Just Collecting Zero – Zero-Euro Notes, That Is
Designed as souvenirs rather than currency, zero-euro notes provide collectors with an inexpensive gateway to international paper money collecting.
It’s rather common to either come back from a trip to a foreign country with some of their currency or to ask a friend or family member who went abroad to bring back a souvenir piece for us. It is, after all, a fun way to learn a bit about that nation, who its important historical figures are depicted on its money, or perhaps what historical buildings or events took place there. The Eurozone can be an especially fruitful place to do this, simply because there is such a wealth of designs being used within it. The problem with this sort of collecting is rather obvious: the more notes we bring home, especially of the higher denominations, the more expensive this hobby ends up becoming. However, in the recent past, this seems to be a problem that has been solved. In numerous places within the Eurozone, a person can purchase a zero-euro note.
The idea of a zero-euro note may seem a bit laughable, yet it provides a way for people to get their hands on inexpensive souvenirs and also allows issuers to advertise their sight or event. Here are a couple of zero-notes to prove the point.
Germany
Germany is one of the economic powerhouses of the Eurozone, and issues both coins and currency in large amounts. A recent trip there netted an attractive zero-euro note for the Erlebnis-Zoo Hannover. The term translates into “Experience,” and the zoo has plenty of hands-on experiences aimed at families and children.
It’s a bit difficult to determine which side of this note is the face, and which the reverse, but since an elephant spouting water from its trunk is so prominent on one side, we’ll dub that the face. Besides the pachyderm, this face sports the “denomination,” a Eurozone flag, a serial number, and even what appears to be an iridescent metal highlight and a watermark.
Yes, the words “EURO SOUV ENIR” in three lines also figure prominently enough that we can assume no one will actually think it is a real note. The reverse sports the words again and also has a montage of some of the most famous buildings in Europe, as well as “0€” in the upper left corner.
Overall, the look and feel of this souvenir note is the same as a genuine piece of currency. It is very well made and has an overall handsome look. Definitely, it’s a keeper.
Switzerland
Switzerland is quite the hop south from Hannover, Germany, yet a recent trip there also turned up a couple of zero-euro notes as a great souvenir pair. The quality of the paper is the same, and once again, the design is of high quality. One, sporting an image of the Château de Chillon in Lake Geneva, has a picture of the château occupying most of the face of the note. Interestingly, the denomination, the Swiss flag, the metal highlight, the unique serial number, and the watermark are again present. The other is a souvenir of Gruyères, which the gourmands among us may know is famous for at least one type of cheese. This time, the chalet is the main feature, but the common design elements are once again there.
Also of interest, the reverses of these two different Swiss zero-euro notes have the same montage of images of famous European buildings and monuments. But in the upper left corner, the “0€” is missing, because Switzerland is not a member of the European Union.
Noting this and thinking about it for a moment makes a person flip again to the face, where, in the lower left, the words “EURO SOUV ENIR” in three lines have been replaced by the shorter “SOUV ENIR” in two. It’s an interesting little touch, one that keeps both notes true to their country and keeps us collectors on our toes.
FIFA
With examples so widely separated, but with such similarities, it is not too tough to think that there might indeed be many more of these souvenirs out there, and to realize that some kind of online hunt might be in order, just to find out what is available and to garner some information. A quick stop with our friends at eBay and Etsy does indeed turn up quite a few zero-euro notes––maybe we should now call them simply zero-notes—with one set standing out prominently. In 2022, the small nation of Qatar hosted the FIFA World Cup, and somewhere in all that, a set of zero- notes was made, with one honoring each nation that competed. Once again, the overall look is certainly the same as those we have just mentioned, with this looking like an official issue of currency. The notes are professional in appearance, and the common theme is prominent. They qualify as a subset of something larger, and ultimately beg the question…
Just How Do We Build a Collection?
Since these are souvenirs, and not official national bank notes, a firm or company has to produce them, as opposed to an official Bureau of Engraving and Printing, or Bundesdruckerei GmbH. A trip to euronotesouvenir.ie gives virtually all the information a person might want in this regard and outlines the specifics if some organization or foundation would like to have their own zero-notes.
Perhaps obviously, with all this information comes the realization that no matter how dedicated we are, it’s probably impossible to find examples of all the zero-euro notes that have already been printed.
Despite the wide array of zero-notes that are out there for the souvenir hunter, it seems that there are plenty of possibilities for assembling some impressive collections. We can easily think in terms of themes, or in terms of nations, or of some other unifying idea. No matter how we direct our collecting energies, though, it appears that making a collection of zero-euro notes, or more widely of zero-notes, can be educational, international, and a lot of fun.
Zero-note images courtesy of the author.
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