Euro Bills Facts and Features

Euro bills come in various denominations, including 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, and 500 euros.

The 5-euro bill features a portrait of Matilda Wegner, a German weaver.

The 10-euro bill showcases a portrait of Johannes Vermeer, a Dutch painter.

The 20-euro bill features a portrait of Vincent van Gogh, a Dutch post-impressionist artist.

The 50-euro bill features a portrait of Johannes Gutenberg, a German printer.

The 100-euro bill features a portrait of Enrico Mattei, an Italian engineer.

The 200-euro bill features a portrait of Alessandro Volta, an Italian physicist.

The 500-euro bill features a portrait of Benedetto Accolti, an Italian statesman.

For another approach, see: Twenty Euro Note

The euro has a rich history that spans over four decades. The euro's creation had been a goal of the European Union since the 1960s.

The Maastricht Treaty entered into force in 1993 with the goal of creating economic and monetary union by 1999 for all EU states except the UK and Denmark.

The euro came into existence on January 1, 1999, but it wasn't until 2002 that notes and coins began to circulate. This marked a significant milestone in the euro's history.

Slovenia was the first country to join the eurozone after the initial introduction of the euro, joining in 2007.

There are seven different denominations of euro banknotes, ranging from €5 to €500.

Each euro banknote has a distinctive colour and size, making them easy to identify.

The architectural examples featured on euro banknotes are stylised illustrations, rather than representations of existing structures.

Euro banknotes are made of pure cotton fibre, which improves their durability and gives them a unique feel.

Euro banknotes bear the signature of the President of the European Central Bank. This is a requirement under ECB Decision ECB/2003/4.

Wim Duisenberg was the first ECB president, and his signature appears on notes printed until 2003. Jean-Claude Trichet's signature follows, on notes printed from 2003 to 2012.

Mario Draghi's signature appears on banknotes printed after March 2012. However, the five euro banknotes of the first series don't bear his signature, despite his mandate beginning in 2011.

Christine Lagarde's signature will gradually appear on banknotes entering circulation from 2020, becoming the fourth signature on euro banknotes.

The serial number on a Euro bill is a unique identifier that tells you which country issued the note. It's encoded in the first character of the serial number, which is a letter that corresponds to the issuing country.

The letter is followed by 11 numbers, and when you calculate the digital root of these numbers, you get a checksum specific to that country. This checksum is used to verify the authenticity of the note.

Not all countries use their assigned letter codes yet - some, like Denmark, the United Kingdom, and Sweden, had their codes reserved but don't use the Euro.

Here's a breakdown of the country codes and their corresponding checksums:

Accessibility is a crucial aspect of euro bills, and it's great to see that the European Central Bank has prioritized it. The design of euro bills includes features that help visually impaired users, such as different banknote sizes, clearly contrasting colors, large numerals, raised print, and tactile marks.

These features were developed in collaboration with the European Blind Union, and they're a great example of how accessibility can be incorporated into everyday objects. For example, the €5 note is grey, the €10 note is red, the €20 note is blue, and so on, making it easy for visually impaired users to distinguish between different denominations.

Here's a breakdown of the different euro bill denominations and their characteristics:

As of July 2023, there were approximately 29,624 million euro bills in circulation, totaling around €1.569 trillion in value.

Euro banknotes have various security features that make them easy to recognize at a glance. It only takes a few seconds to check a banknote by feeling it, looking at it and tilting it.

Special printing processes make it possible to feel the raised print on the banknotes. The raised print is a distinctive feature that's hard to replicate.

On the front and back of genuine banknotes, it's possible to see the watermark, the security thread, and the see-through number. These features are designed to be visible under different lighting conditions.

By tilting the banknote, on the front, it's possible to see the shifting image on the hologram. This is a clever way to add an extra layer of security.

On the back, it's possible to see the glossy stripe on the lower denomination banknotes (€5, €10, and €20) or the colour-changing number on the remaining notes. This adds an extra visual check to verify the banknote's authenticity.

Accessibility Features are designed to make life easier for people with impaired sight. The European Central Bank and the European Blind Union collaborated on the design of euro banknotes to ensure they are accessible to everyone.

The banknotes are designed to be recognizable by touch, with different sizes corresponding to the value of the note. The bigger the value, the larger the note.

Clearly contrasting colors are used on the banknotes, making them easy to identify. The €5 note is grey, the €10 note red, the €20 note blue, the €50 note orange, the €100 note green, the €200 note yellow-brown, and the €500 note is purple.

Large numerals for the denomination are also included to help visually impaired users. Raised print is another feature that makes the banknotes easier to use.

Tactile marks are present on the €200 and €500 notes of the first series and on all the notes of the Europa series.

For another approach, see: 500 Euros to Pesos

As of July 2023, there were about 29,624 million banknotes in circulation around the eurozone, totalling about €1.569 trillion worth of banknotes.

The €50 banknote is the most widely circulated denomination, making up 49.0% of the total quantity of banknotes in circulation.

The €50 banknote is also the most valuable denomination, accounting for 46.3% of the total value of banknotes in circulation.

The €100 banknote has a value of €394.2 billion, which is a significant amount, but it's worth noting that the €50 banknote has a much higher value, despite being less widely circulated.

Here's a breakdown of the approximate number of banknotes in circulation for each denomination as of July 2023:

The number of banknotes in circulation has been steadily increasing over the years, with a significant jump in 2020 and 2021.

In the Euro system, small denominations of euro banknotes change hands more often because we need them for day-to-day transactions.

The Eurosystem decided to issue the EUR 5 and EUR 10 banknotes with a protective coating before launching the Europa series in 2013.

This coating helps increase the lifespan of paper money, saving production costs and resources in the long run.

The coated banknotes tend to be smoother to the touch, but there's no real difference otherwise.

EUR 20 banknotes have also come with a special coating since 2020.

The changes haven't had any impact on banknote checking and cash dispensing machines.

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