5 Euros

The 2002 euro introduction was the largest currency changeover in history — twelve countries simultaneously withdrew their legacy currencies and introduced euro banknotes within weeks. The 5 euro was the lowest denomination and absorbed the heaviest circulation pressure from day one, meaning early-dated examples in anything above Fine are harder to find than the small face value suggests.

Robert Kalina's winning design was selected from a 1996 competition run by the European Monetary Institute. His original sketches featured real European bridges and architectural monuments, but the final brief required fictional structures to avoid favoring any member state — a political compromise that defined the entire series.