Euro Coins

Where can Euro collector coins be purchased?

Who uses the Euro?

Which countries are getting the Euro and when?

How many Euro coins are there?

Is there a poster which has all designs of the standard issue Euro coins?

Does the design of the Euro coins ever change?

What mintmarks are used on the Euro coins?

Why do some countries have no coins dated 1999, 2000 and 2001?

Why doesn't Luxembourg have a second series?

Why doesn't Slovenia have a second series?

Why are there no coins in circulation from specific countries during certain years?

Are there any commemorative coins?

How many €2 Commemorative coins have been issued?

What is the Bundesländer Series?

Euro Banknotes

What kind of security features are there for the Euro Banknotes?

Which country are the Euro Banknotes from?

Which country produces the most banknotes?

Why are there two spellings of Euro on banknotes?

General

What does the Euro symbol look like?

How does everyone in Europe say Euro?

How does everyone in Europe spell Euro?

What is the exchange rate?

What are old currencies worth in Euro?

What is the difference between the EU and the Euro?

Why doesn't the UK, Sweden and Denmark use the Euro?

What is ERM I?

What is ERM II?

  Members of the EMU. Also referred to as the 'Eurozone'.
  Slovakia is scheduled to adopt the Euro on 1 January 2009.
  EU member states participating in ERMII, who do not have a Euro adoption date.
  EU member states not participating in ERMII.
  Non EMU members using the Euro as its currency.

Who uses the Euro?

The Following countries currently use the Euro as their currency:

    Austria
    Belgium
    Cyprus
    Finland
    France
    Germany
    Greece
    Ireland
    Italy
    Luxembourg
    Malta
    Netherlands
    Portugal
    Spain
    Slovenia

Overseas territories (inset of map at right) of the above countries also use the Euro as their currencies:

    Azores (Portugal)
    Madeira (Portugal)
    Canary Islands (Spain)
    French Guiana (France)
    Guadeloupe (France)
    Martinique (France)
    Réunion (France)

In addition to these territories, the French Islands of Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon and Mayotte are French overseas territorial communities not forming part of the EU which previously used the French franc, now use the Euro by virtue of an agreement with the Union.

Monaco, San Marino, Vatican City

Monaco, San Marino and Vatican City are permitted to use and issue their own Euro coins even though they are not members of the EU. Prior to the Euro, Monaco had their own currency, minted in France. When France began using the Euro, Monaco was permitted to issue their own sets of Euro coins. The same arrangements were made between Italy and San Marino and Vatican City. This special circumstance came after negotiations with the European Central Bank and those governments.

Montenegro and Kosovo

Montenegro and Kosovo used the German mark as their currency prior to the Euro changeover in 2002. The Euro is therefore the de facto currency. They use the Euro as their currency, but do not issue their own coins.

Andorra

The Principality of Andorra never had an official currency and used the Spanish peseta and the French franc prior to the replacement of both by the Euro. Andorra has been granted permission to use the Euro as its currency effective 11 May 2004. This agreement is in conjunction with the process of negotiating their own issuance of Euro coins with the ECB, similar to the agreement between the ECB and San Marino, Vatican City and Monaco.

Who uses the Euro? Back to Top

Which countries are getting the Euro and when?

Of the 12 EU member states not currently using the Euro;

1 has a scheduled date for Euro adoption:

    Slovakia- 1 January 2009 (Design chosen- SEE HERE)

3 are participants in ERMII and have a targeted date for Euro adoption:

    Estonia- January 2010 (Design chosen- SEE HERE)
    Lithuania- January 2010 (Design chosen- SEE HERE)
    Latvia- not before 2013 (Design chosen- SEE HERE)

6 are non-participants in ERMII but are required to adopt the Euro and have a loose timeframe for Euro adoption:

    Sweden- not before 2011
    Bulgaria- January 2012
    Czech Republic- January 2012
    Poland- January 2012
    Hungary- January 2013
    Romania- not before 2014

2 have a derogation to adopt the Euro (SEE Why doesn't the UK Sweden and Denmark use the Euro? for more information):

    Denmark- awaiting majority results in favor of adoption in future referendum
    United Kingdom- awaiting '5 economic tests' results and majority result in favor of adoption in future referendum

Which countries are getting the Euro and when? Back to Top

How many Euro coins are there?

As of 1 January 2002, 15 members of the EMU issued 1 standard series of circulation coins consisting of 8 denominations: 1 cent, 2 cent, 5 cent, 10 cent, 20 cent, 50 cent, 1 Euro and 2 Euro.

The total number of denominational coins issued as of this time were 120.

In April 2005, Vatican City issued a second series of standard circulation coins, bringing the total number of denominational coins issued to 128.

In December 2006, Vatican City issued a third series of standard circulation coins and Monaco issued a second series of standard circulation coins, bringing the total number of denominational coins issued to 144.

As of 1 January 2007, Slovenia joined the EMU and issued 1 standard series of circulation coins, Finland issued a second series of standard circulation coins, bringing the total number of denominational coins issued to 160. Also, a new common side was introduced for the 1 and 2 Euro coins and the 10-50 cent Euro coins for all EMU members, which was implemented for coins dated 2007 and 2008. The first series of Belgian and Finnish euro coins do not include the new common side; the third series of Vatican euro coins include both common sides. This added 65 coins to the total number of 160 denominational coins issued which is 225.

