Germany anticipates euro demand

Euro coins: Legal tender from January 1

FRANKFURT, Germany -- One of the prime movers behind the new euro currency becomes among the last to actually sell the coins to its population on Monday.

Germany, along with Greece and Portugal, are the last of the 12 countries adopting the currency to put on sale 'starter' packs' of euro coins.

The packs are intended to familiarise people with the currency before its official launch on January 1.

Euro notes are not being distributed among the public until they became legal tender on the same date.

The starter kits went on sale in Ireland, the Netherlands and France, on Friday, since when France alone has sold 40 million kits.

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Belgium, Luxembourg, Austria, Finland, Italy and Spain began selling the kits a day later.

In Frankfurt, home of the European Central Bank which sets monetary policy for the 12-nation euro zone, a dozen Santa Clauses are to begin selling the starter kits during the first minutes of Monday morning.

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Banks in Germany have stocked up with 53.5 million sets, anticipating strong demand.

Germany's Commerzbank said it had ordered one million kits -- one for every customer with a cheque account.

The kits, which contain 10.23 euros, will cost 20 marks in Germany and bear the national eagle symbol on the packaging.

The 12 national currencies have been pegged to the euro for the past two years but so far the new currency has been restricted to non-cash transactions and accounting purposes.

It is expected all transactions will be made in euros by January 15, though they will still be valid for up to two months, and can be exchanged at banks after that.