | International year of crystallography. | Fine milled, a repetition of two swans followed by two stars | |
| 2014 | 100,000 | 150th anniversary of the Hestian railway system. | Fine milled, a repetition of two swans followed by two stars | |
| 2015 | 100,000 | Bicentennial of the Congress of Vienna | Fine milled, a repetition of two swans followed by two stars | |
| 2015 |  |
95,000 | European Flag’s 30th anniversary | Fine milled, a repetition of two swans followed by two stars |
| 2016 |  |
75,000 | Games of the XXXI Olympiad in Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. | Fine milled, a repetition of two swans followed by two stars |
| 2016 |  |
75,000 | Fifth anniversary of the Republic. | Fine milled, a repetition of two swans followed by two stars |
| 2017 |  |
75,000 | 50th anniversary of the A l'Innovation great fire. | Fine milled, a repetition of two swans followed by two stars |
| 2018 | 15/01/18 | 75,000 | 50th anniversary of the Language Affaire of Louvain. | Fine milled, a repetition of two swans followed by two stars |
| 2018 |  |
TBE | 70 years of Human Rights | Fine milled, a repetition of two swans followed by two stars |
| 2019 | 05/09/19 | TBE | 75 years of liberation from WWII | Fine milled, a repetition of two swans followed by two stars |
| 2019 | 06/10/19 | TBE | Coat of arms of Wiekevorst | Fine milled, a repetition of two swans followed by two stars |
| 2020 | 23/07/20 | TBE | Coat of arms of Heist-op-den-Berg | Fine milled, a repetition of two swans followed by two stars |
| 2021 | 24/07/21 | TBE | Coat of arms of Gestel | Fine milled, a repetition of two swans followed by two stars |
| 2022 | 08/12/22 | TBE | Coat of arms of Hallaar | Fine milled, a repetition of two swans followed by two stars |
| 2023 | 18/12/23 | TBE | Coat of arms of Schriek | Fine milled, a repetition of two swans followed by two stars |
| 2024 | 14/01/24 | TBE | Coat of arms of Itegem | Fine milled, a repetition of two swans followed by two stars |
| 2025 | 12/01/25 | TBE | Coat of arms of Booischot | Fine milled, a repetition of two swans followed by two stars |
Commemorative €5 coins
In 2015, a second series of coins was announced. These coins, issued in (.835) silver (0.5600 oz pure silver content) have a nominal value of €5 and will support the foreign attention to the Republic as well as inform the native population of its own history. The first design of this series of silver coins was minted in November 2015. From 2016 onwards, two new coins will join this series each year.
| Date | Frontside | Backside | Value | Diameter | Thickness | Weight | Composition | Subject | Mintage | Edge lettering | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 |  |
 |
5 euro (€5) | Silver alloy 83.50% silver 16.50% copper |
450th anniversary of the coats of arms of the Republic and its swan as the national symbol | 30,000 | SIGILLUM + REI + PUBLICAE + HEYST +. | ||||
| 2016 |  |
 |
5 euro (€5) | Silver alloy 83.50% silver 16.50% copper |
70th anniversary of the local history association "Die Swaene" and the Swaenemuseum. | 16,000 | IGNOTI ~ NULLA ~ CUPIDO ~ | ||||
| 2016 |  |
 |
5 euro (€5) | Silver alloy 83.50% silver 16.50% copper |
140th anniversary of the separation of Hallaar and 180 years of autonomy in Booischot | 33,000 | HEIST + OP + DEN + BERG ++ 835/1000 + FIJN + ZILVER ++ | ||||
| 2017 |  |
 |
5 euro (€5) | Silver alloy 83.50% silver 16.50% copper |
40th anniversary of the Communal Unification. | 41,000 | IN • MEMORIAM • JOSEPH • MICHEL • 835‰ • | ||||
| 2017 |  |
 |
5 euro (€5) | Silver alloy 83.50% silver 16.50% copper |
150th birthday of Lodewijk Liekens. | 23,000 | NETEGOUW + EN + DEMERDAL + | ||||
| 2018 |  |
 |
5 euro (€5) | Silver alloy 83.50% silver 16.50% copper |
Hof van Riemen 1468-2018 | 17,000 | CENSE • DE • RIEMEN • 835/1000 • FIJN • ZILVER • | ||||
| 2018 |  |
 |
5 euro (€5) | Silver alloy 83.50% silver 16.50% copper |
100th anniversary of the death of Frans Coeckelberghs and his participation in the Flemish Movement. | 13,000 | FRANS • ZAND • 835/1000 • FIJN • ZILVER • | ||||
| 2019 | May 2 | May 2 | 5 euro (€5) | Silver alloy 83.50% silver 16.50% copper |
60h anniversary of the water tower of the capital | TBE | TBE | ||||
| 2019 | December 20 | December 20 | 5 euro (€5) | Silver alloy 83.50% silver 16.50% copper |
60th anniversary of the national ice hockey team Olympia Heist | TBE | TBE | ||||
Statistics
Table 1 shows all mintage figures. Production quantities are calculated based on the natural fluctuations in demand and economic data. Notice that the mintage figures of the €2 coins only include the regular coins.