In January, 2008, Cyprus and Malta joined the EMU and issued 1 standard series of circulation coins each, Belgium issued a second series of standard circulation coins. This added 24 coins to total 249.

In 2004, circulation 2 Euro commemorative coins were introduced. As of 15 July 2008, 49 of these coins have been issued.

Added together, this brings the total number of denominational and commemorative coins issued to 306- more than any other monetary body in the world. All 306 separate coins are legal tender anywhere in the Eurozone, in all 18 countries.

 

As of 31 December 2006, there are approximately 69,499,000,000 coins in circulation in the Eurozone.

How many Euro coins are there? Back to Top

Is there a poster which has all designs of the standard issue Euro coins?

The poster containing the designs for the euro coins has been taken offline due to theft and plagiarism. Please use The Euro Information Website Forum and follow the directions on obtaining this file.

Is there a poster which has all designs of the standard issue Euro coins? Back to Top

Does the design of the Euro coins ever change?

There are very strict regulations governing the design and changes thereto set forth by a combination of the European Council and the European Central Bank.

Changes to the National Side:

"No changes should be made to the standard' national side of the Euro circulation coins until the end of 2008, except if the Head of State who is depicted on a coin changes..."1 3

"...a change to the standard national side is possible if the Head of State depicted on a coin changes, while the moratorium for changes to the national sides on other grounds could be reconsidered by the end of 2008."2 3

Issuance of commemorative coins intended for circulation:

"The moratorium on the issuance of commemorative Euro circulation coins should be lifted from 2004 onwards, subject to a number of conditions. One issue per year and per Member State at most should be permitted. Commemorative issues should moreover be limited to a single coin denomination, following previous practice in several countries. The 2-Euro coin appears to be the most appropriate denomination for several reasons: the large diameter makes it very suitable for the representation of designs, while the bi-metallic technology and further technical properties offer very adequate protection against counterfeiting. The high denomination moreover allows covering the production costs and ensuring a certain revenue for the issuer since many coins will be collected by the public.

"The total issuing volume should be limited in order to avoid commemorative Euro circulation coins either crowding out normal 2-Euro circulation coins or having them issued over extended periods, in which case a commemorative issue would in substance amount to a change to the national side. On the other hand, the issuing volume should be large enough to allow for effective circulation, at least during a certain period. Very small volumes of commemorative coins would indeed, due to their relative scarcity, become collector items rather than circulation coins. The proposed ceilings constitute a balance which takes into account both the total national issuing volume of 2-Euro coins and the total Euro area issuing volume of this denomination. The two-tier approach leaves countries the choice between the highest of two issuing ceilings, i.e. either 0,1 % of the total Euro area circulation or 5,0 % of the cumulative national issuing volume of the 2-Euro coins. Exceptionally, the 0,1 % ceiling can be increased up to 2,0 % for the commemoration of a truly global and highly symbolic event, subject to the condition that the respective Member State refrains from launching a commemorative Euro circulation coin issue of a similar volume during the subsequent four years."1 4

Future changes to the national side of circulation coins:

"The national sides of all denominations of the Euro circulation coins should bear an indication of the issuing Member State by means of the Member State’s name or an abbreviation of it.5 6

"The national side should not repeat any indication on the denomination, or any parts thereof, of the coin neither should it repeat the name of the single currency or of its subdivision, unless such indication stems from the use of a different alphabet.

"This Recommendation should apply to national sides and edge letterings of both normal and commemorative Euro circulation coins. It should not apply to the national sides and edge letterings of both normal and commemorative Euro circulation coins which have been first issued prior to the adoption of this Recommendation."2

The above paragraphs, in essence, requires 5 Eurozone members to change their national designs.

Finland5 was the first of these 5 to change their national design based on the recommendations, Belgium6 was the second.

According to the Bank of Finland:

"The national sides of Euro coins will be amended so that each issuing Member State will add its name or abbreviation (FI for Finland) on the coins. On Finnish coins the first letter of the Mint of Finland’s President and CEO (M for Raimo Makkonen) will also be replaced with the Mint’s logo. Amendments to the national sides affect all denominations of Euro coins.

"Each Euro area Member State will decide on the schedule for the introduction of their new coins. In Finland the new coins will be put into circulation in January 2007. The current coins will remain valid, and coins in stock will be put into circulation as necessary. This way coins with the new designs will mix with the current coins in circulation."5 6

  1. "Communication from the Commission on the recommendation of 29 September 2003 concerning a common practice for changes to the design of national obverse sides of Euro circulation coins" (10 October 2003) OJ 2003 C 247/5.  Official Journal of the European Union.

  2. "on a common practice for changes to the design of national obverse sides of Euro circulation coins" (3 June 2005) OJ 2005/ L 186/1.  Official Journal of the European Union.

  3. There have been two cases where the death of a head of state prompted the exercise of this exception.

    In 2005, upon the death of HH Pope John Paul II, the Vatican issued a second series of regular circulation Euro coins, depicting the coat of arms of the Cardinal Camerlengo. Vatican City became the first nation within the Euro Zone to have issued more than one series of standard circulation Euro coins.

    When HH Pope Benedict XVI was elected, Vatican City issued a third series of standard circulation Euro coins, depicting the new Pope.

