American Reacts to the Euro

[@MLWitteman]

It’s very simple actually. The bank notes are printed & distributed by the European Central Bank. And so they are plain and without favoring any countries. The Euro coins however are produced by all the individual countries. And so the back of those coins can be adjusted to represent the country where it’s from.

[@KookyBone]

To add more detail: the coins always have the same front and overall weight, but on the back every country has it's own design... It's really quite nice, because they get mixed up over time and sometimes you get a coin of a small country which you have never seen before

[@davidescalambrin1751]

Also, in addition, the value of the coins is always the same, even if the back changes. In fact, as you said, all that changes is the image and nothing more.

[@gwaptiva]

And not all countries make (or even accept) all coins; do not try to pay with 1 and 2 cent coins in the Netherlands or Finland, and most certainly don't expect to get any as change.

[@davidescalambrin1751]

@@gwaptiva yea. Actually, even in italy the 1 or 2 cents aren't accepted, but they will give you them back when they have to give you the rest. The only thing you can do with them is just collect them!

[@gwaptiva]

@@davidescalambrin1751 you could save them up and come over to Germany to spend them all :D

[@yasminesteinbauer8565]

Yeah, no Heidi, 50 years ago, when the 2nd World War was still fresh, a German building on a banknote in France or Poland would have been even more unthinkable than today. In the EU, there must always be a balance, so that, for example, smaller countries do not feel left out. And, of course, one must take into account the history, sensitivities and relationships to each other of many countries.

[@grzegorzwolan5124]

50 years ago was 1970's war wasn't fresh. I know, i feel old too....

[@yasminesteinbauer8565]

@@grzegorzwolan5124 1970 was just 25 years after the war. For an event of the magnitude and impact of World War II, that's not much time. That was all before my time. I don't feel old.🤷‍♂

[@nadinefeiler9204]

@@grzegorzwolan5124 i think it is a question of the definition of fresh I would call it fresh if a large portion of the still living population had their lives severely impacted by the Event and still feels the consequences . Something definitely true for WW 2 in the seventies. Germany f.e would be still divided for another 20 years

[@50043211]

@@grzegorzwolan5124 Ohh my sweet summer child. Believing that 1970 the war was not fresh in the minds of the Europeans. A little anecdote, I was in a competitive gaming clan not so long ago and one of our members is from Greece, Athens and when we did a RL meeting for the whole clan in Germany the parents of him, he was 19 by that time and his parents never experience WW2, freaked out that he is going alone to Germany and what the Germans will do to the poor Greek boy due to the stereotypes, prejudice and events of WW2 in Greece! Of course it was irrational but that happend in 2018! So yeah, thinking that the war was not fresh in 1970 is very optimistic thinking.

[@edh9999]

@@grzegorzwolan5124 In the 80s, there were still regions in certain countries (like Yugoslavia) that were considered dangerous for German tourists because of the war.

[@Lorentari]

Each cointry mints their own coins, so they have unique designs - but they are still the Euro coins and can be used all over the EURO-zone as well as tourist'y areas in non-EURO countries such as Denmark and Sweden

[@abegusovs]

Some restaurants and stores in Copenhagen takes euro bills and gives back in Danish Crowns - never seen anyone accept euro coins in Denmark.

[@stanislavbandur7355]

@@abegusovs same in Czech republic

[@cigmorfil4101]

The counsel are individually minted, but can be used all over the eurozone - thecidea being that the counsel will mix in all the countries, mixing the countries together....

[@emileduvernois6680]

a few years ago, I was a tourist in the United Kingdom, and a few English shopkeepers refused my Pound banknotes, because they were from Scotland. Apparently, in tpe UK too, they have localised versions ofsterling Pounds, yet the Brits aren't aware... I tried to change them at a Bureau de Change, but they refused the banknotes too, as they only "exchange Foreign currency".😡

[@cigmorfil4101]

@@emileduvernois6680 The Channel Islands have their own notes as well, including a £1 note. And best of all, they're proper notes, not the slippery plastic things of the mainland.

[@DSP16569]

Let'S try it with the US money: The notes are printed by the FED and are always identical. The Coins are minted in all states (with a quota) and every state has the right to design their coin backside as they want. Washington maybe uses the Seattle Tower, Texas The Alamo, New York Lady Liberty but it is still a US-Quarter (independent from where it was made) with which you can pay averywhere in the US.

[@Benski1972]

That would increase the collecting value of your Dollars significantly. The system you describe, is what we have here. Some smaller countries and mini-states are rare to get a hold of. It's also fun, you are visiting say France, you get some change, the first thing you do, is flip the coins trying to figure out their origin

[@Grasnek]

It's not neccessary to leave your own country to find foreign coins. Just checking my wallet I have €9,55 in coins: €2: 1x German, 1x Dutch €1: 1x Finnish, 2x Italian €0,50: 1x Belgian, 1x French, 1x Italian, 1x German €0,10: 2x German, 1x Finnish, 1x Spanish, 1x Italian €0,05 1x Belgian I've never been to Spain, Italy, or Finland. I've also seen Greek and Irish coins, where I haven't been either.

[@LunaBianca1805]

Bills and coins are universally used, the coins are minted by the respective countries, though. Here in Germany the German coins are most prevalent, but the others are perfectly usable and, yes, fun to collect :)

[@jbird4478]

Here in the Netherlands the German coins are probably also most prevalent. At least I see them a lot more than our own. People here don't use cash all that much anymore, but they do come back with a bunch of change when they go to Germany.

[@yiannchrst]

I was on my way to right this exact comment lol

[@DalaiDrama-hp6oj]

@@jbird4478 But you have all the bridges now in your country that certainly makes up for it, right? 😂 -> kzbin.info/www/bejne/kHy5mGttoq93j8U&ab_channel=AnthonyFrancis-Jones

[@LunaBianca1805]

@@jbird4478 It's probably also us Germans that either come during their vacation or those that live close to the border and come for shopping trips (guilty of both every once in a while, the Dutch border is pretty close to us, I'm from North Rhine Westphalia) and bring their physical money along 😅

[@wolf1066]

When I visited Tahiti, there were two sets of coins that were in common currency: _Établissements Français de l’Océanie_ and _Polynésie Française_ and I think I also encountered some marked _Nouvelle Calédonie_ as well. Of course, I wanted to collect one of each denomination and used to search through my change after every transaction to see if I could find one I didn't already have. Didn't succeed in getting them all.

