Conceptualized by Richard Faille from France in 2015 in collaboration with the Monnaie de Paris, the Zero Euro banknotes are designed to promote Euro tourism. The set of notes was printed by a trusted facility and just like a real euro banknote, the zero euro also bears security features such as copper stripes, hologram, invisible fluorescent ink, watermark, and even a serial number.
Although the production of these banknotes has been authorized by the European Central Bank, they are only for souvenir purposes and aren’t considered legal tender. The banknotes are marked with “0” on their obverse design and were tested, making sure that they can’t be used for circulation.
The souvenir banknotes have similar color schemes and basic designs. Aside from the “0” label, the obverse features personalities or famous landmarks of the issuing European country or region. The reverse design depicts the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany, the popular Big Ben in London, the historic Eiffel Tower in France, the Colosseum in Italy, Spain’s Sagrada Familia, the Manneken Pis, and Mona Lisa.
After its successful sales in France since its introduction, the Zero Euro currency has been made available in Austria as well as in Germany in 2016, and eventually, in most EU states.