| Year | €0.01 | €0.02 | €0.05 | €0.10 | €0.20 | €0.50 | €1.00 | €2.00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 130,000 | 114,000 | 1,342,000 | 1,300,000 | 690,000 | 732,000 | 600,000 | 470,000 |
| 2013 | - | - | 145,000 | 88,800 | 41,600 | 36,300 | 45,900 | 40,500 |
| 2014 | 35,100 | 30,600 | 130,000 | 72,800 | 30,600 | 29,600 | 38,700 | 26,900 |
| 2015 | - | - | 109,000 | 59,800 | 25,700 | - | 28,100 | - |
| 2016 | 26,800 | - | 87,100 | 39,200 | - | 28,500 | - | - |
| 2017 | - | 34,800 | 115,000 | 66,200 | 43,600 | 33,200 | 48,900 | 48,100 |
| 2018 | TBE | TBE | TBE | TBE | TBE | TBE | TBE | TBE |
Table 2 shows the estimated amount of coins and their respective value circulating at the beginning of each year:
| Denomination | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qty | Value (k€) | Qty | Value (k€) | Qty | Value (k€) | Qty | Value (k€) | Qty | Value (k€) | Qty | Value (k€) | |
| €0.01 | 123,500 | 1.24 | 111,150 | 1.11 | 135,135 | 1.35 | 121,622 | 1.22 | 136,259 | 1.36 | 122,633 | 1.23 |
| €0.02 | 108,300 | 2.17 | 97,470 | 1.95 | 118,323 | 2.37 | 106,491 | 2.13 | 95,842 | 1.92 | 121,057 | 2.42 |
| €0.05 | 1,297,267 | 64.86 | 1,355,782 | 67.79 | 1,395,397 | 69.77 | 1,411,370 | 70.57 | 1,404,379 | 70.22 | 1,425,754 | 71,29 |
| €0.10 | 1,297,267 | 127.83 | 1,324,869 | 132.49 | 1,353,507 | 135.35 | 1,368,190 | 136.82 | 1,361,783 | 136.18 | 1,382,591 | 138.26 |
| €0.20 | 673,575 | 134.72 | 706,136 | 141.23 | 719,082 | 143.82 | 726,805 | 145.36 | 708,635 | 141.73 | 734,519 | 146.90 |
| €0.50 | 713,180 | 356.59 | 746,716 | 373.36 | 761,382 | 380.69 | 746,154 | 373.08 | 759,731 | 379.87 | 777,737 | 388,87 |
| €1.00 | 590,000 | 590.00 | 616,233 | 616.23 | 634,392 | 634.39 | 641,346 | 641.35 | 619,968 | 619.97 | 648,202 | 648.20 |
| €2.00 | 464,125 | 928.25 | 493,022 | 986.04 | 507,596 | 1,015.19 | 494,906 | 989.81 | 482,534 | 965.07 | 518,570 | 1,037.14 |
| Grand Total | 5,237,880 | 2,244.68 | 5,451,378 | 2,320.20 | 5,624,814 | 2,382.93 | 5,616,884 | 2,360.33 | 5,569,131 | 2,316.31 | 5,731,063 | 2,434.31 |