50 Euro

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.