Germany’s first ever 5-euro coin was released into circulation yesterday. Dubbed the ‘three material coin‘, it is also see-through!

Developed by Dr Peter Huber and Günther Waadt, the coin features a blue plastic ring in the middle and has been named ‘Blue Planet Earth’.

Not only is the blue ring easy to identify and authenticate by the naked eye, it is made of polymer plastic which behaves like a form of insulation between the pieces of two different metals and will be easy for cash machine to recognize whether it is real or fake.

A first in the history of coins

A German Minting Technology team has spent a decade developing this new security feature. In fact, it’s the first coin to be made from a combination of metal and plastic materials.

The plastic ring can be manufactured in any colour – perhaps we’ll see a rainbow of coloured Euro coins in the near future! It is also rumoured that the coin can change colour when exposed to UV light.

A total of 2 million coins have been released and will undoubtedly be snapped up and highly prized by coin collectors… if they haven’t already.

Yesterday it was reported that hundreds of Germans were queuing at the Bundesbank in Frankfurt for a chance to get hold of this new cutting-edge coin.

It’s unlikely that these 5-euro coins will be used in everyday transactions but if you are lucky enough to be heading to Germany any time soon, make sure you keep a look out.