Catalog
5 Euro
| Issuer | European Central Bank |
|---|---|
| Year | 2002 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | P#8 |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse carries an intaglio vignette of a Roman aqueduct — evocative of Classical antiquity — occupying the left portion of the note, printed in grey-green against a lightly tinted guilloche background. To the right, a map of Europe is rendered in muted tones with the EU member states highlighted, flanked by the serial number printed twice in black. The denomination '5' appears at upper left and lower right, with the legend 'EURO / EYPΩ' at lower right. |
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| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
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| Protection description | Log in to see details |
| Variants | P#8s - Specimen |
| Comments |
The 5 euro was the lowest denomination launched when the eurozone introduced physical currency in January 2002, simultaneously across twelve countries — a logistical operation without precedent in monetary history. Robert Kalina, an Austrian designer working for the Oesterreichische Nationalbank, won the ECB's internal design competition in 1996. His brief was deliberately constrained: architectural motifs only, no real buildings, no real people, to avoid any suggestion of national favoritism.
The 5 is the most heavily circulated note in the euro series and statistically the most frequently counterfeited at the lower end of the range, which drove its early replacement by the Europa series starting in 2013.