0 euro note

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Front 0 euro note (2017)
Back of 0 euro note Germany (beginning of 2017)

The 0 euro note is a souvenir note developed by Richard Faille .

The note has a face value of zero euros and is printed on security paper by the French securities printer Oberthur Technologies with some security features typical for banknotes . They have been approved by the European Central Bank (ECB), but with the "0 Euro" printed on them, they are not valid means of payment. A designation as a banknote is wrong because the notes are not issued by any central bank as the issuer . Due to the selection of the features used, they cannot be confused with means of payment , especially visually . Relevant test devices do not assign the properties of an authentic means of payment to them. With test pens , such papers (only) react subliminally or not.

Motifs

The individual series have motifs from sights , museums and amusement parks on the front . Further topics are special personalities of history, historical occasions and events or sporting events. The notes are to be regarded as souvenirs , donations and advertising material . Despite a numerical value of zero euros, these are not given free of charge. The sale can generate income from the respective tourist (issuing) site in order to preserve, enhance and promote the cultural heritage. The distribution of the tickets indicates tourist destinations of the cultural heritage. They are now just as popular with tourists and collectors as classic postcards .

The notes from 2015 originally had a smaller format and additional security features on the front and back. A European flag was printed on the top left. Most of the notes were sold through specially installed vending machines and the sales price of two euros was intended for a souvenir note. Due to the amazing resemblance to real banknotes, the smaller series of notes became popular both as souvenirs and collectibles. Business was so good that the curious French banknotes were replaced.

history

From 1996 the French businessman Richard Faille developed a concept for commemorative medals for sights and historical buildings. With over 1500 different motifs, over 60 million pieces were sold. As a further development, Euro souvenir notes with a face value of zero euros followed. These are produced in France and have been sold by museum shops and tourist centers across the country in France and Monaco since April 2015 . From 2020 there will be some changes in the design of the notes.

France (2015)

The first 0 euro bills were basically designed differently and slightly smaller. They still had the direct format of the 20 euro banknote. Some features were later changed or left out on both sides. Other features become visible or are completely absent under UV light. For example, no “€ 0” is visible under UV light.

These notes bore the European flag on the top left of the front. Small yellow stars were arranged differently on the left and the small blue zero at the bottom left was missing. The background design had a different graphic and the notes had a tangible stripe on the left and right edge. The left stripe showed a zero at the top left and the words "ZEROEUROSOUVENIR" next to small circles. There was no “EUROSOUVENIR” imprint on the left or right of the border design.

The euro symbol on the back top left was not hatched and the background design had a different graphic than later editions. The note about the printer in the lower right corner is missing.

Further spread

In 2016, the circulation area of ​​the 0 euro notes was extended to the overseas territories of Guadeloupe and French Guiana , as well as to countries such as Belgium and Spain . The back of the notes was then changed. Since 2016, motifs from various European countries have been shown in addition to French.

From 2017, 0 euro notes were added to the previous distribution area in Austria , the Netherlands , Portugal , Luxembourg , Switzerland , Italy , Greece , Finland and San Marino .

In 2018, own editions were issued in Lithuania , Slovakia and the Vatican . In addition, own expenses are carried out in non-euro countries such as China , Russia and the USA . Originally there were new editions for purchase on site at tourist sites, the success of the idea led more and more to private publishers via corresponding pages on the Internet.

Germany

The first 0-euro note in Germany was issued on March 30, 2016 by Duisburg Zoo at a price of three euros. On the first issue with an edition of 5000 pieces, the giraffe bull Kiringo, tiger Elroy and the koala male Thalera were shown. In the second series with an edition of the same amount, the motif was changed and the giraffe bull Kiringo was replaced by the spectacled bear Pablo. Since then, further series of souvenir notes with German motifs have been issued.

Austria

The first 0 euro note in Austria was issued in 2017 by the Innsbruck Alpine Zoo . The proceeds were used to finance a new enclosure for harvest mice .

Switzerland

A special feature are the 0 souvenir notes issued by Switzerland from 2017, as there are deviations in the design on the front and back. So far, ten different editions from 2017 are known. A total of nineteen notes were issued in 2018 and twelve in 2019. Further editions are planned for 2020.

