New 0 Euro Michael Collins banknote celebrates 100 years of Ireland’s Free State

A limited-edition Michael Collins note has been launched to mark the 100th anniversary of the passage of the Irish Free State Constitution Act on December 6, 1922, which formally ratified the 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty. 

To honor the milestone, Euro Note Souvenir will release a limited-edition Zero Euro note with an image of Michael Collins, who died in August 1922, four months before the act was passed. 

The Anglo-Irish Treaty and the subsequent Irish Free State Constitution Act proved to be a gateway for the Irish Constitution in 1937 and the Republic of Ireland Act in 1948. 

Peter Schneider, managing director at Euro Note Souvenir, said in a statement that the company thought it "appropriate" to honor "this period of hard-fought freedom". 

"The years of the Irish Free State saw the adoption of a number of important symbols of Irish independence, including the first printing of the Saorstát pound in 1927, which would evolve into the Irish Pound," Schneider said. 

"We felt it was appropriate to honor this period of hard-fought freedom with the creation of a commemorative note of our own." 

This is the second commemorative note that the company has commissioned to honor Collins after 5,000 limited-edition notes were released in August 2020 to pay tribute to the Irish revolutionary. 

The new Irish Free State note, which has been officially licensed by the European Central Bank, will also be printed in a batch of 5,000. However, 2,500 notes have already been promised to dealers and collectors, meaning that only half of the 5,000 notes will be available to purchase on Euro Note Souvenir's website. 

Schneider said he expects the notes to sell out fast when they are released. 

"It’s not very often you get to own a commemorative piece like this, and collectors will want to get their hands on this one before it’s gone."