2005 to 2010:

A trip to Ireland in 2003 convinced me that the first signed Euros ("Duisenberg Euros") were short lived & the notes to acquire.  

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 originally had anticipated.  

Fortunately, I put the odd bid on eBay examples from Ireland and Belgium. I also found a swap partner in Italy who traded some of his French/Italian 10 Euros for my notes.

2015:

When I actually discovered EuroBillTracker I cannot say. But I did find it and began my quest to discover which 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) was actually printed by TDLR in the UK.  I also discovered that my 10 Euro issued from Greece (Y prefix) had a Netherlands printer.  Getting UNC examples of lower denominations (5, 10 & 20 Euros) was never a problem. Getting them for a fair price and with (perhaps) a foreign printer code was much 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. They were expensive but once I discovered their quirky printer code origins (& that they were indeed UNC) I was a happy camper. 

I also made a swap commitment for some tough original Journey TENS, to trade for some Italian/French Duisenberg TEN & FIVE Euro notes. The exchange took place during the first year of the Covid Pandemic & while he received my notes, I had to wait 10 weeks for his package to arrive. 

And later still I bid on some 5 & 10 Euro gems graded by PMG and offered by World Banknote Auctions. What I discovered was that these notes were typically overlooked by most World collectors (who naturally preferred pre-Euro).  It was like buying an ungraded example (with PMG grading thrown in for free)!

*collectible* - I realize that collectible is a relative term. I am trying to keep the definition to UNC (original eye appeal) & tougher to obtain (expensive, high NRI & only few sellers) but also don't wish to dismiss the less collectible issues in high grades. Some of the differences between one collectible version and the next is like splitting hairs!  Sometimes, especially when acquiring a set, getting a "gap-filler" is certainly preferable to not trying to acquire the set in the first place! 

*TPG (Third Party Graded: Some notes were certified by PMG but at least half 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 UNC66 or better.

Conclusions:

• I used my 2004 trip to Ireland & observed a great lack of Duisenberg notes (compared to the Trichet signed versions) as an incentive to put together a 2002 set with the first signatures. Late I explored which prefixes represented the tougher nations

• I did not rely on NRI numbers since these were unavailable at the time I was seeking the early Euros. Instead I used the EuroBillTracker Diffusion graphs. After my purchase, the NRI index confirmed my hunches.

• The highest grade- UNC notes should not be tough to source for Germany, France & large 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 Most notes are 2002 series are from tougher nations).

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

• High grades Most of my Euros are Gem UNC (EPQ)

• Printer "Codes" all notes are from the typical printer codes with the exception of the 10 Euro from Greece & 20 Euro note (from TDLR in UK).

Remember to:

• Ignore the hype generated by social media & focus on what matters to you! Several Reddit users trash Euros as "ugly." Who cares about the design for the first short Duisenberg signature? This is a tough variety & that is what collecting is all about (to me!)

August 2025:

I will be adding more personal spotlights to sets I have acquired in upcoming months. In the meantime, enjoy my carousel of the

Questions?

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

LIST of WORLD Available