    SEE:

    The Euro- Vatican Series 3

    Only four days after HH Pope John Paul II, in April of 2005, HSH Rainier III, Sovereign Prince of Monaco died. His son, Prince Albert II succeeded as head of state of Monaco. In 2006, Monaco issued a second series of standard circulation Euro coins depicting the new Sovereign Prince of Monaco.

    SEE:

    The Euro- Monaco Series 2

  4. As of November, 2006, 12 of the 16 members of the Eurozone have issued a combined 21 commemorative 2 Euro coins intended for circulation.
  5. "Designs of Euro coins will be amended in 2007" (27 December 2006) Press release number 33Bank of Finland.

    SEE:

    The Euro- Finland Series 2

  6. "Update of the national faces of Euro coins intended for circulation" (14 December 2007) NOTICES FROM EUROPEAN UNION INSTITUTIONS AND BODIES-Commission. Official Journal of the European Union.

SEE:

The Euro- Belgium Series 2

Does the design of the Euro coins ever change? Back to Top

What mintmarks are used on the Euro coins?

Several countries within the Eurozone use mintmarks and privy marks to identify the mint origin of the coin.

The Euro- Mintmarks

What mintmarks are used on the Euro coins? Back to Top

Why do some countries have no coins dated 1999, 2000 and 2001?

Generally, the European Central Bank has authority over the Euro, however, there is individual national legislation in place which governs the mintage of coins issued from each country. These 'coinage acts' regulate the coin production parameters for each country.

Mintage Date

The coinage acts of countries with a Mintage Date stipulation specifies that the year the coin is minted, regardless of when the coins are issued, should appear on each coin.

Belgium, Finland, France, The Netherlands and Spain have Mintage Date stipulations.

Issue Date

The coinage acts of countries with an Issue Date stipulation specifies that the year the coin is issued, regardless of when the coins are minted, should appear on each coin.

Austria, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, San Marino, Portugal and Vatican City have Issue Date stipulations.

Conclusion

Since the Euro was first issued in 2002, the countries which have an Issue Date stipulation are all dated 2002 onward, even though these coins were minted in previous years to prepare for the adoption of the Euro. As a result, there are no Euro coins dated 1999, 2000 and 2001 issued from countries with an Issue Date stipulation.

Luxembourg has no domestic mint, so their coins are minted elsewhere. Regardless of the mintage location of these coins, the Issue Date stipulation in their coinage act must be followed by whichever country mints their coins and the date stamp is therefore applied accordingly.

Since Monaco, San Marino and Vatican City do not have their own coinage acts, the date stamp is applied in accordance with the coinage act of whichever country mints these coins. France produces the Euro coins for Monaco and follows the Mintage Date stipulation and began minting Monégasque Euro coins in 2001, since the mintage quantities were so low. Sammarinese and Vatican Euro coins are minted in Italy and follows the Issue Date stipulation.

Why do some countries have no coins dated 1999, 2000 and 2001? Back to Top

Why doesn't Luxembourg have a second series?

Finland, Belgium, Monaco and Vatican City have issued more than one standard series of Euro coins. The general rules prohibiting design changes to Euro coins are allowed to be suspended with the passing of the Heads of State depicted on Euro coins, as was the case for Vatican City and Monaco, with the passing of HH Pope John Paul II and HSH Prince Ranier III, respectively.

Finland amended the design for their Euro coins to comply with the recommendations of the EU in 2005 (See Future changes to the national side of circulation coins, Note 6). While the nature of the design change differed only slightly and appears only as a change in markings, the overall amended design served to comply with the recommendations. The Mintmaster Mark was removed and a National Identification ('FI') and a Mintmark for the Finnish mint were added to the design.

Belgium also produced a redesign of the Euro coins to comply with the 2005 EU recommendations, but the entire coin face was redesigned. The new design comprises of a new portrait of King Albert II, a Mintmark for the Royal Mint of Belgium, a Mintmaster Mark and a National Identification ('BE'); the monogram of Albert II was repositioned from the outer circle to the inner circle.

The Luxembourg Euro coins have had two changes in the 10 years since production of the Euro coins began in 1999. These changes were the result of changes in mint locations for the Luxembourg Euro coins; from 1999-2004, coins were minted in Utrecht, Netherlands; from 2005-2006, coins were minted in Helsinki-Vantaa, Finland; from 2007-present, coins are minted in Paris, France.

The design of the Luxembourg coins calls for two mintmarks on either side of the dates on all the coins. When a Mintmaster Mark changes in any country where one is present (the Netherlands, France, now Belgium and formerly Finland are the only Euro coins that carry Mintmaster Marks), due to change in mint directors, a new series is not called for because this change is expected and immune to the protocols governing the design regulations for the Euro coins. In the case of Finland and Belgium, the overall scope of the design was changed when the coins became compliant with the EU recommendations. In the case of Vatican City and Monaco, the entire coin face was changed due to the passing of the Head of State depicted on the coins.

Neither the Head of State of Luxembourg passed, nor the overall scope of the design changed to meet compliance. The only aspect of the design that has changed is the Mintmark, due to change in location of minting and the Mintmaster Mark, due to change in director of mint location.

As a change in Mintmaster Mark does not necessitate a new series, nor does the change in mint location and the resulting change in mintmarks necessitate a series.

Why doesn't Luxembourg have a second series? Back to Top

Why doesn't Slovenia have a second series?

