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20 Euros Specimen
| Issuer | European Central Bank |
|---|---|
| Year | 2001 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Designer(s) | Robert Kalina |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | 20 © BCE ECB EZB EKT EKP 2001 SPECIMEN 20 EURO ΕΥΡΩ |
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| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
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| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Embedded security thread with microtext; F the denomination numeral and architectural motif; holographic stripe at right edge with denomination and euro symbol |
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| Comments |
The 2001 series Euro notes — the "First Series" or ES1 — entered circulation on 1 January 2002 simultaneously across twelve countries, the largest single currency changeover in history by population. Robert Kalina, an Austrian banknote designer at the Oesterreichische Nationalbank, won the design competition in 1996; his submission used architectural motifs drawn from no specific real structure, deliberately avoiding the political minefield of privileging any one member state's heritage.
Specimens of this issue were distributed to central banks and financial institutions ahead of the January 2002 launch for training and anti-counterfeiting familiarization. The SPECIMEN perforation or overprint renders them non-negotiable by definition, but their pre-launch distribution makes them a direct artifact of the changeover preparation machinery.