The Euro is the single currency of the European Union. It is used by about 300 million people of this education. In addition, up to 20% of euro banknotes are circulated in other countries. This popularity makes the euro attractive to all kinds of fraudsters. The quality of the fakes they produce is constantly growing. However, there are several simple ways that anyone can determine the authenticity of the euro.
Paper
Euro banknotes are printed on 100% cotton paper, which is very different from ordinary paper. For their printing, special equipment is used, some elements on their surface can be felt by touch.
Pass-through register
Pay attention to the upper left corner of the front of the bill. The denomination of the banknote indicated there is made in the form of a pass-through register, i.e. the inscription is made in the form of overlapping fragments of the front and back sides of the bill. You can see the clear inscription if you look at the banknote in the light.
Embossed printing
Some elements of the banknote are made in the form of a well-felt relief. This applies, for example, to the abbreviation of the European Central Bank (BCE, ECB, EZB, EKT, EKP) indicated in several languages. You can see this inscription at the top of the banknote.
The denomination of the banknote and some parts of the image are also well felt to the touch. If you have 200 or 500 euro bills in your hands, pay attention to the edges of their front. They have distinctive features designed for visually impaired people. In addition, the paper itself has an embossed structure. However, over time, it wears out a lot, and you should not rely on it too much.
Water marks
Look at the note in the light. If it is genuine, you will see watermarks on both sides, located in the printable area. These signs are multi-tone and represent the images of various architectural elements and the denomination of the banknote. The signs are made by changing the thickness of the paper during production. This is easily seen by comparing the brightness of different areas of the bill. Some of them will be darker.
Security thread
If you look at a Euro banknote in the light, you can see a security thread approximately in the middle of it. It is a dark line drawn from the top of the bill to the bottom. If you look closely at this line, you can see the inscription EURO and the value of the denomination of the banknote on it.
Differences between denominations
There are additional differences between large and small denominations. Look at the reverse side of the 5, 10 and 20 euro banknotes. Next to the security thread, you will see a rainbow stripe that changes color from light yellow to golden yellow.
Banknotes in denominations of 50, 100, 200 and 500 euros are distinguished by the presence of elements that change their color depending on the viewing angle. These elements are denomination designations in the lower left corner of the reverse side of the banknote. They change color from reddish purple to olive green or brown.
Ultraviolet
Having illuminated the Euro banknote with ultraviolet light, you will notice that there are no luminescent elements on it. In addition, the paper contains fibers that will be visible in three colors: red, blue and green. If the reverse side is illuminated with ultraviolet light, the map of Europe, the bridge and designations of the denomination will be colored yellow, the rest of it will be monochromatic.
