How Many Foreign Coins Are Out There? (And the Surprising Facts You’ll Want to Share)

It’s the kind of question that can keep a pub debate going long into the evening: just how many foreign coins are out there in the world today? The answer is: billions upon billions. But behind those coins lies a story of hidden fortunes, forgotten currencies, and some quirky trivia you’ll want to remember.

Billions Upon Billions of Coins

Globally, there are more than 180 recognised currencies in circulation, and every one of them includes coins. From euros and dollars to yen and rupees, the number of coins being used daily is almost beyond calculation.

And that’s before you count the coins that have been withdrawn, replaced, or demonetised. Add those in, and the numbers get truly mind-boggling.

Forgotten Fortunes: Unreturned Currencies

When countries switch to a new currency, vast sums of coins and notes never get returned. Instead, they’re stuffed in drawers, left in holiday wallets, or tucked away as souvenirs.

Currency	Year Withdrawn	Estimated Value Unreturned	Equivalent Today
Spanish Peseta	2002	€1.6 billion	£1.3 billion+
German Deutsche Mark	2002	€12.4 billion	£10.6 billion+
Italian Lira	2002	Trillions of lira	Billions in £ value
French Franc	2002 (demonetised 2012)	€3 billion	£2.5 billion+
UK Round £1 Coin	2017	£1 billion	£1 billion

Did You Know?

• 170 million round £1 coins vanished from circulation in 2017 and were never returned.

• Spain still has €1.6 billion in pesetas unexchanged — decades after switching to the euro.

• Germany’s central bank continues to exchange Deutsche Marks, even though they were replaced in 2002.

Coins That Outlive Us

Banknotes wear out quickly, but coins are tough. A coin can circulate for 30 years or more, meaning your pocket change today could still be in use decades from now.

Some coins even achieve near immortality. The British penny, for example, has been in use in some form for over 1,200 years.

Did You Know?

• Coins often outlast governments, monarchs, and entire empires.

• The world’s oldest known coin dates back to around 600 BC, minted in Lydia (modern-day Turkey).

• Japan’s 5 yen coin is considered lucky — many people give them as offerings at shrines.

Quirky Coin Facts to Impress Your Friends

• The UK’s quarter farthing was worth just 1/960th of a pound.

• The Australian $5 coin is one of the largest modern coins in circulation.

• Canada once minted a 100kg gold coin with a face value of $1 million.

• Italy’s lira was so common that trillions went unreturned when the euro arrived.

How Much Spare Change Do We Really Have?

The average UK holidaymaker returns with £55 in leftover currency. Multiply that by 71 million overseas trips each year, and you’ve got billions of pounds in forgotten money.

Half of all UK households admit to having a stash of coins and notes at home that they can’t spend. In total, it’s a hidden mountain of small change.

Did You Know?

• Globally, researchers estimate there are tens of billions of pounds’ worth of coins and notes sitting unused.

• More than 50% of UK households have leftover currency hidden away.

• The average person forgets about their leftover change within six weeks of returning from holiday.

The Pub Ammo Payoff

So next time you’re in the pub, here’s the fact to drop: billions of coins are sitting unused around the world, worth billions of pounds in total.

The best part? Those coins don’t have to stay forgotten. Services like Cash4Coins.co.uk specialise in turning foreign coins, obsolete currencies, and old banknotes into real, spendable cash.

So whether it’s euros, dollars, yen, or even those old round pounds, your “worthless” coin jar is anything but.

That’s not just pub ammo — that’s money waiting to be unlocked.