Euro Starter Kits
Euro starter kits are packs of euro coins of all the eight denominations sealed in a plastic bag. The scope of
these kits is primarily to familiarise the citizens of that nation that is going to join the eurozone with the new
currency, the euro. Another objective is to fill up cash registers well in advance of E-Day.
Usually these kits are available from the local banks some weeks before the euro changeover.
Most countries limited the availability of starter packs to one per person, although some countries may have
allowed slightly more. There was a danger that if they were handed out in unlimited quantities to individuals, the
supplies could run out, and this would have disrupted the education programme.
Mainly there are two types of starter packs; business starter kits and kits for the general public. The difference
is in the amount of the coins per pack. Business kits are intended for retailers, thereby they contain around 100 euro
or more of coins and are normally contained in rolls, whereas, the mini-starter kits are intended for the general public
and usually these kits have a small volume of coins.
San Marino was the only country not to issue a euro starter kit.
Andorra
The Andorran Starter Kit was issued in December 2014, priced at 3,88 euros. It contains 8 coins. .The Andorran government put in place a system of distribution of the starter-kits (actually a booklet that contains an annual divisional series) so that the country's residents would gain priority over non-resident buyers. The smallest denomination ...
| Year |
Mintage |
Issue Price |
Shop |
| 2014 Starter kit |
N/A |
€ 3.88 |
View |
Austria
The Austrian Starter Kit was issued on 5 December 2001, priced at 200,07 ATS rounded to 200 ATS. It contains 33 coins. Austria chose to produce a series of coins illustrating flowers, architecture and famous people from its history. The designs were chosen by a national panel and public opinion poll. All designs are by the hand of Josef Kaiser and ...
| Year |
Mintage |
Issue Price |
Shop |
| 2002 |
6,000,000 pieces |
€ 14.54 |
View |
Belgium
The Belgian Starter Kit was priced at BEF 500 and contains 29 coins. Belgium became a founding member of the European Economic Community in 1957, and Brussels is home to many key European institutions, including the European Commission and the European Parliament. The Belgian euro coins feature only a single design for all eight coins. the portrait ...
| Year |
Mintage |
Issue Price |
Shop |
| 2002 |
5,300,000 pieces |
€ 12.40 |
View |
Finland
The Finnish Starter Kit was issued on 1 January 2002. It contains 8 coins. Finnish euro coins have three designs, though two of them are each found on one coin only. Heikki Haivaoja was the designer of the Finnish euro coins for the minor and middle series of coins. Pertti Makinen is the designer of the Finnish 1 euro coin and Raimo Heino is the ...
| Year |
Mintage |
Issue Price |
Shop |
| 2002 |
500,000 pieces |
€ 3.88 |
View |
France
The French Starter Kit was issued on 14 December 2001, priced at FRF 100. It contains 40 coins from the years 1999, 2000 and 2001. France was not just one of the founders of the European Union but also was one of the first countries to adopt the euro. French euro coins have three different designs; the minor series was designed by Fabienne Courtiade, ...
| Year |
Mintage |
Issue Price |
Shop |
| 2002 |
53,000,000 pieces |
€ 15.25 |
View |
Germany
The German Starter Kit was issued on 17 December 2001, priced at DM 20. It contains 20 coins. Although many Germans were sorry to see the Deutschmark go, the starter kits were extremely popular with the public – so popular that in many places they sold out on the first day. German euro coins have three separate designs for the three series of coins. ...
| Year |
Mintage |
Issue Price |
Shop |
| 2002 - Mintmark A |
12,100,000 pieces |
€ 10.23 |
View |
| 2002 - Mintmark D |
11,600,000 pieces |
€ 10.23 |
View |
| 2002 - Mintmark F |
12,100,000 pieces |
€ 10.23 |
View |
| 2002 - Mintmark G |
8,100,000 pieces |
€ 10.23 |
View |
| 2002 - Mintmark J |
9,600,000 pieces |
€ 10.23 |
View |
Greece
The Greek Starter Kit was priced at GRD 5,000. It contains 45 coins. All the coins included in the Greek Starter Kit were minted in France (1, 2, 5, 10, 50 cents with the mintmak "F"), Finland (1, 2 euros with the mintmak "S" for Suomi) and Spain (20 cents with the mintmark "E" for Espana). Greek euro coins feature a unique design for every one ...
| Year |
Mintage |
Issue Price |
Shop |
| 2002 - Mintmark FES |
3,000,000 pieces |
€ 14.67 |
Buy |
Ireland
The Irish Starter Kit was issued on 4 December 2001, priced at IEP 5. It contains 19 coins. The Irish euro coins share the same design by Jarlath Hayes, that of the harp, a traditional symbol for Ireland since the Middle Ages, based on that of the Brian Boru harp, housed in Trinity College, Dublin. The same harp is used as the official seals of ...
| Year |
Mintage |
Issue Price |
Shop |
| 2002 |
750,000 pieces |
€ 6.35 |
Buy |
Italy
The Italian Starter Kit was priced at ITL 25,000. The Italian Starter Kit comes in two variations; one has text printed on the bag, whereas, the other does not. It includes 53 coins. Italian euro coins have a design unique to each denomination, though there is a common theme of famous Italian works of art from one of Italy's renowned artists. Each ...
