One hundred euro
(European Union[1])
Value100 euro
Width147 mm
Height82 (1st series)
77 (Europa series)[2] mm
Security featuresA hologram patch with perforations, a EURion constellation, watermarks, microprinting, ultraviolet ink, raised printing, a security thread, matted surface, see-through number, colour-changing ink, barcodes and a serial number[2]
Material usedCotton fibre[3]
Years of printing1999–2018 (1st series)[4]
Since 2018 (Europa series)[4]
Obverse
DesignWindow in the Baroque and Rococo style.[5]
DesignerRobert Kalina[6]
Design date17 September 2018[6]
Reverse
DesignBridge in the Baroque and Rococo style and map of Europe.[5]
DesignerRobert Kalina[6]
Design date17 September 2018[6]

The one hundred euro note (€100) is one of the higher value euro banknotes and has been used since the introduction of the euro (in its cash form) in 2002.[7] The note is used daily by some 343 million Europeans and in the 25 countries which have it as their sole currency (with 23 legally adopting it).[8] In July 2023, there were approximately 3,942,000,000 hundred euro banknotes in circulation in the eurozone. It is the third most widely circulated denomination, accounting for 13.3% of the total banknotes.[9]

It is the third largest note, measuring 147 millimetres (5.8 in) × 82 millimetres (3.2 in) and has a green colour scheme.[5] The hundred euro notes depict bridges and arches/doorways in the Baroque and Rococo style (17th and 18th centuries). The hundred euro note contains several complex security features such as watermarks, invisible ink, holograms and microprinting that document its authenticity.

The new banknotes of the Europa series 100 euro banknote were released on 28 May 2019.[10]

History

100 euro note of the 2002-2019 series
100 euro note of the 2002-2019 series (Obverse)
Obverse
100 euro note of the 2002-2019 series(Reverse)
Reverse

The euro was founded on 1 January 1999, when it became the currency of over 300 million people in Europe.[4] For the first three years of its existence it was an invisible currency, only used in accountancy. Euro cash was not introduced until 1 January 2002, when it replaced the national banknotes and coins of the countries in eurozone 12, such as the French franc and the Spanish peseta.[4]

Slovenia joined the Eurozone in 2007,[11] Cyprus and Malta in 2008,[12] Slovakia in 2009,[13] Estonia in 2011,[14] Latvia in 2014,[15] Lithuania in 2015[16] and Croatia in 2023.[17]

The changeover period

The changeover period during which the former currencies' notes and coins were exchanged for those of the euro lasted about two months, going from 1 January 2002 until 28 February 2002. The official date on which the national currencies ceased to be legal tender varied from member state to member state.[4] The earliest date was in Germany, where the mark officially ceased to be legal tender on 31 December 2001, though the exchange period lasted for two months more. Even after the old currencies ceased to be legal tender, they continued to be accepted by national central banks for periods ranging from ten years to forever.[4][18]

Changes

Notes printed before November 2003 bear the signature of the first president of the European Central Bank, Wim Duisenberg, who was replaced on 1 November 2003 by Jean-Claude Trichet, whose signature appears on issues from November 2003 to March 2012. Notes issued after March 2012 bear the signature of the third president of the European Central Bank, Mario Draghi.[5]

Two series of euro notes are in circulation together. The European Central Bank will, in due course, announce when banknotes from the first series are to lose legal tender status.[19]

The first series notes do not reflect the expansion of the European Union: Cyprus is not depicted on these notes as the map does not extend far enough east, and Malta is also missing as it does not meet the current series' minimum size for depiction.[20] The second series of banknotes has now been issued, with new production and anti-counterfeiting techniques, but the design is of the same theme and colours identical to the first series; bridges and arches. However, they are still recognisable as a new series.[21]

Design

The watermark on the 100 euro note.

The one hundred euro note measures at 147 millimetres (5.8 in) × 82 millimetres (3.2 in) and has a green colour scheme.[5] All bank notes depict bridges and arches/doorways in a different historical European style; the hundred euro note shows the Baroque and Rococo style (17th and 18th centuries).[22] Although Robert Kalina's original designs were intended to show real monuments, for political reasons the bridge and art are merely hypothetical examples of the architectural era.[23]

Like all euro notes, it contains the denomination, the EU flag, the signature of the president of the ECB and the initials of said bank in different EU languages, a depiction of EU territories overseas, the stars from the EU flag and twelve security features as listed below.[5]

Security features (first series)

100-euro banknote under fluorescent light (UV-A)
100 euro note under UV light (Observe)
Obverse
100 euro note under UV light (Observe)
Reverse
The hologram on the 100 euro note.
Microprinting on the 100 euro note.

