Marx's 0-euro 'souvenir' bills are red hot

The German city of Trier is selling thousands of souvenir bank notes with a face value of zero euros in honour of revolutionary, political philosopher Karl Marx, and they are a sold out.

The bank notes were to commemorate the 200th birthday of Marx on May 5, Xinhua news agency reported.

The bills, sold at three euros each, have drawn a sizable number of buyers around the world. The first batch of 5,000 notes were sold out after going on sale on Monday. The city is now printing 20,000 more.

The bank notes, printed in purple, look like genuine euros but are labelled "souvenir". The bills play on Marx's criticism of capitalism, said Norbert Kaethler, managing director of Trier's tourism and marketing office.

Marx is famous for his political theory and is best known for his works "Das Kapital", and the "Communist Manifesto", which was co-written with Friedrich Engels and has been serving as a guiding principle for the Communist movement.

Besides selling souvenir bills, the city, which witnessed Marx's childhood and early education, has also planned other events and celebrations, including a grand state exhibition.

Trier will also unveil a 4.4-meter bronze statue of Marx, gifted by China.

--IANS

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