Collectors who were hoping to get their hands on Maltese euro coins early at next weekend's Euro Village, in Birkirkara, will be disappointed to learn there will be no such coins at the event.
The money circulated will be regular euros from countries already in the eurozone because Maltese coins, Central Bank Governor Michael Bonello insisted yesterday, will not be legal tender before next year.
At the Euro Village, an initiative of the National Euro Changeover Committee, L-Istazzjon, in Birkirkara, will be turned into a market accepting payments only in euro on Sunday and Monday. The idea is to give people the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the money ahead of the so-called e-day.
The regular euros will achieve that effect but there is already heightened anticipation among collectors to get hold of the Maltese coins. In fact, some unofficial versions, which do not count as real money, have already appeared on sale in a number of specialised shops and even on e-bay.
Enthusiasts will have to wait for the real deal, however, at least till December 1, when the first collector and retailer coin kits will start being sold by the Central Bank.
The collector kit, the Central Bank said yesterday, will be an official set of polished Maltese euro coins, encased in a velvet-lined, wooden box that will sell for Lm15.03, or €35, while the retailer kit will include €131 worth of coins - Lm56.24 - which shop owners will be able to purchase ahead of the changeover.
On December 10, the Central Bank will also sell what is being called the mini kit, which will include a set of Maltese coins costing Lm5 or €11.65.
The idea, Mr Bonello explained, is to have people look at the money and feel it before the actual changeover.
He gave an overview of the information campaign that has been running over the past months and is expected to intensify in the coming months. The campaign will be focusing on the money's security features, among other things.
Interestingly, the promotional material also includes a leaflet for blind and visually-impaired people. A voice, recorded on a chip embedded in the pamphlet, reads out its content much like a musical birthday card plays the tune when opened.
The printed material will be accompanied by a series of adverts that will appear soon on TV.