The hundred euro note is protected by:

  • Colour changing ink[22] used on the numeral located on the back of the note, that appears to change colour from purple to brown, when the note is tilted.[24]
  • A see through number[22] printed in the top corner of the note, on both sides, appear combine perfectly to form the value numeral when held against the light.[25]
  • A glossy stripe,[22] situated at the back of the note, showing the value numeral and the euro symbol.[22]
  • A hologram,[22] used on the note which appears to see the hologram image change between the value and a window or doorway, but in the background, it appears to be rainbow-coloured concentric circles of micro-letters moving from the centre to the edges of the patch.[24]
  • A EURion constellation;[22] the EURion constellation is a pattern of symbols found on a number of banknote designs worldwide since about 1996. It is added to help software detect the presence of a banknote in a digital image.[22]
  • Watermarks,[22] which appear when held up to the light.[22]
  • Raised printing[22] in the main image, the lettering and the value numerals on the front of the banknotes will be raised.[26]
  • Ultraviolet ink;[22] the paper itself does not glow, fibres embedded in the paper do appear, and be coloured red, blue and green, the EU flag is green and has orange stars, the ECB President's, currently Mario Draghi's, signature turns green, the large stars and small circles on the front glow and the European map, a bridge and the value numeral on the back appear in yellow.[27]
  • Microprinting,[22] on various areas of the banknotes there is microprinting, for example, inside the "ΕΥΡΩ" (EURO in Greek characters) on the front. The micro-text is sharp, but not blurred.[27]
  • A security thread,[22] embedded in the banknote paper. The thread will appear as a dark stripe when held up to the light. The word "EURO" and the value is embedded in tiny letters on the thread.[25]
  • Perforations[22] in the hologram which will form the euro symbol. There are also small numbers showing the value.[25]
  • A matted surface;[22] the note paper is made out of pure cotton, which feels crisp and firm, but not limp or waxy.[26]
  • Barcodes,[22]
  • A serial number.[22]

Security features (Europa series)

The 100 euro notes are made of pure cotton fibre, which improves their durability as well as giving the banknotes a distinctive feel.[3] The printer code is positioned at the right of 9 o'clock star.[28]

Circulation

The European Central Bank closely monitors the circulation and stock of the euro coins and banknotes. It is a task of the Eurosystem to ensure an efficient and smooth supply of euro notes and to maintain their integrity throughout the euro area.[29]

In December 2022, there were 3,928,099,612 €100 banknotes in circulation around the euro area,[29] with a total value of €392,809,961,200.

This is a net number, i.e. the number of banknotes issued by the Eurosystem central banks, without further distinction as to who is holding the currency issued, thus also including the stocks held by credit institutions.

Besides the date of the introduction of the first set to January 2002, the publication of figures is more significant through the maximum number of banknotes raised each year. The number is higher the end of the year.

The figures are as follows:

Date Banknotes € Value Date Banknotes € Value
January 2002 364,031,436 36,403,143,600 December 2010 1,551,066,921 155,106,692,100
December 2002 673,170,705 67,317,070,500 December 2011 1,649,945,591 164,994,559,100
December 2003 809,767,028 80,976,702,800 December 2012 1,706,141,626 170,614,162,600
December 2004 919,398,800 91,939,880,000 December 2013 1,850,015,381 185,001,538,100
December 2005 1,018,442,381 101,844,238,100 December 2014 2,016,165,717 201,616,571,700
December 2006 1,116,412,654 111,641,265,400 December 2015 2,144,782,443 214,478,244,300
December 2007 1,209,329,905 120,932,990,500 December 2016 2,432,578,136 243,257,813,600
December 2008 1,381,014,947 138,101,494,700 December 2017 2,623,675,137 262,367,513,700
December 2009 1,471,861,127 147,186,112,700 December 2018 2,804,486,391 280,448,639,100

On 28 May 2019, a new 'Europe' series was issued.

The first series of notes were issued in conjunction with those for a few weeks in the series 'Europe' until existing stocks are exhausted, then gradually withdrawn from circulation. Both series thus run parallel but the proportion tends inevitably to a sharp decrease in the first series.

Date Banknotes € Value Series '1' remainder
 € Value Proportion
December 2019 3,051,003,315 305,100,331,500 2,519,442,151 251,944,215,100 82.6%
December 2020 3,366,199,769 336,619,976,900 2,260,239,741 226,023,974,100 67.1%
December 2021 3,668,655,199 366,865,519,900 2,056,740,830 205,674,083,000 56.1%
December 2022 3,928,099,612 392,809,961,200 1,813,369,801 181,336,980,100 46.2%

The latest figures provided by the ECB are the following :

Date Banknotes € Value Series '1' remainder € Value Proportion
July 2023 3,941,802,973 394,180,297,300 1,683,076,725 168,307,672,500 42.7%

Legally, both the European Central Bank and the central banks of the eurozone countries have the right to issue the 7 different euro banknotes. In practice, only the national central banks of the zone physically issue and withdraw euro banknotes. The European Central Bank does not have a cash office and is not involved in any cash operations.[4]