Finland, Belgium, Monaco and Vatican City have issued more than one standard series of Euro coins. The general rules prohibiting design changes to Euro coins are allowed to be suspended with the passing of the Heads of State depicted on Euro coins, as was the case for Vatican City and Monaco, with the passing of HH Pope John Paul II and HSH Prince Ranier III, respectively.

Finland amended the design for their Euro coins to comply with the recommendations of the EU in 2005 (See Future changes to the national side of circulation coins, Note 6). While the nature of the design change differed only slightly and appears only as a change in markings, the overall amended design served to comply with the recommendations. The Mintmaster Mark was removed and a National Identification ('FI') and a Mintmark for the Finnish mint were added to the design.

Belgium also produced a redesign of the Euro coins to comply with the 2005 EU recommendations, but the entire coin face was redesigned. The new design comprises of a new portrait of King Albert II, a Mintmark for the Royal Mint of Belgium, a Mintmaster Mark and a National Identification ('BE'); the monogram of Albert II was repositioned from the outer circle to the inner circle.

The initial supply of Slovenian Euro coins were produced in 2006 in Helsinki-Vantaa, Finland and had one mintmark, a small 'Fi' located to the right of the 6 o'clock star. As of 2008, the Slovenian Euro coins are produced in Utrecht, Netherlands and bear the mintmark of the Royal Dutch Mint.

Slovenian coins minted in Finland in 2006 and 2007 do not have a Mintmaster Mark, since Finland does not use one. However, the Royal Dutch Mint uses a Mintmaster Mark. Therefore, Slovenian Euro coins dated 2008 bear this mark. When a Mintmaster Mark is added due to change in mint locations (the Netherlands, France, Belgium, now Slovenia and formerly Finland are the only Euro coins that carry Mintmaster Marks), due to change in mint directors, a new series is not called for because this change is expected and immune to the protocols governing the design regulations for the Euro coins. In the case of Finland and Belgium, the overall scope of the design was changed when the coins became compliant with the EU recommendations. In the case of Vatican City and Monaco, the entire coin face was changed due to the passing of the Head of State depicted on the coins.

Slovenian Euro coins do not depict a head of state on their coins, nor has the overall scope of the design changed to meet compliance. The only aspect of the design that has changed is the Mintmark, due to change in location of minting and an addition of a Mintmaster Mark, due to change in mint location.

As the change to Slovenia's Euro coin design is limited only to different mint markings, associated with the change in mint location, a new series is not necessitated.

Why doesn't Slovenia have a second series? Back to Top

Why are there no coins in circulation from specific countries during certain years?

The European Central Bank imposes mintage quantity restrictions for each denomination of Euro coins issued by all countries. Aside from the coinage act stipulations discussed above, several countries have not produced certain coins for general circulation during certain years.

Several factors are considered when implementing these restrictions.

The standard issue 2 Euro coin mintage quantity is tempered by issuance of commemorative 2 Euro coins. The 2 Euro Treaty of Rome Commemorative coin had a profound effect on the mintage quantities of several Euro Zone members. Austria and Germany did not even issue a standard 2 Euro coin for 2007, while several other countries were given a much lower mintage quantity for their standard 2 Euro coin.

In 2005, Austria issued a 2 Euro commemorative coin, but did not issue a 2 Euro standard coin.

Other denominations are only minted by some countries for special collector sets, in either BU or Proof quality.

Monaco has not issued any coins for circulation since 2003. Several denominations have not been issued at all; the 1, 2 and 5 cent Euro coins from 2003, the 10, 20 and 50 cent, 1 and 2 Euro coins from 2005 were not issued. In 2007, Monaco issued a 2 Euro commemorative coin with a mintage quantity of 20,001, which totals €40,002- thus expending their total mintage allocation for that year.

San Marino has issued circulation coins for all denominations sporadically and mostly issues Euro coins for collector sets.

Vatican City has only issued coins for collector sets.

Why are there no coins in circulation from specific countries during certain years? Back to Top

Are there any commemorative coins?

Besides the commemorative 2 Euro commemorative coins intended for circulation, Eurozone members can mint other commemorative coins intended for collectors only. Certain stipulations apply to these types of coins:

Most of these commemoratives are gold and silver and go above the 2 Euro value.

2 € Commemorative Issues

In 2007, every Eurozone member state will issue a 2 Euro commemorative coin commemorating the 50 year anniversary of the Treaty of Rome, which gave rise to the European Union.

Another common commemorative is scheduled for release in January 2009, commemorating the 10th anniversary of the introduction of the Euro.

2 € Treaty of Rome 50th Anniversary Commemorative Design
Are there any commemorative coins? Back to Top

How many €2 Commemorative coins have been issued?

Not counting the common commemorative issue of 2007 commemorating the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Rome, there have been commemorative circulation coins issued. Treaty of Rome commemorative circulation coins were issued in 2007. Of the 18 members of the EMU, only Cyprus, Ireland, Malta and The Netherlands have not independently issued a commemorative circulation coin.