[@FMLPanda123]

An Important thing to remember in why the EU doesn't want to show favouritism on its bank notes dates back to one of the reasons the EU was conjured up in the first place. Peace keeping on the European continent, mainly to try and stop countries from fuelling another countries invasions of other European nations, especially post WW1 and WW2. Monetary Neutrality is a key aspect of the Euro and is a key part of keeping the EU a diplomatically "clean" block of countries. In your day to day life in an EU country, you pay more attention to notes than you do coins, hence why the notes are only printed by the ECB (European Central Bank) while coins can be minted by each nation in the EU with their own designs. There's a subliminal notion to it as well, as coins are traded between nations, and as people move from country to country, as do the coins. Due to population size of some countries, some are "rarer" to see around the EU countries more than others like Malta, Luxembourg and Cyprus. As those coins make their way around Europe, and more Europeans see those coins, they learn a little something about their neighbours which helps to forge a better relationship with those countries in the future. Basically the simple answer is, its not representation for the sake of representation. Its called Diplomacy, something that was lacking pre-1940s europe and the goal of the EU and the Euro is to try and keep diplomatic tensions between European nations as low as humanely possible. That means, Ultimately, not seeming to show favourability towards the largest nations in the EU like France, Germany, Italy or Spain.

[@diazinth]

yeah, and a short look at the wikipedia article for "conflicts in europe" paints a pretty good picture of why favoritism is avoided. We killed around 50 (?) million people in wars and genocides last century alone.

[@nadinefeiler9204]

There is another reason. Forging Coins would be far less profitable, if at all. So it is much lwss necessary that people are familiar with their exact design . If you get a 2 Euro coin of a unknown design it is mostly a curiosity not a forgery

[@Nico-sq1xc]

​@@diazinthMore, much more.

[@johnnyringo80]

The coins are also universal, they just have different designs. And while they are most dominant in their respective homecountry, travelers and tourists bring them around so you'll usually have a mixed collection in your change. Just checked my wallet, and while being in Germany, I have found an Italian Euro, a Spanish 20c and a rare Slovenian 10c (never seen that one before, but it has a nice cathedral on it) in my change. That's Europe.

[@vkdrk]

It's worth mentioning that the front of these coins is the same. It's only the rear side that is different depending on where they are from. Before we switched our currency to Euro (2009) in Slovakia, the National Bank of Slovakia asked us to vote on the design of our new coins :) I think the Euro is one of those things that shows us how diverse Europe is while reminding us how close and connected we are Speaking of the criteria to join Eurozone, there are countries such as Poland, Czech Republic which could already switch to euro but they don't want to, so they make sure they never technically meet the criteria (on paper) and there are countries like Romania who want to be part of the Eurozone but they actually don't meet the criteria 🙃

[@janslavik5284]

EY SHHHH, don't let our secrets out like that bro... i mean, ehhh, no no we Czechs would LOVE to have the Euro, it's just that our country eeeehh isn't ready yet. yeah

[@avsbes98]

I think that the Euro Coins are the perfect Metaphor for us citizens of the European Unions, our cultures, nations, etc. on one side we are all different, but on the other side, we are part of a bigger whole, united with our fellow Europeans. In Varietate Concordia.

[@pok81]

@Vladimir24SK nah that's bs. Nobody is forced to use the EUR after meeting any citeria so no need to trick that way.

[@vkdrk]

@@pok81 it's actually not BS...when countries want to join the EU, they sign an agreement (part of the application) that they will eventually join Eurozone €

[@pok81]

@@vkdrk ok.. i just did some research and it seems you are absolutely right. Yeah EU members should join eurozone. I'm sorry.. i wasn't aware of this. Please accept my apologies.

[@Tim_Nilsson]

The Swedish population voted against adopting the Euro in 2003 so Sweden has deliberately avoided fulfilling the criteria ever since. ;) Technically we are obliged to adopt it sometime in the future. Denmark has an actual opt out which the rest of the countries doesn't have.

[@Sam_Guevenne]

I thought we had that too?

[@JelmerStienstra]

Wish our government was as smart as the Danish, with opting out of Maastricht and Dublin… it is going to get messy 🇳🇱

[@HappyCatholicDane]

⁠@@JelmerStienstraWe didn’t opt out of Dublin. Denmark got four exemptions after our electorate voted against Maastricht. They were. 1. The common currency. Denmark have since had another referendum on the matter, once again rejecting to join. I wish we would. 2. The common security policy. Denmark had a new referendum in 2022, where a large majority decided to remove the opt out. 3. The police and justice part of the EU. Which is still in effect, since a second referendum confirmed we should. It does creates some unfortunate issues with EUROPOL, and should be abolished. 4. Any EU citizenship that were to replace the National one. This opt out never became relevant, as the EU citizenship was confirmed by Amsterdam to be an add on to the national one, not a replacement.

[@HappyCatholicDane]

@@JelmerStienstra Also the Danish kroner have been pegged to the Euro since it’s inception, and was pegged to the German D-Mark before that (since the 80’s). Meaning we basically follow the monetary policy of the ECB, with just slightly higher interest rates.

[@justADeni]

Same here in Czech Republic. However I love the Euro and i wish we finally adopted it. Even though our bills are prettier.

[@wncjan]

Actually you don't have to be in EU to use Euro. Montenegro uses the Euro without being a member of EU. To join a country must have price stability, sound and sustainable public finances, exchange rate stability and long-term interest rates.

[@walkir2662]

And Denmark avoids those to stay out. Well, the specific limits, not the concepts.

[@edipires15]

@@walkir2662 Denmark has an opt-out on the Euro. It's Sweden that deliberately fails to meet the criteria

[@pialindh8716]

@@edipires15 Don´t lie. What do you mean by Sweden that deliberately fails to meet the criteria? We haven´t failed in anything! Sweden has been a member of the European union sins 1995. When they change to Euro, Sweden choose to keep their ordinary Krona as currency, because we benefits more from it financially, just like all the other countries in the North. (Denmark Norway Finland)

[@edipires15]

@@pialindh8716 You deliberately refuse to join the ERM II mechanism which is required for joining the Euro. Unlike Denmark, you don’t have an opt-out on the matter (which begs the question why you didn’t ask for one) which means (technically) you are obliged to join the Euro at some point.

[@pialindh8716]

@@edipires15 No, we are not obliged to join the Euro market. It´s a free choice, and Sweden choose not to.