| Year |
Mintage |
Issue Price |
Shop |
| 2002 |
30,000,000 pieces |
€ 12.91 |
View |
Latvia
The Latvian Starter Kit was issued on 10 December 2013, priced at 10 LVL (14,23 euros) It contains 45 coins. Latvian euro coins depict the folk maiden on the national side of the one-euro and two-euro coins, whereas the 50-, 20- and 10-euro cent coins feature the great coat of arms of Latvia and the 5-, 2- and 1-euro-cent coins the small coat of ...
| Year |
Mintage |
Issue Price |
Shop |
| 2014 |
600,000 pieces |
€ 14.23 |
View |
Lithuania
The Lithuanian Starter Kit was issued on 1 December 2014, priced at 40 litas (11,59 euros). It contains 23 coins. Lithuanian euro coins bear the symbol of the Lithuanian national emblem Vytis, as was the wish of the majority of the Lithuanian population. This wish was discovered through a public opinion survey made by the Bank of Lithuania, which, ...
| Year |
Mintage |
Issue Price |
Shop |
| 2015 |
900,000 pieces |
- |
View |
Luxembourg
The Luxembourgish Starter Kit was priced at LUF 500. Because Belgium and Luxembourg were already in a pre-existing currency union, apart from the different text on the bag and the different national side, the Starter Kits of the two countries are exactly the same, including 29 coins. Luxembourg euro coins feature three different designs, though ...
| Year |
Mintage |
Issue Price |
Shop |
| 2002 |
600,000 pieces |
€ 12.40 |
View |
Malta
The Maltese Starter Kit was issued on 10 December 2007 priced at LM 5, and includes 34 coins. The selection of the designs of the Maltese coins was decided by public consultation in two rounds. During the second phase, running from 29 May until 9 June 2006, the public was asked to choose the actual designs for the euro coins from the four mock ...
| Year |
Mintage |
Issue Price |
Shop |
| 2008 |
330,000 pieces |
€ 11.65 |
View |
Monaco
Despite not being a member of the European Union, in 1999 Monaco also adopted the euro. The country issued a starter kit in late in 2001, priced at Fr 100. The design of the Monaco euro coins feature HSH Prince Rainier III designed by Pierre Rodier (EUR 2), a double portrait of HSH Prince Rainier III and HSH Hereditary Prince Albert designed by Henri ...
| Year |
Mintage |
Issue Price |
Shop |
| 2001 |
51,200 pieces |
€ 15.25 |
View |
Netherlands
The Dutch Starter Kit was priced at NLG 25. The Netherlands issued two different starter kits, intended to educate its citizens about the euro. One contained one of each coin and was distributed in a card. This was distributed to the citizens of the Netherlands for free. Packaged, mint condition cards have since become collector items. Additional bags ...
| Year |
Mintage |
Issue Price |
Shop |
| 2002 |
8,800,000 pieces |
€ 12.35 |
View |
| 2001 |
N/A |
- |
View |
Portugal
The Portuguese Starter Kit was issued on 17 December 2001, priced at PTE 2005 and includes 34 coins. Portuguese euro coins show three different designs for each of the three series of coins, representing the first Portuguese King, D. Afonso Henriques. However, they are quite similar in that all contain old royal mints and seals within a circle ...
| Year |
Mintage |
Issue Price |
Shop |
| 2002 |
1,000,000 pieces |
€ 10.00 |
Buy |
Slovakia
The Slovak Starter Kit was issued on 1 December 2008 , priced at SKK 500,09 (rounded down to SKK 500) and includes 45 coins. People waited in long lines in the Slovak Post branches, local commercial banks and National Bank of Slovakia, where the starter kits were available for purchase. Almost 90% of the Slovak starter kits were sold in the first ...
| Year |
Mintage |
Issue Price |
Shop |
| 2009 |
1,200,000 pieces |
€ 16.60 |
View |
Slovenia
The Slovene Starter Kit was issued on 15 December 2006, priced at SIT 3000,30 and includes 43 coins. Slovenia was the first country to join the eurozone out of the 10 new member states that joined the European Union in 2004. The Solvene euro coins are the first to feature a new common side, with a new map of Europe on the bicoloured and Nordic-gold ...
| Year |
Mintage |
Issue Price |
Shop |
| 2007 |
450,000 pieces |
€ 12.52 |
View |
Spain
The Spanish Starter Kit was issued on December 15 2001, priced at ESP 1999,96 (rounded up to ESP 2.000) and includes 43 coins. Spain was one of the first countries to join the eurozone. In April 1998 the Spanish Prime Minister unveiled the designs chosen for the national side of the Spanish coins. the 1 and 2 euro coins bear the effigy of King ...
| Year |
Mintage |
Issue Price |
Shop |
| 2002 |
23,000,000 pieces |
€ 12.02 |
View |
Vatican
The smallest independent nation in the world, the Vatican City, issued another starter kit in September 2011, which includes 8 coins. This unexpected release may be the result of the "obligation" of circulating coins made by the European Union to the micro-states of the eurozone. The sculptor, Daniela Longo is credited with the design of the ...
| Year |
Mintage |
Issue Price |
Shop |
| 2011 - Second Kit |
N/A |
€ 3.88 |
View |
| 2002 - First Kit |
1,000 pieces |
€ 3.88 |
View |