Commemorative circulation coins issued to date by country
As of 1 July 2008
Country Count Subject of commemoration See:
Austria 1 €2 2005- Austria
Belgium 3 €2 2005- Belgium
€2 2006- Belgium
€2 2008- Belgium
Cyprus 0    
Finland 5 €2 2004- Finland
€2 2005- Finland
€2 2006- Finland
€2 2007- Finland
1 €2 2008- Finland
France 1 €2 2008- France
Germany 4 €2 2006- Germany
€2 2007- Germany
€2 2008- Germany
1 €2 2009- Germany
Greece 1 €2 2004- Greece
Ireland 0    
Italy 4 €2 2004- Italy
€2 2005- Italy
€2 2006- Italy
€2 2008- Italy
Luxembourg 5 €2 2004- Luxembourg
€2 2005- Luxembourg
€2 2006- Luxembourg
€2 2007- Luxembourg
€2 2008- Luxembourg
Malta 0    
Monaco 1 €2 2007- Monaco
Netherlands 0    
Portugal 2 €2 2007- Portugal
€2 2008- Portugal
San Marino 5 €2 2004- San Marino
€2 2005- San Marino
€2 2006- San Marino
€2 2007- San Marino
€2 2008- San Marino
Slovakia 1 1 €2 2009- Slovakia
Slovenia 1 €2 2008- Slovenia
Spain 1 €2 2005- Spain
Vatican City 5 €2 2004- Vatican
€2 2005- Vatican
€2 2006- Vatican
€2 2007- Vatican
1 €2 2008- Vatican

2 € Commemorative Issues

2 € Treaty of Rome 50th Anniversary Commemorative Design

  1. These have not been officially released.

Are there any commemorative coins? Back to Top

What is the Bundesländer Series?

Germany started the commemorative coin series "Die 16 Bundesländer der Bundesrepublik Deutschland" (The 16 States of the Federal Republic of Germany) in 2006. One coin representing a German state will be issued per year between 2006 and 2021 and will coincide with that state's presidency of the 'Bundesrat'.

Since most of these coins haven't been issued, final designs have not yet been determined for those after 2009.

Planned designs in the Bundesländer Series
Year State Design See:
2006 Schleswig-Holstein Holstein Gate, Lübeck 2 € Commemorative Design 2006- Germany
2007 Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Schwerin Castle, Schwerin 2 € Commemorative Design 2007- Germany
2008 Hamburg St. Michaelis' Church, Hamburg 2 € Commemorative Design 2008- Germany
2009 Saarland Ludwig Church in Saarbrücken 2 € Commemorative Design 2009- Germany
2010 Bremen City Hall, Bremen  
2011 North Rhine-Westphalia Cologne Cathedral, Cologne  
2012 Bavaria Neuschwanstein Castle, Hohenschwangau and Füssen  
2013 Baden-Württemberg Maulbronn Abbey, Maulbronn  
2014 Lower Saxony City Hall, Hanover  
2015 Hesse City Hall, Frankfurt am Main  
2016 Saxony Zwinger Palace, Dresden  
2017 Rhineland-Palatinate Porta Nigra Gate, Trier  
2018 Berlin Reichstag, Berlin  
2019 Saxony-Anhalt Cathedral of Magdeburg, Magdeburg  
2020 Thuringia Wartburg Castle, Eisenach  
2021 Brandenburg Sanssouci Palace, Potsdam  
What is the Bundesländer Series? Back to Top

Where can Euro collector coins be purchased?

This website does not contain any information on purchasing Euro collector coins or any other information about purchasing coins. The European Central Bank has a page of links to other Central Banks in the Euro Zone for this kind of information.

Please see here: http://www.ecb.int/bc/euro/coins/collect/html/index.en.html.

Where can Euro collector coins be purchased? Back to Top

What kind of security features are there for the Euro Banknotes?

The ECB has described some of the more rudimentary security features of the Euro note, allowing the general public to authenticate their currency at a glance. However, in the interest of security, the exhaustive list of these features is a closely-guarded secret.

Still, between the official descriptions and independent discoveries made by observant users, it is thought that the Euro notes include at least thirty different security features. These include:

Holograms: the €5, €10 and €20 notes carry a holographic band to the right of the front side. This band is imprinted with the note's denomination; e.g., "€5 €5 €5...." in the case of the five-Euro note.

In the case of the €50 notes and higher, the band is replaced with a holographic decal.

Variable color ink appears on the lower right corner of back side of the €50 and higher. When observed from different angles, the color varies between purple and green.

Checksum: each note has a unique serial number. The serial number is validated using a checksum. The following is an extract from the European Union FAQ that explains how to check the validity of a serial number:

Watermark: Each denomination is printed on uniquely-watermarked paper. This may be observed by holding the note up to the light.

Registration: The note denomination in the upper-left corner of the front of each note is printed incompletely, as is the denomination in the upper-right corner of the back. When held up to the light, this denomination is visible in its entirety. Genuine notes will exhibit perfect alignment (or 'registration') between the front and back. If the note has been printed incorrectly, i.e. by a counterfeiter, these numbers may appear poorly aligned.

Texture: some areas of the notes have a different texture from others. the BCE ECB EZB text is one of them.

Raised printing: some characters are raised to the touch.

Bar code: when held up to the light, metallic bars can be seen to the right of the watermark. The number and width of these bars indicates the value of the note. When scanned, these bars are converted to Manchester code.

