GERMANY - Euro coins have gone on sale in Germany, accompanied by celebrations in several major cities.

In Frankfurt - home to the European Central Bank - people queued in the bitter cold to buy the first so-called euro starter kits.

A gong shaped like a euro was struck at midnight outside the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and a dozen Santa Clauses joined in the party.

But an opinion poll on Sunday found that only one in three Germans thought the euro would benefit them, confirming that many are