The violet zero

„For a long time it was considered a myth: the zero Euro bill. The rare specimen is truly real and therefore much sought after among collectors. There are notes with the Cologne Cathedral, the Berlin Palace or the Salzburg Mozarthaus. Kiel also plays in the league of major cities. The Kiel copy adorns the unmistakable, well-known and popular landmark in Kiel‘s home port, the navy sailing training ship, Gorch Fock. On the back is a collage of European landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower and the Brandenburg Gate.”

At least that’s how Kiel-Marketing expresses itself as the author of the Kiel Zero-Euro bill.

t‘s really purple and looks a lot like a 500 Euro bill.

As a souvenir, it still has typical money security features such as watermarks, a security thread, and a serial number. It is even recognized by the European Central Bank. But is the bill recognized as money? I’ll have to try that at my banks ATM.

But the zero bill circulates not only in the euro zone, there is also a 0-rupee note that exists in India. The background of this bill is quite different: The idea came from an American professor named Vijay Anand, who had been dealing with corrupt Indian officials during a visit home and was annoyed with the practice of small bribes. Back at home, the idea of presenting a zero-rupee for bribes grew with the help from collaboration with friends.

Quickly, the first millions of these notes went into print, and the „distribution“ of these notes in India proved to be a complete success. With courtesy and certainty one could say „NO“ to such bribery attempts in this way.