The Swiss flag is on the front top left under the title. The word “EURO” has been omitted at the bottom left, “SOUVENIR” is just two lines. The four-digit serial letters begin with “CH” and the usual reference to the (euro) banknote printer with an “E” is omitted. The zero and the euro symbol are missing when viewed under UV light and the seventeen stars are more in the middle.

Also on the back there is neither the zero nor the euro symbol in the upper left corner. One reason for not using zero is unknown. At the bottom right, as on the front, there is only two lines of “SOUVENIR”. Although the reference to the “EURO” should apparently always be avoided, the microscript “ZEROEUROSOUVENIR” is printed on both sides in the background. A single line note about the printer in French is at the bottom right.

In Switzerland, the notes “Guillaume Tell”, “Fondation Barry du Grand-St-Bernhard” and the first edition “Freddie Mercury-Montreux” from 2018 are probably the most popular.

properties

The purple 0 euro note is not printed on the same paper as the euro banknotes and is 135 mm × 74 mm larger than a 20 euro note. As usual for banknotes, the paper is made on a cotton basis. Each note contains the following security features: watermarks , metal strips in the paper, simultaneous touch , hologram , micro- writing , see-through register , fluorescent invisible ink, plus individual serial letters and control number. The note is produced in offset and intaglio printing. The special hologram on the top right and the personalized watermark on the left represent the top view of the Paris Eiffel Tower . The micro-writing in the background and other details can only be better seen with a magnifying glass. There are also various UV elements and safety fibers that become visible under UV light .

front

The central area contains the underlying motif, a sight, a cultural institution or a characteristic symbolism, such as Luther for the Reformation. The title belonging to the motif is reproduced in the upper left corner. Since 2016, the European flag has been replaced by a blue flag without European stars and instead with the circular yellow micro- font EUROSOUVENIR . Printed on the left are seventeen yellow flowers that are highlighted under UV light. To the right of it is the year and the motif number. The four-digit serial letters and the control number at the bottom right are unique within an issue, but with the year and version number they are unambiguous. Also at the bottom right is Richard Faille's stylized signature, plus “CEO” and his name in plain text.

Motif number, control number and customer brand

At the top left next to the flag is the year of issue and the second digit is the actual motif number (in the form of 2017-1). The following rule applies: If the same client issues two issues with the same motif in the same year (compare the last two letters before the control number), the motif number does not change (remains 2017-1). However, if there is a new motif, the motif number changes (thus to 2017-2). That means in the following year if there is another issue with the same motif, only the year of issue changes and the motif number remains the same. However, this rule is not always adhered to.

The first letter in front of the control number reflects the old euro banknote country code (e.g. "U" for France, "X" for Germany or "N" for Austria). With the increasing variety of issues and motifs, there are already deviations. The second letter is an "E" on all 0-euro notes and stands for the French printing company Oberthur Technologies , in which all notes are printed. The next two letters stand for the abbreviation of the customer who commissioned the series. The following six-digit control number is numbered consecutively within a series.

back

The original series from 2015 had purely French motifs on the back. Pictured were the Eiffel Tower , Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral , Mont-Saint-Michel Abbey in Normandy and the Roman aqueduct Pont du Gard in southern France. All of the buildings shown on the back were and are currently also titled in different places in the motif itself in micro-script.

With the spread to other countries, the reverse of the notes has been adapted to motifs from Europe since 2016. With the Eiffel Tower in the middle is it

In mid-2017, the motif of the English Big Ben on the back was replaced by the Torre de Belém in Lisbon . Obviously, this is related to Britain's exit from the European Union. For example, there is the motif " Moritzburg Castle " with the same front side print with two different back sides. The control number can be used to distinguish between these motifs. When Big Ben was replaced by the Torre de Belém, some areas of the micrographic in the background were apparently revised at the same time. For example, the graphic fabric that structures the "Manneken Pis" fountain figure has been modified. In the lower area there was originally a reference to the printing company with “IMPRIME PAR OBERTHUR FIDUCIAIRE” which was changed from around September 2019 into a two-line reference in English “PRINTED BY OBERTHUR FIDUCIAIRE” and underneath “MADE IN FRANCE”.

