The first-series 5 euro note was the lowest denomination put into circulation on 1 January 2002, the day twelve countries simultaneously retired their legacy currencies — an operational challenge that required coordinating the pre-positioning of roughly 14.5 billion banknotes across the eurozone before launch. Robert Kalina's winning design was selected through a 1996 competition run by the ECB, and his "Ages and Styles of Europe" concept deliberately avoided real bridges or buildings to sidestep any nation feeling favoured or slighted.
The Bank of Italy and Greece's IETA were among several national printers contracted to produce the series — each note carries a printer identification letter in the serial prefix, with "S" denoting the Banca d'Italia and "Y" the Greek facility.
The first-series 5 euro note was the lowest denomination put into circulation on 1 January 2002, the day twelve countries simultaneously retired their legacy currencies — an operational challenge that required coordinating the pre-positioning of roughly 14.5 billion banknotes across the eurozone before launch. Robert Kalina's winning design was selected through a 1996 competition run by the ECB, and his "Ages and Styles of Europe" concept deliberately avoided real bridges or buildings to sidestep any nation feeling favoured or slighted.
The Bank of Italy and Greece's IETA were among several national printers contracted to produce the series — each note carries a printer identification letter in the serial prefix, with "S" denoting the Banca d'Italia and "Y" the Greek facility.