[@martinaklee-webster1276]

Whenever I get my hands on 2€ coins, I first check, If I already have them. Each Country has their own collection, Ireland a Harp, Germany an Eagle, Finland some flying geese, Spain a portrait of the King, and so on. And there are always new Designs, so I have at least 200€ worth coins, and always on the hunt for some more. 🙋🇩🇪🇪🇺

[@MrDefaultti]

Do you have Finnish 1 and 2 cent coins? Those were made but we don't use them (higly collectable). I remember when used to live in Germany, when people started counting those in store. I can hardly think of anything more annoying 😂 We just round things up or down to nearest 5 cent.

[@martinaklee-webster1276]

No, I only look for new 2€ Coins. In ten Years, it will make a huge part of my Pension.😂

[@daydreamfighter961]

Finnish 1 euro coin features flying swans ( Cygnus cygnus) and 2 euro coin features cloudberries.

[@scipioafricanus5871]

As EU is a union of national states a common currency is a loss of national sovereignty so it is important for each country not to feel they are being culturlly dominated by another countries symbols on the banknotes.

[@linnchevalier4430]

Yeah I just came here to add: Sweden doesn't have Euro because there was a vote among the Swedish population and Euro was voted against. If we wanted to have Euro, we would have it. (I remember when the vote happened but I was just a child back then). Just wanted to clarify that if someone hadn't done it already 🥰

[@HailHeidi]

I appreciate the clarification!

[@7Rendar]

Yeah, I'm not sure why he said we don't qualify. I was a child at the time too, but I believe swedes said no so then the government said to the EU "we'll do the switch, just not right now...". It's a little bit like the US's switch to metric, which certainly will happen any day now... 😅

[@birchleaf]

Well…. We first signed a treaty which says we have to adopt the euro, once we meet the criteria. We then, quite oddly, had a referendum about the currency, and a majority voted against, but since we have agreed to adopting it as soon as we meet the criteria, we fail to meet the criteria on purpose. We could meet the criteria if we wanted to, but then we would have to adopt the euro since we already signed a treaty to do it. I think it’s a scandal. We signed the treaty, after having voted on joining the EU according to the rules of the treaty, and then we have a second referendumon something we already agreed to do? It’s weird and deceitful. If you sign an agreement, you should fulfill it.

[@Myjacob99]

@@7Rendar I wouldn't be so sure about, the rest of the world would probably switch to imperial before the US switches to metric

[@MLWitteman]

Even though the bridges on the notes were fictional designs. They have however become real bridges in a city in the Netherlands. The Eurobridges Spijkenisse, locally known as the Spijkenisser Eurobruggen, is an applied arts project in the city of Spijkenisse, in the Dutch province of South Holland. The project was realized in the residential area Het Land. The bridges were designed to represent the images on the backside of euro banknotes. The bridges of the 10 and 50 euro banknotes were opened on 26 October 2011 by the then Queen's commissioner of South Holland Jan Franssen. The 5 and 20 banknotes were placed after with only one side representing the banknotes. The 200 eurobridge would be placed on 17 October 2012. On 26 September 2013, the final eurobridges were placed representing the 100 and 500 banknotes. The bridges were designed by Robin Stam. They are made from a concrete base with coloured concrete panels placed on the sides.

[@realdigitalthangka]

And here's the video kzbin.info/www/bejne/iWqoYqqprbSGsK8

[@gwaptiva]

Tom Scott was there! kzbin.info/www/bejne/iWqoYqqprbSGsK8

[@olli__]

you can use the coins in any euro country :D everyone just has their own designs :)

[@ajstyles177]

oh of course it would be a really big deal if some countrys were underrepresented. We went to war against each other for way more insignificant reasons than that.

[@mumblic]

11:00 Every country has it's own versions of the coins, accepted everywhere.

[@j.p.7462]

The coins were awesome when the Euro was put in circulation. At first you would only see coins from your own country, but as time went on you would find coins from neighbouring countries, then coins from one country over, and finally coins from all over Europe. Some would still be more rare than others depending where you lived. I'm not a collector but I would imagine there's an enormous amount of different coins nowadays since they keep introducing new designs from all over the place. It would have been amazing if this was also the case for the banknotes!

[@oskar6747]

Here in Finland we still see mostly Finnish, Estonian and German coins. Others are kinda rare.

[@oskar6747]

At least there used to be a website where you could type the serial numbers of banknotes to see if that same note has been seen by someone else on the site.

[@anashiedler6926]

Before the Euro the currency of Austria was called "Schilling" - many Americans at that time - mixed this up with the UK currency called "Shilling", which was a completely different currency.

[@gmchris3752]

In the US, we have a similar thing between bills and coins. People get REALLY bent out of shape about bills (sometimes with reasons), but for quarters and dollar coins, for example, we've honored (in the last 30 years alone): all 50 states+territories, the national parks, famous American women, Sacajawea, all the presidents, the patent office, and probably a few other people/things.

[@Earwen999]

About the decision to choose non-existed architectural designs: I think the main reason lies in the cultural, political and economical disparency between the different EURO countries. The are "big countries", such France, Germany, Italy, who would have more prevalent status in European politics than some of the smaller countries. This is obviously due to having larger populations, and economies and therefore more political power than some of the smaller countries. In smaller countries, this sometimes creates a feeling that the large countries "rule over" the smaller countries. This can lead to dissatisfaction of being a member. So in order to diminish this effect getting stronger by choosing eg. well known French or Italian architecture on the currency, they have decided not to favor any country. Coming from a smaller EU country, I think it's a smart idea and at least in my country, I think it worked.

[@Earwen999]

And then again, the coin designs for each country, they are kind of a way of having "something of our own". Despite the "native design" for each country, these can be used in any EURO country, so they start to mix up and the larger economies do get more represented. Now, as the coins have been in use for quite some time, my personal experience is that in my country the most common types are the native, German and Spanish coins.

[@filipv.5019]

Belgium printed a 2 Euro coin to remember the 200 anniversary of the battle of Waterloo (place near Brussels) where Napoleon has been defeated in 1815. But due to a veto of France (they lost that battle) the coins have not been brought in circulation ! See why the notes are neutral …

[@Devillunar]

Euros are produced by the individual countries. There are some countries who aren't in the EU but still use Euro as their currency (Like the examples of the video: San Marino or the Vatican City) these mint their own Euros as well (Although for both of these examples they are minted in Italy, because both of them are tiny countries). Every banknote is standard looking. So the paper money does not have any specific country on them. While the coins are individual on the back side for every country. So the side where the value is given is identical, while the back side is something that the specific country has chosen. And Euro coins are valid in every Eurozone country (The part of EU who uses Euro). So I could have an Italian 5 cent coin, a French 10 cent coin and, for good measure, an Irish 2 euro coin; and I could use them here in Germany without any problems.