Security features

The 0 euro bills and the Swiss 0 souvenir bills have a security thread made of aluminum or vapor-coated plastic that is only visible on the back. In contrast to the euro stripe, it is wider and alternately embedded in the paper mass as a "window thread" . The thread itself is designed in many ways and there are differently designed security threads within a series. This variable feature of the printed base paper is an important element for collectors. The Greek letters απω are burned from the metal strip on the 500-year Reformation bill (Martin Luther). On the “Königstein Fortress” note there are black dots with an “exposed” circle on a red-violet divided stripe.

The see-through register on the front bottom right and correspondingly on the back bottom left consists of an oval zero in four parts, supplemented on both sides with EURO / SOUV / ENIR . The same security features as with banknotes include watermarks, fluorescent printing inks, holograms, individual control numbers and paper pulp inserts that differ from euro paper. From 2018 onwards, different design variants have also been identified for the hologram.

pads

The editions of the individual series are specified by the client and are usually 5,000 or 10,000 pieces. Higher editions of up to 150,000 copies have already been issued in Germany. The entire ordered and numbered number of notes is delivered by the printing company to the ordering customer. Special collectors prefer special number sequences such as "000111" or mirror numbers such as "002002". Higher prices are then paid for such peculiarities and specialist dealers have adjusted to this. The Berlin company, which sells the notes in Germany, speaks on their side of an “impulse purchase with added value”. According to the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung , 60 million 0 euro bills were sold in 2015.

Changes from 2020

From 2020 there will be some changes in the design of the notes. The notes are then provided with additional security features on the front and back. In future, five small blue stars will be printed on the front right. The previously tactile strips (simultaneous touch) on the front left and right are no longer necessary. There will be other changes to watermarks and fluorescent inks. In addition, an exactly predetermined number of notes from a new series should only be printed in 2020 with an additional text reminding of the five-year anniversary of the 0-euro notes with the imprint "ANNIVERSARY 2020". The additional print will be particularly visible under black light.

Collectibles

In France, the zero euro note became very popular with tourists and collectors. The notes are sold for two to three euros. Some of them are offered to collectors for much higher amounts. The first editions still with the original design are particularly popular. Some limited editions are very popular, so that they are traded with prices of up to several hundred euros. “These are collector's items that gain in value when they are scarce - similar to postage stamps,” explains the Munich scientist. However, stamps still have an economic function, which the 0-euro notes do not.

In 2016, when the collection area “0 euro souvenir notes” came up, there were thirteen issues in Germany, in 2018 there were 160 issues within one year. A cultural value is no longer recognizable in many banknotes, for example in the editions "Kehlsteinhaus - Eagles Nest 1834 m" or "Pope Francis".

As a spokesman for the European Central Bank announced, it does not regulate or approve the production of souvenir notes directly. When official money printing companies produce such notes, however, they have to adhere to the ECB rules and ensure that the “false” notes can be distinguished from the real ones. Nevertheless, blind and visually impaired people have problems recognizing souvenir bills, as the size of the bill is an important and indispensable feature for those affected.

Misprints (varieties)

Misprints due to printing technology arise (as with other issues) on zero notes during production and are often only noticed by collectors after they have been issued. The entire edition or just part of it can be affected. Errors already occur on the incorrectly displayed print template, so that notes were accordingly printed with errors. Smaller or larger print failures, color fluctuations and other errors can become visible in the motif. All errors found are easily recognizable without any tools. Some defects do not arise during the printing process, but rather lie in the choice of motif or get onto the printing plate due to inattention. The following are examples of such misprints or motifs.

