2005 to 2010:

A trip to Ireland in 2004 convinced me that the first signed Euros by Wim Duisenberg were short lived & a challenge to acquire. How did I discover this? As soon as I got there, I took out a stash (fifty 5 Euros) & noticed how few of the notes had the 1st signature. The few I found were in Good - Fine condition. As soon as I returned from my trip, I surfed eBay but found very few listings for this first variety in UNC.  Most of the notes listed, were either circulated or the new Trichet signatures in UNC.

Around 2010, after picking up an ungraded 5 & 10 from Greece, plus a 20 from Portugal, I realized that they were going to be more expensive than I had originally anticipated.  Fortunately, I put the odd bid on eBay examples from Ireland and Belgium. Some I won (most I lost) but I got a better feel for their actual market price. 

2015:

When I actually discovered EuroBillTracker I cannot say. But I did find it and began my quest to discover which prefixes (nations) were TOUGH & began to seek these plus notes with foreign printer's codes.  I discovered that my 20 Euro issued from Portugal (M prefix) had an H printer code (produced by De La Rue in England).  I also discovered that my 10 Euro issued from Greece (Y prefix) had an Austrian (F printer code).  Getting UNC examples of lower denominations (5, 10 & 20 Euros) wasn't as easy as I expected. Getting them in UNC, & at a fair price (not speculation) and with a foreign printer code (such as the 2 above) was even more challenging. 

It took me a few years before I found a Greek seller who was willing to sell me the Greek 5, 10 & Portuguese 20 Euro notes with the Duisenberg signatures. Most listings were in Euros by European sellers.  They were expensive just to begin with, but once I discovered their quirky printer code origins (& that they were indeed UNC) I was a "happy camper." 

2017:

I bought a 2016 SCWPM (16th Edition) & the Book Value range for the 2002 FIVE Euros (1st signature) was $10-$14 USD in UNC! All notes were Face Value in VF condition! It was impossible to buy notes for the catalogue Book Values!  The only & most expensive "L" prefix (Finland) was $14.  All the prefixes in UNC had a BV of $10 except the M (Portugal), T (Ireland), V (Spain) & Z (Belgium) prefixes which were at a mere $11 USD.  The Y (Greece) prefix had a BV of $10 which was about $8 short of what I paid for my Y example on eBay! Even my German X prefix cost me more than what the  2016 SCWPM Book Value! However, I did not panic, since most catalogues were put together a year, or more, before they're actually published (info is dated).

2019:

I also made a swap commitment for some tough original Journey TENS, to trade for some Italian/French Duisenberg FIVE & TEN Euro notes. The exchange took place with the outbreak of the Covid Pandemic. I sent my notes out & they were received in Italy in about 10 days. I had to wait 10 weeks for his package to arrive here in Canada! Happily it did finally arrive and I could stop worrying. The following year I joined/registered & entered my collection in Numista. Swapping, however, became unrealistic since I had kids looking to swap dealer stock for collectible UNC examples.

2023: 

And later still, I bid on some 5 & 10 Euro gems graded by PMG and offered by either World Banknote Auctions or on eBay.  What I discovered was that these notes were typically overlooked by many World collectors (who likely sought pre-Euro).  I had my eyes set on other notes in most of these auctions too.  However, I won the Z (Belgium) 5 Euros (below) for a similar price of an ungraded example (but with a PMG UNC 67 certification)!  I discovered that once a few great, jaw-dropping pre-Euros were offered for auction, the lacklustre "mini-Euro" just paled in comparison. I also wonder if the SCWPM LOW Book Values have kept the notes from being actively sought! No matter what the reason, its nice to "cherry pick" tough modern series for low prices!

*collectible* - I realize that collectible is a relative term. I trying to keep the definition to UNC (original eye appeal) & tougher to obtain (expensive, low % or high NRI & few sellers). Many collectors don't regard Euros as collectible due to their drab, generic designs. However, I don't see their designs as an impediment but look to the tough signature & prefix (nation) numbers issued. 

*TPG (Third Party Graded: Some notes were certified by PMG but about 75% of the notes purchased were uncertified.  I later submitted my first purchase (the 2 Greek & 1 Portuguese notes) to PMG and they all came back with UNC 66 or better (EPQ).

Conclusions:

• I used my 2004 trip to Ireland & observed few Duisenberg notes circulating (compared to the Trichet signed versions). This was an incentive to put together a 2002 set with the first signatures. Later, I used the EuroBillTracker site to determine which prefixes (nations) represented the tougher varieties

• I did not rely on NRI numbers since Numista had no banknote catalogue. Instead, I used the EuroBillTracker Diffusion graphs. After registering with Numista the % of each national prefix confirmed my hunches (based on EuroBillTracker data).

• The highest grade- UNC notes should not be tough to source for Germany, France & larger nations 

• Set some LIMITS (for me, it was no 50 denominations or higher).  I bought some Trichet 5 Euro examples & 3 Duisenberg notes from Germany (X prefix). 

My collector radar was set for:

• Tougher years/nations all notes are from the 2002 series & most are from tougher nations/prefixes).

• Regular numbered notes the large number of digits make special serial numbers an impractical goal 

• High grades All of my Euro sets are either Choice or Gem UNC (EPQ)

• Printer "Codes" all notes have typical printer codes (from within the nation) with the exception of the Greek 10 & Portuguese 20 Euros (both from outside nations/foreign printers).

Remember to:

• Ignore the hype generated by social media & focus on what matters to you!  "Reddit rabbits" have often trashed Euros as super "ugly." In comparison to many pre-Euro designs, I agree to some extent. The 2002 Euro is indeed nothing to look at!  However, who cares about the Bridge design for the first short Duisenberg (tough) signature? This is a short-lived signature variety & finding a GEM UNC was right up my alley!  Collecting a snubbed banknote series, like the Euro, is what the hunt is all about!

August 2025:

This will conclude my personal Spot sets feature for 2025. I have enjoyed sharing each set with you this past month.  Next summer, if I'm still at it, I will try to add a few more Spots for your consideration. 

In the meantime, I hope you will consider using some of the strategies I described for your World sets (or your nation set). Research what is tough by taking out a large sample of notes.  Then focus on getting some UNC examples asap (before the catalogues or any fanfare) at a reduced price.  If you are struggling to find a World theme or motif, I suggest you may get an idea checking out my WORLD MOTIF page.  

Questions?

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at notaphilyc@gmail.com 

LIST of WORLD Available