Tracking

There are several communities of people at European level, most of which is EuroBillTracker,[30] that, as a hobby, it keeps track of the euro banknotes that pass through their hands, to keep track and know where they travel or have traveled.[30] The aim is to record as many notes as possible in order to know details about its spread, like from where and to where they travel in general, follow it up, like where a ticket has been seen in particular, and generate statistics and rankings, for example, in which countries there are more tickets.[30] EuroBillTracker has registered over 176 million notes as of May 2018,[31] worth more than €3.257 billion.[31]

References

  1. ↑ Institutions and the members of the Eurozone
  2. 1 2 "ECB: Security Features". European Central Bank. ecb.int. 2002. Archived from the original on 2012-08-30. Retrieved 22 October 2011.
  3. 1 2 "ECB: Feel". European Central Bank. European Central Bank. 2002. Archived from the original on 2011-10-21. Retrieved 9 October 2011.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "ECB: Introduction". ECB. ECB. 12 November 2020. Retrieved 21 October 2011.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "ECB: Banknotes". European Central Bank. European Central Bank. 2002. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "ECB: Banknotes design". ECB. ECB. February 1996. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
  7. ↑ "Witnessing a milestone in European history". The Herald. Back Issue. 1 January 2002. Archived from the original on 1 August 2018. Retrieved 23 October 2011.
  8. ↑
  9. ↑ "ECB Statistical Data Warehouse,Reports>ECB/Eurosystem policy>Banknotes and coins statistics>1.Euro banknotes>1.1 Quantities". ECB. European Central Bank.
  10. ↑ ECB unveils new €100 and €200 banknotes
  11. ↑ "Slovenia joins the euro area - European Commission". European Commission. 16 June 2011. Archived from the original on 11 September 2013. Retrieved 6 August 2013.
  12. ↑ "Cyprus and Malta adopt the euro - BBC NEWS". BBC News. British Broadcasting Corporation. 1 January 2008. Retrieved 6 August 2013.
  13. ↑ Kubosova, Lucia (31 December 2008). "Slovakia Joins Decade-Old Euro Zone - Businessweek". Bloomberg Businessweek. Bloomberg. Archived from the original on August 6, 2013. Retrieved 6 August 2013.
  14. ↑ "Estonia to join euro zone in 2011". RTÉ News. Radió Teilifís Éireann. 13 July 2010. Retrieved 6 August 2013.
  15. ↑ Van Tartwijk, Maarten; Kaza, Juris (9 July 2013). "Latvia Gets Green Light to Join Euro Zone -WSJ.com". Wall Street Journal. Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 31 July 2013.
  16. ↑ "Lithuania joins the euro area". European Central Bank. January 2015. Retrieved 2016-09-15.
  17. ↑ "Croatia joins the euro area". European Central Bank. January 2023. Retrieved 2023-09-10.
  18. ↑ "Press kit - tenth anniversary of the euro banknotes and coins" (PDF). ECB. Central Bank of Ireland. 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 November 2012. Retrieved 21 August 2012.
  19. ↑ "ECB Monthly bulletin- August 2005 - THE EURO BANKNOTES: DEVELOPMENTS AND FUTURE CHALLENGES" (PDF). ECB. ecb.int. August 2005. p. 43, section 'THE SECOND SERIES OF EURO BANKNOTES'. Retrieved 21 August 2012.
  20. ↑ European Central Bank. "The Euro: Banknotes: Design elements". Retrieved 2009-07-05. The banknotes show a geographical representation of Europe. It excludes islands of less than 400 square kilometres because high-volume offset printing does not permit the accurate reproduction of small design elements.
  21. ↑ The life cycle of a banknote Archived 2007-09-26 at the Wayback Machine, De Nederlandsche Bank. Accessed 2007-08-17.
  22. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 "ECB: Security Features". ECB. ECB. 11 September 2018.
  23. ↑ "Money talks - the new Euro cash". BBC News. December 1996. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
  24. 1 2 "ECB:Tilt". ECB. ecb.int. 1 January 2002. Archived from the original on 2012-10-19. Retrieved 22 October 2011.
  25. 1 2 3 "ECB: Look". ECB. ecb.int. 1 January 2002. Archived from the original on 2011-10-23. Retrieved 22 October 2011.
  26. 1 2 "ECB: Feel". ECB. ecb.int. 1 January 2011. Archived from the original on 2011-10-21. Retrieved 22 October 2011.
  27. 1 2 "ECB: Additional features". ECB. ecb.int. 1 January 2002. Archived from the original on 2011-10-23. Retrieved 22 October 2011.
  28. ↑ "EuroTracer - Information Notes". EuroTracer. eurotracer.net. 2002. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
  29. 1 2 "ECB: Circulation". ECB. European Central Bank. 7 May 2022.
  30. 1 2 3 "EuroBillTracker - About this site". Philippe Girolami, Anssi Johansson, Marko Schilde. EuroBillTracker. 1 January 2002. Archived from the original on 7 May 2013. Retrieved 21 October 2011.
  31. 1 2 "EuroBillTracker - Statistics". Philippe Girolami, Anssi Johansson, Marko Schilde. EuroBillTracker. 1 January 2002. Retrieved 21 October 2011.
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