  • MOZARTHAUS-SALZBURG, Austria, Scheine XELH, 2017-1. Despite the rule that the first letter of the notes is based on the letter of the euro banknotes, the notes have the "X" for Germany. The “N” for Austria would have been correct.
  • MINIATURE WUNDERLAND HAMBURG, notes XEHA, 2018-4. The “E” in the word “MINIATURE” is too much. Only part of the entire circulation is affected.
  • On June 2, a 0 euro note was issued in Slovakia . Bratislava Castle is shown and there is a typo: Instead of “Bratislavský hrad” there is “Bratislavký hrad” without the second “S”. The banknote has a circulation of 5,000.
  • ALBRECHTSBURG MEISSEN, Notes XENQ, 2018-2. The entire edition was produced with print failures in the motif. When a part had already been sold, these printing defects were noticed and the unsold notes were withheld, complained about and returned to the printer. The bills complained of were replaced by the printer and delivered to the client without any errors. There are therefore notes with and without errors in the motif.
  • In the series for the 2018 World Cup in Russia (RUSSIA, XERU, 2018-2-RU), a player was usually shown in action against the background of a typical landmark of the respective country. The term “RUSSIA” is written in English as “Kremlin Moscow” , translated as “Kremlin Moscow”. However, St. Basil's Cathedral on Red Square was printed as a motif on the bill .
  • For the entire edition of XEDC, 1-2018 - BERLIN-SIEGESSAULE, the motif designation SIEGESS A ULE was incorrectly created with " A " instead of " Ä " when designing the motif .
  • GERMAN SPION MUSEUM BERLIN, here the GDR coat of arms on the Glienicke Bridge was historically incorrectly depicted. With the line of sight shown on the bill (from Berlin, east bank) to (Potsdam, west bank), the coat of arms of the GDR should have been attached not to the front but to the rear iron framework. Old photos prove this. This means that the coat of arms in the graphic has been moved across the former border to Berlin , which is wrong. The entire edition XEER, 1-2019 is affected.
  • FALL OF THE WALL, in the 2019-1 XEEQ motif of the three-part series, a quote from Erich Honecker from January 19, 1989 was printed in the lower area . The error is in the name "Ehrich Honecker". “Erich” would have been correct without “h”. What nobody noticed, the error was already on the sample certificate (123456). This led to faulty printing. The entire edition is affected. The sale has since stopped.

Special motifs

  • The city of Kiel issued a note with the motif of the sailing ship Gorch Fock with a circulation of 45,000. In 2017 a second edition (50,000 pieces) was offered as a souvenir for 2.50 euros each. Further motifs were published in 2018 on the occasion of the sailors' uprising of 1918, in 2019 on the occasion of the 125th Kiel Week (edition 20,000 copies) and in 2020 for the 125th anniversary of the Kiel Canal .
  • The Hessen Kassel Museum Landscape issued a souvenir coupon for the 300th day the Kassel landmark Hercules was erected . After this was sold out a short time later, another 5000 copies with the same motif were reprinted.
  • An issue for the 2017 Kirchentag entitled “God's grace is free”, the first edition of which was limited to 10,000 notes, received great media attention . This note, issued by the non-denominational association Gott.net on the occasion of the Reformation anniversary in 2017 to commemorate the 500th Reformation Day , led to articles in several larger newspapers in Germany and Austria in May 2017.
  • On the occasion of Karl Marx's 200th birthday, the city of Trier's tourism organization issued a 0-euro note in spring 2018. It has been sold more than 100,000 times in more than 40 countries for three euros. The media reported more than 100 times about the bill internationally.
  • The Friends of the Berlin Palace e. V. issued a note with an edition of 5000 copies. One euro of the sales price will be donated for the reconstruction of the historic facade of the Berlin Palace . After this and the second edition of 5000 pieces with a slightly different motif have been sold out, a third edition of 10,000 pieces is planned. Further editions with other motifs from the city palace followed.
  • For the Finsterwalder singing festival , the club's chief financial officer contacted the company “EuroSchein Souvenir GmbH”. The singer song memorial is shown on a limited edition of 10,000 notes. It was sold for the first time in 2018 and only this year at a price of two euros.
  • A ticket from MSV Duisburg shows the Schauinsland -Reisen-Arena, above the zebra logo and the club name. The MSV certificate is noted in a catalog with 900 euros. However, this certificate is not freely available and is only given when a contract is concluded with Stadtwerke Duisburg.
  • On the occasion of Karel Gott's 80th birthday , a souvenir note with the portrait of the singer was sold for 50 Czech crowns (CZK) or 2 euros from two vending machines on Sunday, July 14, 2019 in Prague, Czech Republic, from 9 a.m. Hundreds of fans and collectors had already lined up in front of a well-known music store in the center of town the evening before. The police and other security forces kept order. By early Sunday afternoon, the notes were already sold out. Since the circulation of 5,000 copies is very small, such a note is now being traded for up to 6,000 Czech crowns.

