Archive for the ‘Coin Information’ Category

Modern History of Spanish Pesetas

Posted on: October 2nd, 2012 by Ian Stormnet

Spanish Pesetas – a modern history

Between 1869 and introduction of euro currency in 2002, the government of Spain issued coins and banknotes in its own currency, the peseta. Although the peseta ceased to be legal tender in March 2002, many peseta coins can still be found left over from the transition, while the influence of the peseta can still be seen on the euro.The final series of peseta notes was introduced in 1992. These notes, which came in values of 1,000, 2,000, 5,000 and 10,000 pesetas, carried the faces of famous explorers such as Christopher Columbus and Francisco Pizarro. The 10,000 peseta note carried an image of the King of Spain as well as the Principe de Asturias or crown prince. In addition the 1992 issue, notes from the 1987 issue remained in circulation. These included earlier designs of the 1992 notes as well as lower-value 200- and 500-peseta notes.At the time of the transition to the euro, the coinage of the peseta was composed of eight denominations of coin, ranging in value from one peseta to 500 pesetas. Earlier coinage had included smaller coins, measured in centimos or hundredths of a peseta, but the low value of the peseta during its later period — one peseta exchanged for less than one euro cent in 2002 — brought an end to this.The composition of peseta coins alternated between three alloys. The one-peseta coin was aluminium, while the five, 25-, 100- and 500-peseta coins were aluminium bronze. The ten, 50- and 200-peseta coins were cupronickel. The range of coins was modified continually over time, with the last set of changes coming in 1990.

One of the most notable things about the coinage of the peseta was the distinctive shape of the 50-peseta coin introduced in the 1990s. The edge of the coin was smooth, but with seven evenly-spaced indentations. These were also reflected in the raised rim of both the obverse and reverse sides. This unusual shape is known as the “Spanish Flower” and is a rare characteristic in coins. The best-known modern coin with a “Spanish Flower” design is the 20-cent euro coin. Perhaps coincidentally, this is the euro coin with the closest value to 50 pesetas, which exchanged in 2002 for roughly 30 cents. Another unusual design was the 25-peseta coin, which had a circular hole through its centre. The designs of peseta coins varied greatly, but most bore an image either of the King of Spain or of the national coat of arms.

If you have any Spanish Pesetas that you’d like to exchange for cash then we can help. We exchange all pre-Euro currency back into a currency of your choice.  We offer a quick and efficient service and if your coins weigh more than 5kg we can even arrange collection FREE of charge.  So get hunting around your home now for foreign coins. We have a wealth of knowledge about old and current coins so can always give you a very competitive valuation that we are sure you will be delighted with.

Don’t try to change your foreign currency at your bank when Cash4Coins can do it for you effortlessly.  If you have any questions, our helpful team will be delighted to assist!

Holiday Money Travel Advice

Posted on: September 22nd, 2012 by Ian Stormnet

Holiday Money Travel Advice

For most of us a holiday in the sun is the highlight of the year. The annual holiday should be fun and relaxing however for many people travelling abroad it can turn sour. This is usually in relation to having a credit card stolen or being defrauded.

To help you stay safe and have a fantastic holiday here’s our ‘Holiday Money Travel Advice’ to help keep you safe and secure.

Credit Card Security

As with the UK there has been a significant rise in the last few years of identity theft and credit card fraud in popular holiday destinations. Some criminals will target holiday-makers as they are a softer target when in a foreign country.

Always be careful where you use your credit cards, if it does not feel right then it may be good to follow your ‘gut’ instinct. Always get a receipt and make sure that you keep them in case you need to prove a transaction in the future. If possible and if it’s safe to do so you may want to keep track of your spend online.

If you see any transactions on your statement that you don’t recognise then make sure that you question them. Criminals often start with a small transaction to test the card works before going on to larger transactions.

When paying by card try to make sure that the transaction is carried out in front to you. This is to stop someone walking away with your card and copying the details.

Keep handy the contact telephone numbers for your card providers lost or stolen departments. And keep them separate from your cards. If you do find your card stolen then don’t panic as pretty much all credit card companies will refund any money that’s been stolen.

Hide your foreign coins and notes

You would not go flashing the cash when in the UK so think the same way when travelling in a foreign country. Try to take only what you need in cash with you and leave the rest in a safe.

Try to keep your cash in a couple of locations when you’re out so if it does get stolen from you you’ll have some spare.

One of the biggest crimes is by pick-pockets, especially in busy tourist areas. With this in mind keep cash and cards separated to make sure that if they are stolen you’ll still have some left.

If you are going to carry any foreign banknotes then try to use a money-belt that keeps the currency hidden.

If you follow this basic commonsense safety advice then it will help reduce any potential problems for you. When you come back from your holidays you’re also likely to have a few foreign coins leftover that you could not spend. As banks in the UK (as well as bureau de change and the Post Office) won’t change foreign coins back into cash you could be stuck with them until you next go on holiday (and that’s if you remember to take them!).

