Euro banknotes

The euro (EUR or €) is the common currency for most nations within the European Union. Euro banknotes and coins (see Euro coins) came into circulation on January 1, 2002, though the Euro itself had been formally established as a unit of exchange on January 1, 1999.

There are seven different denominations, each having a distinctive colour and size. The design for each of them has a common theme of European architecture in various artistic periods. The front (or recto) of the note features windows or gateways while the back (or verso) has bridges. Care has been taken so that the architectural examples do not represent any actual existing monument, so as not to induce jealousy and controversy in the choice of which monument should be depicted.

Common to all notes are the European flag, the initials of the European Central Bank in five versions (BCE, ECB, EZB, ΕΚΤ, EKP), a map of Europe on the back, the name "euro" in both Latin and Greek script and the signature of the current president of the ECB. The 12 stars of the EU are also incorporated into every note, with the design having been created by Austrian artist Robert Kalina.

Description of euro banknotes

Denomination	Dimensions	Dominant Colour	Architecture	Period	Printercode position
5 euro | € 5	120 x 62 mm	Gray	Classical	< 5th century	left image edge
10 euro | € 10	127 x 67 mm	Red	Romanesque	11-12th centuries	8 o'clock star
20 euro | € 20	133 x 72 mm	Blue	Gothic	13-14th centuries	9 o'clock star
50 euro | € 50	140 x 77 mm	Orange	Renaissance	15-16th centuries	right image edge
100 euro | € 100	147 x 82 mm	Green	Baroque & Rococo	17-18th centuries	right of 9 o'clock star
200 euro | € 200	153 x 82 mm	Yellow-brown	Iron & Glass	19-20th centuries	above 7 o'clock star
500 euro | € 500	160 x 82 mm	Purple	Modern	20-21th centuries	9 o'clock star

Depiction of euro banknotes

Front (recto, obverse)	Value	Back (verso, reverse)
	€ 5
	€ 10
	€ 20
	€ 50
	€ 100
	€ 200
	€ 500

Unlike the euro coins, the euro notes do not have a national side indicating where they're from. This information is instead contained within the code on the back of the note. The first letter uniquely identifies the country the note was issued in, 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.

National identification codes

Code	Country	Checksum
Z	Belgium	9
Y	Greece	1
X	Germany	2
(W)	(Denmark)	(3)
V	Spain	4
U	France	5
T	Ireland	6
S	Italy	7
R	Luxembourg	8
(Q)	Not Used	(9)
P	Netherlands	1
(O)	Not Used	(2)
N	Austria	3
M	Portugal	4
L	Finland	5
(K)	(Sweden)	(6)
(J)	(United Kingdom)	(7)

Somewhat hidden on the front of the note is a second, smaller sequence where the first letter identifies the actual printer of the note. The printer code need not coincide with the country code, i.e. notes issued by a particular country may have been printed in another country (e.g. some Finnish notes have in fact been produced by a UK printer). The A, C and S codes have been reserved for printers currently not printing euro banknotes.

Printer identification codes

Code	Printer	Location	Country
(A)	(Bank of England Printing Works)	(Loughton)	(United Kingdom)
(B)	Not Used	---	---
(C)	(AB Tumba Bruk)	(Tumba)	(Sweden)
D	Setec Oy	Vantaa	Finland
E	F. C. Oberthur	Chantepie	France
F	Österreichische Banknoten und Sicherheitsdruck	Vienna	Austria
G	Johan Enschedé & Zn.	Haarlem	Netherlands
H	De La Rue	Gateshead	United Kingdom
(I)	Not Used	---	---
J	Banca d'Italia	Rome	Italy
K	Central Bank of Ireland	Dublin	Ireland
L	Banque de France	Chamalières	France
M	Fábrica Nacional de Moneda y Timbre	Madrid	Spain
N	Bank of Greece	Athens	Greece
(O)	Not Used	---	---
P	Giesecke & Devrient	Munich & Leipzig	Germany
(Q)	Not Used	---	---
R	Bundesdruckerei	Berlin	Germany
(S)	(Danmarks Nationalbank)	(Copenhagen)	(Denmark)
T	Banque Nationale de Belgique	Brussels	Belgium
U	Valora	Carregado	Portugal

As from 2002, the individual national central banks (NCBs) are responsible for the production of one or two specific banknote denominations and will thus select the printing works. This decentralised pooling scheme means that the NCBs have to exchange the denominations produced in different locations prior to issue.

External link

• European Central Bank
• ECB Euro notes and coins FAQ
• EuroBillTracker

Referenced By