The first edition of the catalog from Battenberg-Verlag contains 734 different "zero euro notes" from 21 countries, 410 motifs in the catalog come from France. The catalog value is usually around seven euros, some reach the higher double-digit range and four French notes are quoted at 100 to 220 euros.

Collectors particularly value notes with Richard Faille's handwritten signature for a wide variety of 0 euro souvenir note issues. At various coin fairs such as the World Money Fair 2019, he gave autograph sessions at the EuroSchein-Souvenir GmbH stand.

Since 2019, some issues have been additionally provided with a kind of advertising stamp by the publisher after printing. It is now even with individual certificates through holes pierced a particular note or even an advertising text. Usually only individual notes are then equipped with it. An exact determination is made more difficult because one can no longer differentiate what was intended by the publisher or what was only later done privately.

Criticism in Germany

In Germany, inquiries and orders are handled by EuroSchein-Souvenir GmbH , based in Berlin. Since the first edition in 2016, there have been a large number of new editions. The basic idea of ​​supporting tourist sites cannot always be understood. For collectors, this sharp increase in expenditure makes the young collecting field confusing. Often the actual client of the series of motifs remains unknown to the collector, so the facility depicted in the motif is not necessarily the client. Series on sporting events, historical events or individual major events suggest that the client's financial interests exceed the ideal value and that the original idea of ​​cultural support is lost. The number of incorrectly printed editions is also increasing.

Picture gallery

literature

  • MATTES collector's catalog: 0 Euro notes Euro Souvenir 2018, Germany - Austria. Hinrichsen Verlag, Hannover 2018, ISBN 978-3-947507-00-9 .
  • Mario Anacker: The Germans 0 Euro souvenir notes , Du-Lac-Verlag, Kassel 2018, ISBN 978-3-9818642-3-6 .
  • Hans – Ludwig Grabowski: Catalog of the 0 Euro souvenir notes , Battenberg Gietl Verlag, Regenstauf 2018, ISBN 978-3-86646-165-9 .