[@SomeGuy699]

Just to clarify, you can use the coins on any country. Its really cool for example when you are in France paying for something and you are given some spanish cent coins as change. It really shows the money "circulating" between the countries.

[@Harv72b]

As an American traveling in the EU post-euro, the biggest changes for me were first getting used to the sheer amount of _color_ in European bank notes (as opposed to our all-green lineup), and second adjusting the amount of full euro coins in circulation. In the US most of us have a tendency to just pocket our coins whenever we receive change and forget about them until we eventually exchange them for "real" money at a bank or wherever, but in Europe you'll quickly end up with a pocket full of one & two euro coins and a completely empty wallet. Not such a big deal nowadays when most our of payments are processed electronically, but still something you'll want to keep in mind when you travel there.

[@matteocolpo7140]

12:16 coins can be used in every country as well, I think maybe their design is country-specific so you know which country emitted 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@uewofrey]

You asked: 'Where do you have to be or what do you have to do to use the Euro?' Well, these are the criteria: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euro_convergence_criteria Hope this helps!

[@patrickschindler2583]

In the days of the Deutsche Mark, there was a security thread that went through the banknotes to protect against counterfeit money. When the euro was introduced, more security features were added. At the tills, the cashiers have halogen pens to check the banknotes. In addition, the banknotes with the fantasy buildings are all uniform. No nation has any advantage here. With the coins, however, each country is allowed to emboss its identity on the reverse. So you can quickly see where the coin comes from!

[@rasmuswi]

Orion is actually one of the more interesting constellations in the Northern sky. A huge molecular cloud spans most of it. And since molecular clouds are what stars are made of, the cloud contains several stellar nurseries, of which the Orion nebula just below the belt is the most well-known. It contains hundreds of new-born stars, and stars that are just about to start shining. Also, since the brightest and hottest stars have the shortest lifespans, they tend to be found more or less where they were born (in contrast, the sun has orbited the milky way around 20 times since it was born, so we know very little about its birthplace, and which other stars were born there), and Orion is therefore home to several very bright and hot stars, including bright and hot Rigel, bright and cool Betelgeuse, super hot Alnitak in the belt, and many more. The famous horse head nebula, that you might have seen, is actually a gas cloud that glows red because it's heated by Alnitak.

[@Elementalism.]

So to clarify the coins thing: Every country mints their own Euro coins, with their own designs on the back. But regardless what is on the back, they are still accepted in all Euro accepting countries. So, while i have multiples of most denominations, no coin in my wallet is the same, and one can only imagine how these coins from across Europe ended up here.. It also makes me slightly jealous, thinking that these coins have probably traveled the world more then me ^^

[@riker1701D]

Heidi wonders why so much importance is attached to the fact that no Euro country feels underrepresented in the design of the banknotes, but isn't that the same in the USA with the religions and ethnic groups? In Europe, people wish each other a Merry Christmas and a Happy Easter, but in the United States, this has been turned into a Happy Holiday, so that no non-Christian religion feels underrepresented. Or that in series and cinema films from America always all in the States living Etnien must be represented, so that not one Etnie feels underrepresented. Is here the same with the euro banknotes. What would have been the screaming, if there had been German, but no Dutch, Austrian, but no Italian motifs, etc.? So the solution was ingenious.

[@markusschenkl7943]

The coins are also valid in every country of the Euro-Zone. You can find French, Italian, Austrian etc. in Germany and vice versa. The coins DO travel! 😉

[@bernhardneef7996]

The coin front size is uniform all over the EU but the reverse side may be different to the country

[@mleys3248]

"The worlds coolest banknotes" is giving me Sheldons "Fun with flags" vibes (The big bang theory) 🙂

[@lokishadowcat]

Each country has its own coins that's why there is no problem. These coins can and are used in every eurozone country and obviously have the same face value. When the € was introduced it was rare for you to find a coin from other countries but as time went by and people travelled we started to see different coins here and there... In Portugal, where I'm from, 1st I staryed to handle the Spanish printed ones, then the French and German but now over 20 years later, basically every day you handle cool and different coins from all over the place. They all have the same face value so we can have really nice colections. If you have portuguese coins you can travel to Germany and use them there and bring back German coins... However these days the coins are all mixed up already. I am portuguese and sometimes I don't see a Portuguese coin for weeks, even though I handle them every day!

[@PierreMiniggio]

Yeay ! Congrat' on making the decision to visit Europe ! Hope you'll enjoy it here 😁 0:41 Also, "french" fries actually are more Belgium than French ahah 😂

[@GerritDeSmedt]

Aye, /sigh. As much as the "L'Académie française" tries for ages to protect the French language. We as Belgians try to protect our fries & beers... Imagine a country of only 15million people where every village has at least 4 "Fries shack" competing locally for the top spot of "fries, home made meat & meat sauces". That is Belgium.. France nor the world can't compete in fries. & no : we don't want it to be called "Belgian or Flemish fries". It's "Frieten"

[@PierreMiniggio]

@@GerritDeSmedt I've to say that the french region I currently live in makes some pretty decent fries they cook in duck fat 😋 I think that's the only region that could compete. I loved the fries when I visited Brussels 🥰

[@DJone4one]

So the big advantage of euros is that you can shop within Europe without necessarily having to exchange your money. It is good that the euro notes have so many security features, because the counterfeiters are also getting better and better. That's why the 500 euro note has been withdrawn from circulation, so that no major damage can be done with it. But it may happen that in 5 or 10 years, the banknotes will look somewhat different again, because the security features will have been copied again by the counterfeiters. In Germany, we have the euro coins, which also represent each federal state in a seperate collection. In normal we have the brandenburg gate and the german eagle. Unfortunately, I personally still lack the coins of Saarland, Thuringia and Hamburg.

[@cellevangiel5973]

A detail about the Italian Lire and the Pound. Lire is the Italian word for pound. Not the money but the weight. And they both refered to the weight, one pound of silver, that was the value. Not any more isn't it.

