Catalog
50 Euro
| Issuer | European Central Bank |
|---|---|
| Year | 2002 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Euro (2002-date) |
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| Obverse description | Orange-gold First Series (ES1) note centered on a Renaissance architectural portal rendered in fine intaglio engraving, with the large denomination numeral '50' at upper right and a smaller echo at lower left. The twelve-star EU flag appears in a blue panel at upper left alongside the ECB acronym block 'BCE ECB EZB EKT EKP' and the year '2002', while the inscription '50 EURO / EYPO' in Latin and Cyrillic scripts runs along the lower edge. A holographic stripe is positioned at the right margin and a watermark window at the left. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | 50 EURO EYPΩ |
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| Comments |
The first series of euro banknotes — the "Europa series" predecessor, sometimes called the "F-series" — launched on 1 January 2002 across twelve countries simultaneously, the largest single currency changeover in history. Robert Kalina, an Austrian banknote designer at the Oesterreichische Nationalbank, won the design competition in 1996; his original submissions featured real European bridges and architectural structures, but the final approved designs used stylized composites to avoid privileging any one member state.
Three different signatures appear on P#17 notes, each marking a change of ECB President. Duisenberg-signed examples date from the original 2002 issue run; Draghi's signature appears on notes printed from 2012 onward, well after his November 2011 appointment.