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100 Euros Specimen
| Issuer | European Central Bank |
|---|---|
| Year | 2001 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | 147 x 82 mm |
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|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | 100 © BCE ECB EZB EKT EKP 2001 SPECIMEN 100 EURO ΕΥΡΩ |
| Reverse description | Reverse in olive-green tones, centred on an intaglio vignette of a Baroque arched bridge with decorative lamp standards. A cartographic vignette of Europe occupies the lower-right field. Denomination numerals appear at all four corners, with the EURO/ΕΥΡΩ legend at lower left and a colour-shifting ink patch at lower right. SPECIMEN overprint applied diagonally in red. |
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| Comments |
The entire euro banknote series was designed by a single person — Robert Kalina of the Oesterreichische Nationalbank — who won an internal competition among European central banks in 1996. His winning approach used fictional architectural motifs rather than real buildings, a deliberate political compromise that avoided the impossible task of choosing monuments acceptable to all member states.
Specimens from 2001 represent the first year of physical euro circulation, which began 1 January 2002. The ECB produced specimens for training and reference purposes ahead of the launch, during one of the largest simultaneous cash changeovers ever attempted across twelve nations.