0 Euro - Karl Marx

The 0 Euro souvenir note program was launched in France in 2015 by Richard Faille, initially targeting tourist sites, and quickly expanded to cover historical figures — including ones that would raise eyebrows on any conventional currency. Karl Marx, born in Trier in 1818, is commemorated here on the 200th anniversary of his birth. That a capitalist printing industry would produce a collectible bearing his likeness, retailing for several euros, is an irony the market absorbed without apparent discomfort.

Oberthur Fiduciaire prints these on genuine banknote-grade cotton paper with authentic security features, which is precisely the point — the tactile legitimacy is the product. Legal tender for nothing, but manufactured to the same technical standard as circulating currency.