Web links

Commons : 0 euro bills  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

See also

Remarks

  1. ↑ Faille was already involved in the development of the euro coins and has been selling commemorative medals with sights as souvenirs since 1996.
  2. ↑ As a licensed printer of the ECB, it produces the French euro banknotes.
  3. ↑ There are production specifications stipulated that security paper is not displayed in black during such examinations.
  4. ↑ At least the paper and printing costs are represented and donations are also planned.
  5. ↑ Euro-Schein Souvenir GmbH, press kit 2016.
  6. ↑ a b story. EuroSchein-Souvenir GmbH, accessed on May 25, 2017 .
  7. ↑ Carte des billets (card with already issued 0-euro notes). www.billets-touristiques.com, accessed on May 25, 2017 (French).
  8. ↑ a b c d e f List of billets (list of already published 0-euro notes). www.billets-touristiques.com, accessed on May 25, 2017 (French).
  9. ↑ a b Friedhelm Thelen: Zoo Duisburg is now motif on "zero" euro note. Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung, July 12, 2016, accessed on May 27, 2017 .
  10. ^ A b Friedhelm Thelen: Third zero euro note with a zoo motif is already being planned. Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung, December 27, 2016, accessed on May 27, 2017 .
  11. ↑ Austria's first euro souvenir note - Alpenzoo Innsbruck. (Video) ORF Tirol Fernsehen Nachrichten, accessed on May 27, 2017 .
  12. ↑ Beautiful note: 0 euro notes with Austrian motifs : In 2017, the Innsbruck Alpine Zoo started with its first issue of 10,000 euro souvenir notes with animal portraits of ibex and lynx. A second edition was published in 2018, recognizable by the changed small year number to the right of the European flag under "ALPENZOO" and on the back the Belém tower instead of Big Ben.
  13. ↑ Reiner Graff: The 0 souvenir notes of Switzerland , Numispost-The Swiss magazine for coins, April 2018, Bad Ragaz (Switzerland).
  14. ↑ Reiner Graff: The 0 souvenir notes of Switzerland , Numispost, April 2018, pp. 64–66.
  15. ↑ Numispost, The Swiss Magazine for Coins , April 2018 edition, Reiner Graff; The 0 souvenir notes of Switzerland , September 2018 edition; The new catalog for the 0 euro souvenir notes from Battenberg Gietl Verlag .
  16. ↑ Personalization. EuroSchein-Souvenir GmbH, accessed on May 25, 2017 .
  17. ↑ numismatiqueargenteuil: Nouveau revers 2017 des billets touristiques: le Brexit est acté! In: BLOG you CNA. February 28, 2017, accessed May 25, 2017 (French).
  18. ↑ Back with Big Ben tower: XELD 2017-1A and back with Belem tower: XELD 2017-1B
  19. ↑ numiscontrol on CoinsWeekly: Secret change on the 0 euro notes. January 16, 2020, accessed January 22, 2020 .
  20. ↑ In a fixed order, but sometimes individually upside down.
  21. ↑ front: yellow bottom right and magenta top left, yellow top left and magenta bottom right, the remaining quarters unprinted.
  22. ↑ No forgery There are zero euro notes - and people spend money on them , Berliner Zeitung from July 26, 2018, accessed on April 26, 2019.
  23. ↑ numiscontrol on CoinsWeekly: 0 euro souvenir notes from 2020 in a new outfit. December 5, 2019, accessed December 22, 2019 .
  24. ↑ Conversation with Professor Gerald Mann, economist and academic director of studies at FOM Munich
  25. ↑ Tim Geyer: There is an official 0 euro note and it makes people rich . In: Vice, May 24, 2017.
  26. ↑ numiscontrol: The 0 euro note. Souvenir for a good cause . In: CoinsWeekly, April 19, 2018.
  27. ↑ Slovakia issues 0 euro notes - typing errors make banknotes more expensive . In: RT deutsch, June 3, 2018
  28. ↑ Such deficiencies in the main printer are probably due to the poorer control of "souvenir" notes compared to the assessment of securities.
  29. ^ Sächsische Zeitung: Zero Euro note with two errors (May 23, 2018); “Meißner Burg sends back false euro bills” (May 24, 2018); “New euro bills replace misprints” (June 14, 2018).
  30. ↑ Falsification of history with a museum's 0-euro note? , CoinsWeekly online magazine, April 4, 2019
  31. ↑ Answer of April 9, 2019 on request from the editor
  32. ^ Catalog of 0 euro souvenir notes, Battenberg Verlag 2018, p. 83.
  33. ↑ Victor Deutsch: 5000 are gone: Hercules “banknotes” are reprinted. EXTRA TIP Werbegesellschaft mbH, February 5, 2017, accessed on May 27, 2017 .
  34. ↑ fake? - What the zero euro note is all about. BILD GmbH & Co. KG, May 23, 2017, accessed on May 27, 2017 .
  35. ↑ Jasmin Pospiech: Quick access: the zero euro note is so valuable. Münchener Zeitungs-Verlag GmbH & Co. KG, May 23, 2017, accessed on May 27, 2017 .
  36. ↑ Katharina de Mos: A banknote is around in Europe . Trierischer Volksfreund, August 4, 2018, p. 1 .
  37. ↑ Dirk Jericho: Zero euro banknote “Berlin Palace”: Friends' association collects money for facades. Berliner Wochenblatt Verlag GmbH, January 31, 2017, accessed on May 27, 2017 .
  38. ↑ Heike Lehmann: Finsterwalder singing festival 0 euro note should fill coffers . Front image in: Lausitzer Rundschau from August 6, 2018.
  39. ↑ MATTES collector's catalog for 0 Euro notes 2018, p. 60.
  40. ↑ Press release, Prague, July 3, 2019, " 0 euro souvenir note with a portrait of Karel Gott becomes a collector's hit, the price is rising sharply ", info from eurosouvenir.sk
  41. ↑ Friedhelm Thelen: MSV Duisburg souvenir notes: the zero euro note is worth that much. In: WAZ of December 26, 2018
  42. ↑ Exhibition catalog of the World Money Fair 2019
  43. ↑ Imprint of the homepage
  44. ↑ numiscontrol on MünzWoche: Will negligence bring down the 0 euro bills?