Why a €0 note is being issued in France and what it will cost
A limited run of 3,000 is being produced by a private firm
The notes have all of the standard security features found on a normal banknote, such as a metal security thread, a watermark and microprinting
Billets-Touristiques.com
A special €0 ‘banknote’ is being produced in a private venture to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day. We look at where you can get one and how much they cost.
The commemorative banknote is produced by Oberthur Fiduciaire, a private company and one of France’s historic producers of banknotes and official certificates.
It includes all of the standard security features found on a normal banknote, such as a metal security thread, a watermark and microprinting.
Each note is marked with a serial number from 000001 to 003000.
However, unlike real euro banknotes they do not feature the ‘€’ symbol or the signature of the president of the European Central Bank.
The notes are not intended for circulation but could ultimately be of significant monetary value as a collector’s item.
They feature several microprinted images of emblematic photographs from the World War Two, and several key dates, including:
- June 18, 1940: General de Gaulle’s appeal to resist the Nazis
- June 6, 1944: D-Day
- May 8, 1945: Victory in Europe Day
Read more: Rare coins found at Breton manor exceed auction hopes and sell for €1m
Where can I get a €0 note?
The notes are sold by a private company called billet-touristiques, which has run other limited edition €0 notes under its Billets Euro Souvenir brand since 2015, including some featuring Napoleon I, or monuments such as the Eiffel tower and the Pantheon.
Billet-touristiques told The Connexion that the money raised from the sale will be used to finance future limited runs of commemorative banknotes.
Preorders for the limited run of 3,000 notes have already sold out on the billet-touristiques website, however, they will be available for purchase from February 11 at selected locations and collectors’ fairs.
The first place that will sell them is in Isle (Haute-Vienne) at the Salon des Collectionneurs in the Espace Bayles municipal room on Sunday, February 11 from 9:00 to 17:00.
They will cost €3 and are to be sold on a first come first served basis. Buyers will only be allowed two each.
Read more:
Why it can pay to check €2 coins you get in change in France
Oops! Millions of French coins must be destroyed due to wrong design
