Simple steps to exchange foreign coins

Exchange Pre-Euro Coins

How to exchange Pre-Euro coins

One of the side effects of the introduction of the Euro in 1999 was disappearance of many of Europe’s previous currencies. Fourteen national currencies went out of circulation when the Euro was first introduced, and another six have followed them. This drastic change left many coin collectors and ordinary Europeans with pockets full of small change in non existent currencies. Today, these coins exist as tangible pieces of European history.

If you have pre-Euro coins that you’d like to exchange for cash then we can help. We exchange pre-Euro coins for individuals, businesses, charities, schools and hospitals. Some pre-Euro coins are worth more than others, for example some Peseta coins can be exchanged, however coins like the French Franc have only a nominal value. If you’d like to exchange foreign coins then go to our page ‘How to send us coins‘.

Why exchange Pre-Euro coins with us?

We pay for ALL pre-Euro coins and notes
We buy ALL foreign coins regardless of age and condition
We even but old British and Irish coins
Free and subsidised collection
Instant payment
100% Satisfaction guarantee
Exchange your pre-Euro coins with us today!

 

Pre Euro Currency Information

Pre-Euro coins exist in twenty national currencies. Austria’s national currency was the schilling, while Belgium, France, Luxembourg and Monaco all issued francs. Italy, Vatican City, San Marino and Malta all used currencies called lira, while the name of the German mark was echoed in Finland’s markka. Ireland’s pound, also called a punt, was joined in retirement by Cyprus’s pound. In addition to these currencies, the Dutch guilder, Portuguese escudo, Spanish peseta, Greek Drachma, Slovenian tolar, Slovak koruna and Estonian kroon have all been replaced by the Euro.

With twenty pre-Euro currencies, there is an enormous variety of pre-Euro coins. Each currency had its own peculiarities. For example, the Dutch guilder resembles modern Dutch Euro coins in some ways, such as bearing an image of the monarch of the Netherlands on the obverse, but its eccentric structure, which included a 2.5-guilder coin, is now gone.

Some pre-Euro currencies had a long and illustrious history. The Dutch guilder, for instance, represented the legacy of centuries of Dutch trading power. Others were more recent — the Slovak koruna, for instance, had only come into being in 1992 to replace the Czechoslovak koruna, which in turn was a post-WWI invention. Similarly, the Irish pound was a product of Irish independence in the 1920s, although it drew on a long history of Irish coinage under British rule.

Just as Irish pre-Euro coins drew on British coinage for their structure, many pre-Euro currencies used the currencies of neighbouring countries as their inspirations. The Monegasque franc, for example, used the same denominations of value as the French franc, while the Sammarinese lira was identical to the Italian lira.

The design of coins in the period prior to the transition to the Euro was highly varied. Some countries used simple designs, showing the bust of the monarch or other ruler on the obverse with the denomination and some other national symbol on the reverse. This type of design was found in the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Vatican City and several other countries. Other coinages included national symbols such as common animals, landmarks, historic buildings, coats of arms or famous historical leaders. Eastern European nations, struggling to assert their identities in the aftermath of the collapse of the Soviet Union, tended to have the most diverse coin designs, with a wide range of patriotic symbols.

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4 Responses

  1. Joey says:

    Hello there, I have some pre-Euro coins that I have found today while cleaning up my drawer. They are French Franc 63.30- all coins. I wonder how much would it be if I send over to get GBP back, if the value is only a little than I might not do anything with it. Thanks in advance!
    Cheers.

  2. John says:

    Dear who it may concern.

    I have recently come across 14,000 100 French franc coins.
    How much would I be able to get for them?

    Yours sincerely
    John

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