Manchester code
Note Barcode Manchester
€5 0110 10 100
€10 0101 10 110
€20 1010 1010 0000
€50 0110 1010 1000
€100 0101 1010 1100
€200 0101 0110 1110
€500 0101 0101 1111

(seen from the reverse, a dark bar is 1, a bright bar 0)

EURion constellation: Euro banknotes contain a pattern known as the EURion constellation which can be used to detect their identity as banknotes to prevent copying. Some older photocopiers are programmed to reject images containing this pattern.

Digital watermark: Like the EURion constellation, a Digimarc digital watermark in embedded in the banknotes' designs. Recent versions of image editors, such as Adobe Photoshop or Paint Shop Pro refuse to process banknotes.

Security Thread: A black thread in the middle of the note is seen only against a light source. It shows the denomination of the note, along with the word "Euro". This thread is magnetic.

Magnetic ink: Some areas feature magnetic ink. The rightmost church window on the €20 note is magnetic, as well as the large zero above it.

Infra-red and ultra-violet watermarks: when seen in the near infrared, the banknotes will show darker areas in different zones depending on the denomination. Ultraviolet light will make the EURion constellation show in sharper contrast, and also some fluorescent threads stand out.

Micro-print: the texture lines to the bottom, e.g. those aligned with the ΕΥΡΩ mark on the 10 EUR note, are actually made of the word "EURO" in very small print.

Matted surface: the Euro sign and the denomination are printed on a vertical band which is only visible when lighted at an angle of 45°.

Serial number: Unlike the Euro coins, the Euro notes do not have a national side indicating where they're from. This information is instead encoded within the note's serial number.

What kind of security features are there for the Euro Banknotes? Back to Top

Which country are the Euro Banknotes from?

The first letter of the serial number uniquely identifies the country that issues the note. The remaining numbers (when added up and the digits of the resulting sum then added together again until a single digit remains) give a checksum also particular to that country. The W, K and J codes have been reserved for the EU member states currently not participating in the Euro.

Country codes are alphabetized according to the countries' names in the official language of each country, but reversed:

National identification codes
Code Country Checksum1
in English in official language
Z Belgium België/Belgique/Belgien 9
Y Greece Ελλάδα [Ellada] 1
X Germany Deutschland 2
(W) (Denmark) Danmark (3)
V Spain España 4
U France France 5
T Ireland Éire/Ireland 6
S Italy Italia 7
(R) (Luxembourg) Luxembourg/Luxemburg/Lëtzebuerg (8)
(Q) Not Used
P Netherlands Nederland 1
(O) Not Used
N Austria Österreich 3
M Portugal Portugal 4
L Finland Suomi/Finland 5
(K) (Sweden) Sverige (6)
(J) (United Kingdom) United Kingdom (7)
(I) Not Used
H Slovenia Slovenija 9
G Cyprus Κύπρος/Kıbrıs 1
F Malta Malta 2
The positions of Denmark and Greece have been swapped in the list of letters starting the serial numbers because Y (upsilon) is a letter of the Greek alphabet, while W is not.

Ireland's first official language is Irish; however, in the above chart it is clear the order was based on the English 'Ireland' rather than the Irish 'Éire'. Irish was made an official EU language as of 1 January 2007, but the placement of Ireland's code is not affected by this fact.

In the case of Finland, which has two official languages that are also official EU languages (Finnish and Swedish), the order was based on the Finnish 'Suomi' instead of the Swedish 'Finland', presumably because Finnish is the majority language in the country.

Belgium has three official languages, all of which are official EU languages. Luxembourg also has three official languages, with two being official EU languages. However, in these cases, the countries' positions in the list would be the same no matter which language was used.

Uncirculated euro banknotes issued by the Banque centrale du Luxembourg currently bear the code letter of the NCBs of those countries in which the banknotes for Luxembourg are produced.

As the number of EMU members grows larger, prefixes will change to 2-digit characters. Currently, Belgium uses 'Z' as its banknote printing origin code; this would then change to 'ZA'; Greece ('Y') would change to 'YA'. When the list of letters available is exhausted, the code would start again with 'ZB'.

  1. Checksum of the 11 digits without the letter

Which country are the Euro Banknotes from? Back to Top

Which country produces the most banknotes?

As of 1 January 2008, the banknote allocation key was changed to allow for the new members of the EMU, Cyprus and Malta, a percentage of the total Banknote production.

Banknote Allocation Key
as of 1 January 2008
National Bank of Origin Banknote Allocation
European Central Bank 08.0000 %
Nationale Bank van België/Banque Nationale de Belgique 03.2615 %
Deutsche Bundesbank 27.0880 %
Central Bank and Financial Services Authority of Ireland 01.1730 %
Τράπεζα της Ελλάδος (Bank of Greece) 02.3980 %
Banco de España 09.9660 %
Banque de France 18.9915 %
Banca d’Italia 16.5395 %
Central Bank of Cyprus 00.1650 %
Banque centrale du Luxembourg 00.2080 %
Central Bank of Malta 00.0825 %
De Nederlandsche Bank 05.1395 %
Österreichische Nationalbank 02.6610 %
Banco de Portugal 02.2620 %
Banka Slovenije 00.4215 %
Suomen Pankki 01.6430 %
TOTAL: 100.0000 %
Which country produces the most banknotes? Back to Top

Why are there two spellings of Euro on banknotes?

The Latin alphabet is used all over the European Union. Prior to the EU expansion of 2007, the only other alphabet used was the Greek alphabet, in, where else, Greece.