[@Paul-ng3xn]

I do remember the time when each country had its own currency. It was in '97 or '98 and I had a holiday job in a big themepark. Said themepark allowed people from other European countries to pay in their own currencies and also in US dollars. Wich was no big deal when using a cash register, but they send me out with an icecream card with no calculator. And lots of foreign tourist wanting to pay with their own coins. It was so bad that eventually I gave up and just used an estimate.😅

[@LynxLord1991]

Europa is from a Greek mosaic and that was a very American way of thinking of representation. You gotta remember we have killed each other for far longer than your country has existed we are all very individual countries and cultures who are very proud of it even sometimes of things we have done to our neighbours as you can imagine it would be bad favouring a country over others. That like agreeing that some countries deserve more respect for its history or art, imagine America had to use our coins but its art not being allowed on the coins as proud as you are for your founding fathers, Europe knows that humans are willing to follow symbols and banners we done it through history, some wars have been fought over symbols its just human nature its better not taking the chance

[@derKarl_stp]

hey, Karl from Austria here because of the money topic with banknotes and coins, the thing is, the notes are the ones visually controlled the most and there it does make sense to avoid any "favourite" landmarks as there are too many places all over Europe however on the coins things are different as they only got one backside with different design (the front always stays the same) and when you get your change back you can actually try to see where your money has come from... this is quite interesting from time to time to see where you coins had their origin at (and it is nice to see special editions being made for certain things) like the Vatican coins that matched the popes they had during the time they were stamped and so you can find various designs from the same country on the same coin if you get a certain timespan that you collect paper notes however have to be switched out from time because they simply age faster and start to slowly "break" and then it is easier to have only one big place where money is being printed and has the same quality all over Europe... coins can be stamped faster and are made in several locations under high security supervision and as said, the coin is less visual when compared to paper money with actual visual design on a larger scale so which country landscape should be on a banknote? for example should it be the "Kölner Dom" or "Notre Dame" when it comes to represent a certain architectural design? exactly this is the problem because then it still wouldn't be "one shared money system" with only certain landmarks being shown and for security reasons it would be way too hard to "handcheck" like 300 different designs on paper money than get the value on coins the coins for example are less likely to be counterfeit money so there a variying design can be made as it does not affect the overall design I hope this helps a bit with the (rather complicated) things behind this system and yes, this system actually does not favour a specific country but still makes it possible for countries to represent themself via their own coin designs on the backside

[@beldin2987]

If Euro notes were a movie, you could say they are full of easter eggs 😄😄

[@martinhuhn7813]

Well, imagine how people would react in the US, if you proposed to get rid of the Dollar and replace it with a shared currency with all the south american nations. It would be called the Amerino and all the notes depicted things, which specifically represent the cultural herritage of certain countries in south america. Don´t you think, that many people in the US might find that hard to accept? And don´t you think, that people in south america would feel bad, if the US said: "No, no, we are too important, the money must show US-motives?" If you want to sell your public the idea of a common currency with totally different nations (which all have been at war with each other for most of written history), you better try to find motives, which do not make people feel, that they and they currency have just been taken over by some oft those other nations. Coins can be produced by each individual country with individual motives without an increased risk of fake money. If somebody really produces a convincing fake 2€ coin, that is propably worth more than 2€ anyways. But when it comes to paper, that should better look relyably consistent everywhere. You do not want the French to wonder, weather this strange looking 50€ note from Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany or Greece is real.

[@Alias_Anybody]

Important correction: Just like the US have their fancy president quarters and alternative dollar coins, EVERY Euro country has their own set of coins with the same front but different motives on the back. Just like the dollars they are however universal currency and worth the same (except for collectors, a Maltese one is gonna be a magnitude more rare than a German one). Even in smaller countries the national coins are usually the most frequent ones though, therefore if you travel through Europe you can also start a collection more easily. Oh, and for the record, the Euro has an actual equivalent to the quarters, every country does like 2-10 special 2€ coins per year for some event. Also universal currency of course.

[@rekkaus]

You CAN use these coins in very EU country. But each country CAN make they own version of these coins.

[@therealdutchidiot]

Every bridge was built as a joke in the town of Spijkenisse in the Netherlands. The ultimate troll.

[@glaubhafieber]

Just don’t pay with euros in Switzerland. We found another way to make stuff even more expensive 😂

[@gabrielgomescunha]

The coin situation is simple. Every country has a series of coins dedicated to it but it's valid across all euro countries. And as you travel you gather different coins from different countries. It's why it's fun to collect them. And also cheaper than collecting notes

[@helloweener2007]

The criteria for joining the Euro is called Euro convergence critieria or Masstrich criteria. - HICP inflation under 1.5% - Gouverment budget deficit, the new debts in a year should not be more than 3§ of the GDP, the total of debts not more than 60% of the GDP. (the US could not join as the debts are over 120% of the GDP) - exchange rate stability. two years without debasement against the Euro - Long-term-interest-rates (gouverment bonds) should not be more than 2% percent points higher than the average of the three most stable Euro countries. 4 countries have the Euro without being in the EU Andorra, San Marino, Monacco and the Vatican.

[@MaSsiVeGaming1]

The reason bank notes don't include specific landmarks is because these are historical countries after all so it wouldn't be appropriate or wise for one country to have someone else's landmarks on their money given the history of conflict in Europe. Keeping it more generic and representative of the various types of European architecture from across the centuries keeps the peace. Coins on the other hand are still minted featuring national themes in each individual country and they can be used in the other Eurozone nations.

[@butenbremer1965]

Never thought these 0€ bills were actually being authorized by our ECB! If I had known this, I would have obtained at least one bill....

[@P0L_03]

It’s not the value of the coins that changes across the countries, it’s the design of those that does. The value of the euro coins is the same everywhere: 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 & 50 cents and 1 & 2€. In the other hand, every country has it’s own design on the back of them. The front face it’s the same tho, so it’s easily recognizable. Size and colour the same too. Hope it helps 😉

[@pasiojala3227]

At least in Finland we don't use 1 and 2-cent coins. Mostly only Germans are fussy enough about money to use them. While the calculations are performed with the full cent-accuracy, all cash transactions are rounded to the nearest 5 cents.

[@P0L_03]

@@pasiojala3227 Here in Catalonia, at least I used to pay with 1 and 2 cent coin for two main reasons. To get the ones I would get in change out of my wallet, and bc I ain’t paying you more than I have to. But now I don’t use cash anymore I just use my credit card sooo..

[@SolaufeinG]

a common currency between different countries is like a basket, before a picnic. Everyone can put things inside, some will put flowers some will put sandwiches or maybe a good salad. But there always be a "kid" who wants to put a full 80's stereo (with batteries for a day) and 96 beers. That is the "requirements" in raw, to join a common currency. You need to behave and have proven capable of do it. (sorry for language, not my native :)) Edit: the 500€ " damn its pink" euro note. The thing that you can "go missing" ... and have a heart attack (i keep a couple around, gonna give them to my kids someday)

[@jensschroder8214]

What I wanted to tell. Before the euro, the EU had an accounting currency, the ECU. All payments to the EU were converted, then it was decided how much money should be spent on what and then calculated back into national currencies. The exchange rates of the major currencies were largely stable. These were finally fixed with the euro and converted into the new euro currency.

