NOONANS TO OFFER A RARE UNCIRCULATED full SET OF EURO SPECIMENS IN FORTHCOMING WORLD BANKNOTE SALE

A rare and uncirculated complete set of first issue Euro banknotes could fetch up to £30,000 in Noonans Mayfair’s sale of World Banknotes on Wednesday, May 28, 2025.

Dating from 2002, the remarkable, complete set of European Central Bank specimens comprise 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 500 Euros and carry the serial numbers V00000000004 (Spain), X00000000002 (Germany), Z00000000009 (Belgium), X00000000002 (Germany), S00000000007 (Italy), P00000000001 (Netherlands), and S00000000007 (Italy). All are specimen number 1290, and each carries the signature for Willem F. Duisenberg. Wim Duisenberg (1935-2005) was a high-profile Dutch politician and economist who became President of the European Central Bank in 1998, serving a term of five years. They are being sold by UK-based vendor.

Noonans' Banknote Specialist, Ted Edmunds commented: “These rare specimens almost always appear as individual lots, so to have them all as one set is probably unique and this particular set includes some of the finest PMG grades known. We aren’t aware of any sets being sold like this.”

He continued: “It is quite amazing to think that notes from this first Euro issue are now almost a quarter of a century old. Euro specimen banknotes were distributed by the European Central Bank (ECB) in very limited numbers to corresponding central banks, monetary authorities, commercial banks and research institutes around the world, before and after the release date of Euro banknotes and coins in January 2002.”

He finishes: “Production of the first series of Euro banknotes dated 2002 ceased in 2019 with the introduction of the ECB’s second series entitled ‘Europa’. The revised designs of the first series were gradually introduced into circulation by specific denomination from 2013 and 2019, however the €500 denomination was discontinued and not included in the current series of banknotes.”