What are the denominations of Euro bills?

Euro as the official currency was published in1999, replacing the monetary unit used before in the European monetary system under the name ECU (existing since 1978) in the ratio 1: 1. At first it was non-cash circulation - a kind of parallel currency of the countries that were part of the economic and monetary union. Cash (coins and banknotes) of the euro appeared on January 1, 2002.

Some statistics

To date, the euro is the officialcurrency of seventeen countries that are members of the Eurozone, and also has circulation in nine countries that do not belong to it (seven of them are located in Europe). If you collect all the euros, the total amount of cash in circulation will be even more than the number of US dollars.

Banknote denominations and design

At present the following values ​​are knownEuro bills: 5 €, 10 €, 20 €, 50 €, 100 €, 200 € and 500 € - only seven items. One euro is equal to 100 euro cents. In addition to banknotes in circulation, there are coins. The smallest among them is one cent coin, and the largest one is two euros.

The design of the new currency was chosen by the EuropeanMonetary Institute on a specially assembled consultation. Of the 44 entries, Robert E. Kalina's sketches of the euro were selected. Nominal denominations, according to the proposed project, depends on the size of banknotes. Each banknote depicts the map of the European Union and its flag. Also there are inscriptions in all languages, made in Latin and Greek transcriptions. In May 2013, a bill of 5 € with an inscription in Cyrillic alphabet was put into circulation.

On each banknote there are images of windows andthe gate on one side, and the bridges on the other. From the image of existing buildings, they decided to abandon it, replacing them with only the styles of European architecture of different eras.

Euro banknotes have several degrees of protection: special paper, watermarks, embedded metalized strip, holograms, special seal, etc. But, nevertheless, this did not save the new currency from counterfeiting.

Which denominations of euro bills are forged most often?

Following the advent of the new currency, naturally,there were also their fakes. In Russia, fake euros came about six months after their appearance in Europe. As it always happens with the advent of new money - the first fakes the quality of performance did not differ. But, as they say, there is no limit to perfection - in due course to distinguish fake from the original it becomes more difficult. Fake euros come to Russia mainly from abroad. Most often, the European currency is forged in Lithuania, and sold in Germany. The denominations of Euro bills, which are most often forged in Europe, are 10, 20 and 50 €. In Russia, these are banknotes worth 50, 100 and 200 €. Also in the European Union countries there are circulation of counterfeit coins worth 2 €.

How to distinguish a fake note from the real one?

If you do not know the original before you or a fake, pay attention to the following points:

• Tactile sensations. The banknotes are printed on special paper, which is rarely found in everyday life. In addition, the images on the front side of the banknote are made with metallography, which provides surface relief.
• Kinegram (pressed into the paper metallized element). When you rotate at different angles, it changes its reflection.
• Water marks. They should be clear and contrast.
• All denominations of Euro denominations are printed using a special paint. When changing the angle of inclination, their color should change, and not the shade.

In conclusion, it should be noted that the universalThere is no way to detect a fake. Mistakes can even be made by specialists who have at their disposal sensitive detectors. By the way, according to statistics, counterfeit dollars are much more common than the euro.