Just out of curiosity, I checked a coin bag where I put my spare coins, and I found I have 7 different designs of the 10 cents piece from 7 different countries ;)

[@MikkoRantalainen]

It wasn't explained in the video but the coins are country specific. The tails side of the coin has images specific for that country and the numerator side is common for all Euro countries. Most EU countries mint their own coins to the common spec and the country specific customization is strictly regulated. It's kind of interesting to see what kind of change you get because the coins slowly mix around the EU but you can always see the origin of the coin.

[@saladspinner3200]

It actually is explained in the video :)

[@gonace]

I'm swedish and remember the vote for the Euro quite clear, it was the first time I was able to vote on something since I was underage before the 2003 Swedish euro referendum!

[@grahamgresty8383]

You can spend the coins anywhere in the Eurozone: so an Italian 10 cent can be spent in Germany, for example. UK notes are polymer so will survive being washed!

[@senor-achopijo3841]

The thing with coins is EVERY single Euro country has its own designs, not just some of them. As for bank notes, my guess is that, since they represent larger ammounts of money, they have to be more standardized so that you don't counterfeit bills from one country and try to use them in another country. I'm not an expert, though, so I could be wrong.

[@AurelAvramescu]

The coins are not used in specific countries, but are minted in different countries and then each country is using his own design on the back, the front is looking always the same, but the banknotes are issued strictly by ECB (European Central Bank). With a coin minted in Germany I can pay in Italy and vice-versa.

[@ronnyhansson8713]

sweden does technicaly qualify (at least we used to) but we all (sweden and the EU) pretend sweden dont qualify (sweden has not negotiated away the euro - denmark did when membership was voted and signed)

[@ESMOKER1980]

Because international trade deals hardly ever are paid in coins.......

[@echoskelet]

No the coins are also used in the eu. It is just a stamp of which country it was made in. Also from what year it is.

[@Osti67]

The fun part about the coins is, that they are all equal on front, but the backs vary from country to country. But since they are used all over Europe, when I open my wallet here in Germany, I find coins from all areas of the European Union :) BTW how would you feel if the 20 Dollar Bill would not feature a President, but instead a Governor from a specific state, wouldn`t that be weird?

[@Kompromist]

The bills are printed in the EZB (European Central Bank) ONLY! The coins are individually made by each country and spread all over the EU. So you have Euro-Coins from Cyprus in Germany, from Spain in Finnland. They are all Euros but have individual pictures at their backs to see, where they are from. Would be like Texas, Ohio or Montana making their own Dollar-Design for the coins. But the paper money comes from the FEDs only.

[@JacobBax]

There are 15 countries where the euro banknotes are printed. The number or code strated with P is printed in The Netherland Z in Belgium, U in France and so on, but all are the same ofcourse. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euro_banknotes

[@WillTellU]

while all these security features are well known and documented online, because there are lots of people using the money it gets noticed, so these details aren't meant to stop counterfeiting, but make it too expensive for all but the most dedicated. If you can stop someone with a cheap printer from printing 20 euro bills for less than 20 euros, it's a win, and while some criminal organization might be big enough to set up a printing job to actually make it profitable, each security feature makes it more expensive. And notes are only worth what is printed on them, so as long as printing counterfeits is more expensive than actual bills, it will never work! So the coins are like, low value, only going up to 2 euros, which is basically 2 dollars. So everyone can make their own coins as it's neat and doesn't affect the currency's security, as minting thousands of counterfeit 2 euro coins would likely not be worthwhile. And since all euros are of the same value, be it a euro coin minted in france or a euro coin minted in estonia, they are both worth the same. Hence not disrupting the equality of nations withing the eu. We are all members of the union and have the same rights. But for high value bills you want them secure and reliable, so all the eurozone uses a standard that can't be negotiated - each country printing their own high value euro bills would over-complicate testing their validity. So all bills are standard here and coins just have to follow some rules. And it's not like coins don't follow some rules to keep the safe. They have groves and stuff... do you ever fear counterfeiters making loads of quarters to cash them in and ruin the american economy? I'd hope not, because it's a wasteful endeavor. Also, all the coins can be used in all of the eu, so me in lithuania getting a coin minted in like portugal is pretty neat, since it's basically the other side of the continent.

[@andrei.dmitriev.5G]

This difference between banknotes and coins regarding unified vs different designs is mostly technical when companies and banks operate with them large-scale. For banknotes it’s cheaper to have unified design, because banknotes checkers and receivers systems are more expensive when there are many designs instead of only one. But for coin receivers it’s the same price, because they can only check one side plus weight plus shape that are unified and that will be enough security for such small value of coins, while keeping coin seekers happy.

[@maegalodonus]

The bank notes are printed by the ECB and all have the exact same design because 1) there are like 20 countries in the Euro and you can't represent them all and 2) if every country printed their own notes there would be like 200 different bank notes designs, which isn't exactly the smartest thing to do to prevent counterfeit... With coins is different because counterfeit is not an issue, so every country has its own design in the reverse of the coins. They are still Euro currency and accepted in every country that uses the Euro, of course. Except the 1cent and 2cent coins that a couple of countries don't accept anymore because it's not worth the hassle.

[@RaduRadonys]

The conditions to adopt euro are quite harsh, for instance the inflation must be below 4.9%, the Debt-to-GDP ratio must be below 60%, the budget deficit must be below 3%, etc, and what's funny is that most Eurozone countries don't fulfill these conditions anymore :)) Meaning you must fulfill them to join, but you don't have to maintain them afterwards...

[@achimgeist5185]

Yes, today no one oft the € countries meets the criteria for the € currency not even germany and the EZB overstretched their mandate. The € is a currency in decline.

[@Felipe.N.Martins]

@12:00 Each country can change a detail or two in the design of their coins, but they are almost the same (same size an color for the same value). But you can use all the coins in every country in the Euro zone. When you are in Europe, look for the different images in the coins! :-)

[@SpyGenesis]

It's great to hear that Heidi is coming to Europe this summer. Your trip will certainly be worth the time and money. This continent is a great place to visit despite which country you'll go to. Every country has it's own charm and history to enjoy.

[@jacktattersall9457]

Sweden meets the criteria just refuses to use the Euro like Denmark does too.

