The Europa series is the second generation of euro banknotes, named after the portrait of Europa from Greek myth that appears in the watermark and in the hologram window. The portrait comes from a vase in the Louvre, over two thousand years old and originally found in southern Italy. The 20-euro note of this series entered circulation on 25 November 2015.

The design continues the concept of the first series: the 20-euro note represents the Gothic, with a window or gateway on the front and a bridge on the back, without copying real structures. The main colour is blue, and the word «euro» appears here for the first time in Cyrillic as well — ЕВРО.

The most striking element is the emerald number: when tilted, a light effect moves up and down it and the colour changes from emerald green to deep blue. Against the light a portrait watermark of Europa appears, and short raised lines can be felt along the edges. The silvery stripe contains a portrait window that turns transparent against the light and shows Europa on both sides.

In a euro collection the Europa series forms a line of its own: here the first letter of the serial number identifies the printing works, and the notes are collected by denomination, printer and signature. UNC condition means the note has never circulated: no folds, no wear, no soiling, even corners — just as it left the press.

If you are just starting a collection, the VPcoins catalogue makes it easy to find banknotes to build it around.