Therefore, to accommodate the native and adoptive speakers of Greek, the ECB authorized a second spelling of 'Euro', which appear on all Euro banknotes.

Since the EU expansion of 2007, it may become necessary for the ECB to revisit this issue and include a third spelling for those using the Cyrillic alphabet; Bulgaria is now a member of the EU and will adopt the Euro on 1 January 2010.

The three spellings in comparison are:

Comparison of spellings of 'Euro'
in three alphabets
Latin Greek Cyrillic
EURO CENT ΕΥΡΩ ΛΕΠΤΟ EBPO ЦЕНТ
Euro Cent Ευρώ Λεπτά Евро Цент
Euro cent ευρώ λεπτά евро цент
The suggestion has been made that in 30 years, countries such as Egypt, Israel, Lebanon, Libya and Jordan may benefit from adopting the Euro. Should that occur, the Arabic, Coptic and Hebrew alphabets will come into consideration as well.
Why are there two spellings of Euro on banknotes? Back to Top

What does the Euro symbol look like?

The Euro symbol was designed by Alain Billiet of Belgium.

What does the Euro symbol look like? Back to Top

How does everyone in Europe say Euro?

Every language has its own interpretation of the word 'Euro'. Most languages have different inflections, many pronounce it the same almost everywhere. The simplicity and familiarity with the word Europe across all languages is the only reason the single European currency is called 'Euro'.

How does everyone in Europe say Euro? Back to Top

How does everyone in Europe spell Euro?

Spelling of the words "Euro" and "cent"
in official community languages
as used in community legislative acts
Language Countries Expressed as an amount With definite article
one unit several units singular plural
Bulgarian (BG) Bulgaria 1 евро
1 цент
100 евро
2 цента; 100 центов
евро
цент
евро
цент
Danish (DA) Denmark 1 Euro
1 Cent
100 Euro
100 Cent
euroen
centen
euroene
centene
Dutch (NL) Netherlands, Belgium 1 Euro
1 cent
100 Euro
100 cent
de Euro
de cent
de Euro’s
de centen
German (DE) Germany, Austria, Belgium 1 Euro
1 Cent
100 Euro
100 Cent
der Euro
der Cent
die Euro
die Cent
Greek (EL) Greece, Cyprus 1 ευρώ
1 λεπτό
100 ευρώ
100 λεπτά
το ευρώ
το λεπτό
τα ευρώ
τα λεπτά
English (EN) Ireland 1 Euro
1 cent
100 euro1
100 cent1
the Euro
the cent
the euro1
the cent1
Estonian (ET) Estonia 1 euro
1 cent
100 eurot
100 senti
euro
sent
eurod
sendid
Finnish (FI) Finland 1 Euro
1 sentti
100 euroa2
100 senttiä2
Euro
sentti
eurot
sentit
French (FR) France, Belgium, Luxembourg 1 Euro
1 cent
100 euros
100 cents
l'euro
le cent
les euros
les cents
Italian (IT) Italy 1 Euro
1 cent
100 Euro
100 cent
l’Euro
il cent
gli Euro
i cent
Latvian (LV) Latvia 1 eiro
1 cents
100 eiro
100 centi
eiro
cent
eiro
centi
Lithuanian (LT) Lithuania 1 euras
1 cent
100 eurų
100 centų
euras
centas
eurai
centai
Portuguese (PT) Portugal 1 Euro
1 cent
100 euros
100 cents
o Euro
o cent
os euros
os cents
Slovenian (SL) Slovenia 1 evro
1 cent
2 evra; 3, 4 evri; 5-100 evrov
2 centa; 3,4 centi; 5-100 centov
evro
cent
evri
centi
Slovak (SK) Slovakia 1 Euro
1 cent
100 eurov
100 centov
Euro
cent
euri
centi
Spanish (ES) Spain 1 Euro
1 cent
100 euros
100 cents
el Euro
el cent
los euros
los cents
Swedish (SV) Sweden, Finland 1 Euro
1 cent
100 Euro
100 cent
euron3
centen
eurorna3
centen

The official abbreviation, according to ISO 4217, for “Euro” is “EUR” in all languages.

There is no official abbreviation for “cent”, but one could reflect on using either “c” or “ct”.

  1. This spelling without an “s” may be seen as departing from usual English practice for currencies.
  2. The form used is the singular partitive form.
  3. Used for references to “the currency” or coins.
How does everyone in Europe spell Euro? Back to Top

What is the exchange rate?

The Euro has grown steadily stronger against major currencies since its introduction in January 1999. Yahoo! Finance has some excellent tools to aid in determining the present exchange rates against world currencies.

What is the exchange rate? Back to Top

What are old currencies worth in Euro?