[@Beggar42]

12:03 ... Coins from any member country are legal in any other member country (that's why the tails side is identical). To a Belgian this is second nature as we used to have a monetary union with Luxembourg, pre-euro and you'd occasionally get a Luxembourghish coin or banknote among your change. I currently have coins from Belgium, France, Germany, Austria, Spain and the Netherlands in my wallet.

[@AnnekeOosterink]

The thing about representation is, if you are represented, in media or wherever, you're unlikely to care about it. If you have something it doesn't feel important. But if you never ever see yourself or your culture or country represented anywhere, that feels like people do not care, and honestly, it IS a sign that people don't care.

[@NikesZ28]

The criteria part im not so sure about, dont know about other countries but Sweden dont have the Euro cause we voted not to join in a public election. But the value of 1 Euro is different in different countries so is not as simple as the video might make it out to be.

[@AnickaSR]

Yes, US banknotes seemed so fake when I first touched them. 😅

[@mattijohansen3471]

The differences and the design choices with bills and coins are pretty simple. Bills, take much more to produce. So they are made from a central place. While coins can be minted at a local level. You do not need printers and such for that. So countries can put art or "culture" things on the coins. But its still the same value. A Italian Euro is the same as a German Euro. A bit like how you have coins in the US. they change design over the years, however you can still pay with the old coin despite it being a different design, because the value is the same. So, the reason for the bill to be uniform, is because it takes a lot to produce it, all that safety, printers and so on. A coin not so much. So its a matter of making the cost of making money as low as possible. Because it does not make sense to use tax money on expensive money. It can seem a bit silly just on the surface. However it really is very simple and logic. Also why they do not put well known things from Europe on the bills. There is a logic to it. When you have a group that goes together to do something together, every party in the group have the right to be heard. That means if the notes, made at select locations because of how expensive and complicated it is, should have different landmarks. Groups with representatives from every nation would need to work on what monuments to use. Meaning finding them. representing them. then choosing. Then designed them, then print them. Every time they change. The cost of this, and the work it would take would be pointless. Its something that does not really matter. Now you just have to design fictive notes based on the overall settings. Much cheater, and much less work. Even the nation that does not use the Euro, like Denmark and England who choose not to. You can still pay and use the Euro. Its not as easy as an Euro using nation, but by law most places are required to take Euro. The Euro is about what Europe is trying to do. Make it easier to be a simple human living there. Most of what they do are not for big companies, or the 1%. But for the average person. Free travel between nations, rights to work in different nation. meaning freedom for each person to live and choose there life. And travel to see family or do a job even in another nation. Or the Euro. Just going shopping across the border. Its about making things easier. Same way EU have made a new law about something as simple as adapters. It might seem as a small thing. many Americans might even say the government should not restrict companies this way. But its done for the average person living in the EU. How many adapters do people have.. Different phones, Ipads, laptops what ever. Companies make millions having there own adapter that you are forced to buy. Wasting your money. And created a lot of waste that drain resources. So the EU have by law set, every company have to use one type of adapter. For phones, laptops, printers what ever. So apple can't overcharge you for a special adapter. You do not have 20 adapters laying around. And the ones you have you can use for everything in your house that use adapters. This makes life easier for the average person. It saves them money. And it reduce waste, plastic, electronics and so on. A good thing, yet Apple spend millions of dollars fighting it, why is this important. Well that is the difference between EU and the US. In the US they would lobby it, so they could keep milking the consumer. In the EU they try to protect the consumer, aka the people who live there against it. And that is how it is with most things. Is the EU perfect. No, nothing is. No government is. But its far better than most, and they actually do work for the average person. And even when they fail. its important to remember, looking into the future, what you can achieve in a large group, is far more than you can on your own. If you alone do everything right, you will most of the time still get less than the bigger group who only does 80% right. Together our possibilities becomes much bigger.

[@gowest19]

Hi Heidi, the Euro banknotes has a different size so it is harder to copy them. Look at the US Dollar notes same size from 1 to 1 Grant. The coins have unique design on the backsite,frontsite is equal in all EURO membernations,you can pay it all over.

[@jbird4478]

That's not to make it harder to copy. It's to make it easier for blind people to tell them apart.

[@twenteeen]

The reason why there's a design difference between coins and banknotes is really simple. No one is going to go through the trouble of counterfitting coins, because it's simply not economical. Whereas banknotes would be. So banknotes need to be universal. Slight design differences in coins will have less of an impact on whether or not they are going to be counterfitted.

[@BrandonCallifornia]

The ECB is printing the euro bills… the coins are produced in every member country from the respective countries central bank.

[@YoyoBleuFR]

The 500 euro note was not used by Europeans on a daily basis. In France, no distributor issued it. Rejected by the majority of merchants, the 500 euro note has seen its decline accelerate with the breakthrough of new payment methods, such as contactless, online shopping or mobile payment. The generalization of these means of payment called into question the relevance of a denomination of such a high amount. Few Europeans have had the opportunity to use the 500 euro note and nearly one in two Europeans will never have had the opportunity to see or own one. Representing only 3% of the overall volume of euros in circulation, the 500 euro note was destined to disappear. The other reason for stopping the issuance of the note is its frequent use in less than stellar business. Indeed, the note represents an asset during tax evasion, terrorist financing or money laundering. It offers the possibility of transiting huge sums of money easily and discreetly. One million euros in 500 euro notes weighs 2.2 kilos, compared to 22 kilos in 50 euro notes. In 2012, the Senate had mandated a commission of inquiry on this subject, which had specified that the end of the 500 euro note would make tax evasion more difficult.

[@chrisshelley3027]

The notes and coins can be used in any European country which accepts the currency, the individual coins from each country can be used because people like to collect the different designs, but in this cash free world physical money is becoming a thing of the past, but some older people still need this connect (I used to inspect residential homes for the elderly and people with disabilities, this is very important for some people's wellbeing and so it is important to everyone), keeping the notes "simple" is intelligent design, having notes of different value different sizes helps the blind and partially sighted, different colours and sizes for each denomination makes recognition quick and easy, we do it with coins so why not with notes? :)

[@hw2508]

This "cash free world" is a clever idea by companies like Visa and Mastercard because research has shown that people are more likely to spend money and more likely to spend more money if they pay with a card than cash. This convenient payment methods are basically one more way to get the money from the customer faster and easier. So, it is quite important to at least start learning to pay and earn with real money. You learn to count, to calculate and you learn how hard it is to earn this money and how easy it is spend if you are not careful. You know that money runs through your fingers very fast. A debit card, a credit card, or a smartphone on the other hand is just some piece of plastic and electronics and no representation for the amount you've just spend.