However we offer a foreign coin exchange service where you can change leftover foreign coins back into cash. Contact us for more info.

 

The Top 3 Most Worthless Currencies

Posted on: September 21st, 2012 by Ian Stormnet

You definitely don’t want any of these!

When it comes to some of the worlds most useless and worthless currencies there have been quite a few over the years, however in fairly recent times there have been some spectacular devaluation of some currencies followed by some crazy printing of ridiculous notes and coins. We all know that when things go wrong some governments do some daft things but read below about three of the worlds most devalued…

Why devalue foreign coins and notes?

There are many reasons why countries devalue their currency and this can include trying to increase exports as well as trying to reduce the demand to import products. However for some countries devaluation can spiral out of control until their currency is basically worthless. Here are the three worst offenders…

Zimbabwe

The inflation rate in the UK has fluctuated a little bit in the last few years by a few percent and most of us have probably worried about it at some time or other. However spare a thought for the hapless Zimbabwe currency where the inflation rate hit 100,000 percent. (Yes, you read that correct – it was 100 thousand percent!).

This lead to the issue of the £10 million dollar note. As a comparison you can buy 30,000 Zimbabwe Dollars for just 1 USD. If you wanted to buy a roll of toilet paper then this would set you back a trifling $145,000 Zimbabwe Dollars and a beer would be in the region of $200,000 Zimbabwe Dollars.

We have had a few call from customers looking to exchange foreign coin and notes who have found a 10m Zimbabwe note in their collection and have thought they have won the lottery. As you can imagine they are a bit disappointed to find out the real value!

Vietnam

Recently Vietnam have had a bit of a financial kicking with the strangely named ‘Dong’ being devalued by 5% which makes an exchange rate of around 11,885 ‘Dongs’ to the Dollar (USD that is).

Unlike the £10m Zimbabwe note the Vietnamese were a bit more conservative and issued a 500,000 Dong which is worth around $30 USD.

Indonesia

Back on the late 90s Indonesia was stuck in a bit of a pickle and their currency (the Rupiah) lost eighty percent of it’s value over just a few weeks. This caused outrage amongst the Indonesian population and riots ensued. The biggest note is the 100 thousand rupiah note which is worth around ten USD.

If you have any foreign coins or notes that you want to exchange or if you’d like some advice then please contact us. We are always glad to help.  Our team is always on hand to answer any questions you may have about our foreign coin exchange service and we would be delighted to help you get the most from the spare change you have available. Remember, you don’t even need to sort or count your coins.  We have local drop off points that you can use and if your coins weigh over 10kg we will pick them up from you FREE of charge!  What a great service!

 

How much can you legally pay in coins?

Posted on: September 12th, 2012 by Ian Stormnet

What are the rules with paying for things with coins?

If you’ve ever been annoyed at what you think is an unfair fine then you may have been tempted to pay it all 1 or 2p coins to reek some revenge. But what are your rights? How much can you pay in coins and are people obliged to accept them?

Just recently a lady from Hampshire in the UK had been paying for her weekly shopping in ASDA with £1 and £2 coins that she’d collected during her job operating an ice cream van. However, after weeks of successfully paying with the coins on her last shopping trip she was refused and told to come back with notes instead!

Understandably she was a bit miffed and following a load of publicity ASDA quickly backtracked and issued an apology as well as a £15 shopping voucher.

In another story a resident from Wales was informed that he was no longer allowed to pay off his debt of £650 in instalments of 4,000 pennies at a time. Also, a man from the West Midlands was refused when he tried to pay off his parking fines with a bucket of 1p pieces.

What are your rights with coins?

Amazingly the British Coinage Act (1971) states that 1p and 2p coins are only legal tender up to the value of 20 pence. However, you can use more coins if the person you’re paying is willing to accept them.

From a legal perspective the meaning of ‘legal tender’ is that you can’t be sued for not paying a debt as long as you give the right amount of money in ‘legal tender’. That’s the long and short of it. For the most part it’s down to the person who pays coming to an agreement with seller.

And if you’re thinking of ways to get some revenge (and by the way, we don’t endorse or recommend this) then you may be interested to know that £1 and £2 coins are legal tender for any amount – even if they are in a block of ice or a bucket of rice pudding.

What are the rules?

1 pence coins > upto 20 pence
2 pence coins > upto 20 pence
5 pence coins – upto £5
10 pence coins > upto £5
20 pence coins > upto £10
50 pence coins > upto £10
£1 pound coins > any amount
£2 pound coins > any amount

So, if you are having problems paying with coins or if you have lots of coins leftover from a foreign trip, why not let Cash4Coins handle them for you?  We can exchange any foreign coins for Sterling or any other currency you like and our team is waiting right now to assist you.  We have helped charities, schools, museums and hospitals to get the most from their charity donations of foreign coins and we have helped people like you to make use of their leftover currency.  Speak to our team today if you need any more advice about our service or send us your coins for quick assistance.