Exchange and Rate Mechanism frozen exchange rates between EMU member currencies and the Euro
  Exchange Rate Currency Name
Currency Abbreviation Country
Date of Rate Establishment
1 EUR =
13.7603 Austrian schilling ATS Austria 31 December 1998
40.3399 Belgian franc BEF Belgium 31 December 1998
746.038 Danish krone DKK Denmark 31 December 1998
1.95583 Deutsche mark DEM Germany 31 December 1998
5.94573 Finnish mark FIM Finland 31 December 1998
6.55957 French franc FRF France 31 December 1998
Monégasque franc MCF Monaco
.787564 Irish pound IEP Ireland 31 December 1998
1936.27 Italian lira ITL Italy 31 December 1998
Sammarinese lira SML San Marino
Vatican lira VAL Vatican City
40.3399 Luxembourg franc LUF Luxembourg 31 December 1998
2.20371 Dutch guilder NLG Netherlands 31 December 1998
200.482 Portuguese escudo PTE Portugal 31 December 1998
166.386 Spanish peseta ESP Spain 31 December 1998
340.750 Greek drachma GRD Greece 19 June 2000
15.6466 Estonian kroon EEK Estonia 27 June 2004
3.45280 Lithuanian lita LTL Lithuania 27 June 2004
239.640 Slovenian tolar SIT Slovenia 27 June 2004
.585274 Cypriot pound CYP Cyprus 29 April 2005
.702804 Latvian lat LVL Latvia 29 April 2005
.429300 Maltese lira MTL Malta 29 April 2005
30.12601 2 Slovak koruna SKK Slovakia 25 November 2005

  1. Before 17 March 2007, the exchange rate was 1 EUR = 38.4550 SKK.
  2. Before 8 July 2008, the exchange rate was 1 EUR = 35.4424 SKK.
What are old currencies worth in Euro? Back to Top

What is the difference between the EU and the Euro?

The EU is the European Union. As of 1 January 2007, there are 27 members of the European union.

Growth of the European Union since the Treaty of Rome, 1957
Member State Totals: Year of entry into the EU
1957 1973 1981 1986 1995 2004 2007
             
Belgium Denmark Greece Portugal Austria Cyprus Bulgaria
France United Kingdom   Spain Finland Czech Republic Romania
Germany Ireland     Sweden Estonia  
Italy         Hungary  
Luxembourg         Latvia  
The Netherlands         Lithuania  
          Malta  
          Poland  
          Slovakia  
          Slovenia  
             
6 9 10 12 15 25 27

The Euro is the single currency which is used by most countries within the EU.

A country can not issue a Euro unless it is part of the EU. The only exceptions to this are Monaco, San Marino and Vatican City. Andorra, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway are in negotiations to form a similar relationship with the European Central Bank.

A country can be in the EU and not use the Euro. Any country coming into the EU must take part in the ERM. Only the UK, and Denmark have a derogation privilege. Sweden does not have a derogation agreement and must adopt the Euro as its currency at some point in the future.

What is the difference between the EU and the Euro? Back to Top

Why doesn't the UK, Sweden and Denmark use the Euro?

The United Kingdom has a derogation to the original Maastricht Treaty, establishing the Euro. Unless approved by the Cabinet, Parliament and British electorate in a referendum, the UK can opt out of joining the Euro zone.

The same situation applies to Denmark, though a referendum put to the Danish electorate in December, 2000, showed a 53.2% majority oppose joining the Euro zone.

Unlike the UK and Denmark, Sweden has no such derogation to the Maastricht Treaty and therefore is expected at some point in the future to adopt the Euro.

There are several proposals for designs of the Euro for these countries. Denmark has already chosen the design of its Euro coins if and when a future referendum passes.

Why doesn't the UK Sweden and Denmark use the Euro? Back to Top

What is ERM?

ERM is an acronym which represents European Exchange Rate Mechanism. This system was introduced by the European Economic Community in March, 1979. Later ratified by the Treaty of Maastricht, it was designed to reduce the exchange rate variability between the currencies of participant members, in order to introduce a stable element as pt of the economic enforcement process of the European Monetary System (EMS) to establish Economic and Monetary Union (EMU). This single economic measure was referred to as the European Currency Unit (ECU), which became the Euro in January, 1999.

Participation in the ERM required a currency stability margin of 2.25% delta from bilateral rates measured in ECUs (Italy was allowed a 6% margin). The British Pound Sterling entered into the ERM in 1990, but was forced to withdraw two years later due to escalating inflation falling outside of the 2.25% margin.

The margin was increased to 15% in 1993 due, in part, to the failure of the British Pound and speculation that the French Franc would come to a similar fate.

Ahead of Euro adoption, ECU exchange rates were frozen in the original Euro zone countries. On 31 December 1998, the value of the Euro was established based on these rates and the ECU was replaced.

Establishing and adhering to the ERM or ERM II is the first step toward adoption of the Euro as a country's currency. It is a standard by which the current currency must measure itself in terms of inflation and exchange over a period of time. Each currency's value is taken into account when a rate of ERM is established. The currency must then remain at this rate for at least three years before Euro introduction can take place.

What is the ERM? Back to Top

What is ERM II?

ERM II is an extension and replacement for the original ERM agreements. The ERM II allows for new EU countries to establish similar economic policies in preparation for an eventual Euro adoption.

What is ERM II? Back to Top

Citations:

What kind of security features are there for the Euro Banknotes?
Which country are the Euro Banknotes from?

Information from:
"Euro banknotes." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 10 Feb 2007, 19:56 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 20 Feb 2007 <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Euro_banknotes&oldid=107141988>.

Why do some countries have no coins dated 1999, 2000 and 2001?
Why are there no coins in circulation from specific countries during certain years?

Information from:
Rob Kooy (The Netherlands).

How does everyone in Europe spell Euro?

Additional information from:
"The name of the euro in European languages." Evertype. 1 Oct 2008, 19:00 UTC. Michael Everson. <http://www.evertype.com>