[@-----REDACTED-----]

Nah, a euro coin from Spain is just as valid as a euro coin from germany, you can happily use both for payment in Italy… Every member has their own back designs for each coin so it’s again all equal.

[@Trija204]

Basically, almost every country in europe has their own design on coins, BUT, they are all the exact same worth. Also they can be used everywhere in europe, (for example: a spanish 2 euro coin can be used in Poland)

[@Engy_Wuck]

the criteria for joining the Euro are: - inflation not too high (average of the three lowest plus 1.5%) - long-term interest rates (i.e. for 10-year government bonds) not too high (average of the same countries as for inflation, plus 2.0%) - government budget deficit not above 3% of GDP (including in projections for the near future, "a bit above" is OK if it can be explained by exceptional circumstances) - debt-to-GDP-ratio at 60% or lower - or "rapidly diminishing and going below if nothing catastrophic happens" or so. Probably the most ignored criterion: at the moment even Germany is at about 70% and Greece around 200% - exchange rate stability all of them of course subject to be ignored if convenient... sorry, not ignored. I mean "interpreted according to current reality". Like a certain german finance minister once argued: "3% is 3%" meaning that 3.49% can be rounded down to 3.0%...

[@JelmerStienstra]

Economic criteria (such as limited budget deficit and national debt) are not a real thing if a country wants to adopt the Euro. Actually Italy and Greece didn’t meet the criteria ever and lots of other countries did but at one point in time but do not anymore.

[@jadu79]

When it was said at the beginning that Sweden couldn't pass the limit for €, we did it, but in a referendum Sweden chose to stay outside and Denmark has your Danish kroner tied to €, so they do indeed have €, but then there's the UK, which never joined either in the collaboration. When it comes to the coins, most of the countries that invaded during WW2 did not want to be reminded of it and France has received a lot of support for their agriculture and also Spain so it has given many an eye for those errors and do not want to be reminded of it. And $ ~€ and many of the countries make their own coins and they can be used all over the EU but there are different designs on them

[@markhellemans3440]

Not only bank notes are more secure in Europe than in the US, but also credit & debit card systems and online payment are more secure. The UK is the exception, but they are no longer in the EU.

[@qualitytraders5333]

The important thing is the side of the coins that indicates the value. All coins are equally valid in every country in the eurozone.

[@enricofromm4994]

Regardless of where the coin was minted, it is accepted throughout the EU. I have Italian, French, German, Dutch coins in my purse and no shopkeeper remotely dreams of checking where it comes from. is accepted always and everywhere.

[@reefermaker]

To be officially in the Eurozone you have to be able to demonstrate financial stability and agree to certain condition. However, many EU countries accept it as an unofficial currency. The currency union is controlled by the European Central Bank. This is one of the reasons the UK didn't join the euro is because it made it more complex for the Treasury at budget times. The UK use a system known as quantitative easing. GBP is also made out of a much more complex 3D polymer material.

[@JesperSandgreen]

Both coins and bills can be used everywhere, but the coins have 1 side the same for all countries, and the ohter side is unique to each country. And the old bills was like this too.

[@7Rendar]

I've always liked cash, bills at least, but I haven't used it a single time in probably five years now. Cards or direct payments with the phone are just so much more convenient!

[@AlbandAquino]

11:27 I'll leave a couple of clues. For one, the bills are more likely to travel to different countries inside the EU, so they are more "uniform" and more easy for everyone/anyone to recognize them. Second, coins are more likely to be used locally, so following the same principle, local people are more likely to recognize a local landmark. So that while you have "fictional" landmarks (and from what I remember, that is no longer the case since an Artist from the Netherlands built all of those in the NL) on the notes, you have local landmarks on the coins. Practicality. Both can be used in any country inside the EU and have the same legal value. My 2 French "Cents". :D

[@yermanoffthetelly]

The difference between the bills and the coins are that the bills are standard. Same in every country. The coins are unique and minted in each individual country but only on the reverse side with their own national symbols. The front side is the same for every country. You can still use them across europe and are legal tender no matter where you are (in Eurozone countries obvz). If you asked a random person to empty their pockets they probably have a mixture of different European countries coins, which is kind of the point, to show how interconnected we all are.

[@TalasDD]

the critiria for using the euro are: 1 financial stability. You own currenc hast to be stable within a certain percentage (The inflation rate cannot be higher than 1.5 percentage points above the rate of the three best-performing member states.) , 2nd state debt. your country can not be overleveraged (that what caused the financial crisis in europe in 2008 Greece lied when they joined the euro). Your logterm interest rate should not be more than 2%. 3rd you have to have a low or noexistant level of corruption. 4th, you have to pay a reserve to the european central bank.

[@disobedientdolphin]

The swedish people do definitely meet the criteria to introduce the EURO and they are, in fact, obliged to do it. But the population doesn't want it.

[@RR-dl8lw]

Coins can be used everywhere. Each country has its design in one of the sides. But you May get a german coin in Portugal. Bills are the same everywhere.

[@gio87vr]

2:41 In the treaties that the European Union wrote there are several conditions to abide to enter the Euro-area, they are the "convergence criteria", for example price stability, you can find them online easily at the European Council website. 6:23 The image of Europa was taken from a vase in the Louvre in Paris, the vase is from circa 360 b.C., to give you contest Alexander the Great was born in those years, it's not some kid scribble. 10:47 Each country makes its coins, so there is no favoring, those were examples, Italy makes its coins (1 cent, 2 cent, 5 cent, 10, 20, 50, 1 euro, 2 euro), Germany makes its ones, France the same etc, so you can find 50 cent from France and 50 cent from Germany, and then you have the commemorative versions for each country and many more. And, for example, coins from Germany is fine to use in every Euro-zone country. Equality is extremely important in Europe, for centuries there were wars, country against country in all Europe, France vs England, France vs Germany, Austria-Hungary vs Sardinia kingdom + France, etc, after WWII the countries of Europe chose collaboration instead, but national pride is important, so no country should stand higher than the others, Europe must stay united, otherwise it could be bad. You saw Ukraine, we europeans must prevent that kind of horror, we keep remembering WWII in many memorials, to not forget, never again.

[@miztazed]

About the coins it is fun to collect it and even get a notice how far that little coin`s journey was to get into my pocket. And also you get remembered that we are different countries but unite in one Europe. You can pay everywhere in Europe with it no mater what symbol is on the back.