Really Stupid Question
 

What happened to all the old currencies, when Europe switched to the Euro? And how did they exchange it? Did everyone race to the bank... was it madness? Just curious.

As I remember the money was distributed and exchanged for a time before the official "unveilng" ... and generally the way such things work a deadline is set up where old money is no longer legal tender after a certain date. I think the whole euro transition went over pretty smoothly... but maybe a european member of teh forums has something different to say?

I have some Greek Euro's at home here!

The currency looks like those pathetic coins that you sometimes find at certain parks! How lame!

:rolleyes:

Dual pricing of products happened for two years before the changeover date.

Euro "starter" packs were available just before Christmas to allow citizens to familiarize themselves with the currency.

On Jan 1st the Euro was released; cash machines only dispenced it, and all change from shops was given in Euros, even if you paid in the old money. After two months the old currency ceased to be legal tender, and if anyone has any left it must be changed at banks to be spent.

I still think the German Dollar Euro has Nazi/Totalitarian overtones...

http://europa.eu.int/euro/html/dossi...mages/de1e.gif

Did they only change the currencies to make thins simpler?? I mean it makes sense for them to do it for that reason...but was there any reason they only did it just now??

Its much more than mere simplification- there are several major economic issues involved in uniting currencies... and many, many, many political hoops had to be jumped through to achieve what they have.

cold wars over, people are starting to trust each other again politics is always several years slower than real life

I take it you're American :D - to put it simply, imagine what it would be like for each state to have a different currency...

It's been done for many reasons, but mainly to bring down barriers to trade within the EU. It reduces uncertainty, and risk, as well as increasing ties between member states and thus strengthening the union.


Xerxes, the eagle isn't a Nazi symbol. Different eagles symbolize different things in German politics.

Yeah I know eagles have lots of uses (Bald Eagles, Two headed Eagles etc), But I find the design to be remeniscint of the types of art-decoish streamline aesthetic popular in Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy.

Then we'd be Montana :D

The states did have different currencies right up to the Civil war... huge logistical problem. Not to mention more then half of the money in circulation at the time was counterfeit...

C'mon guys, the Euro isn't that bad, at least the notes aren't:

http://pics.steakandcheese.com/euro500.jpg


WARNING!!!DO NOT CLICK THE ABOVE LINK IF YOU DO NOT LIKE NAKEY

I met a girl from Ireland a few months ago, she had some Euros on her. I quite like the look of them.

what the fuck do you mean by that?

he was referring to the American state i think.

Re: Really Stupid Question
 

Technically, Euro was a real currency for about 2 - 3 years. When the conversion came, people could still use the original currencies as normal, but change from purchases and everything was givin back to you as the Euro equivalent. The money you gave them, for example the Italian Lira, was kept and destroyed.

Also, with Italy, there was madness, since everyone was scrabling to change their LIra to EUro. And, some older banks that were constructed for solely paper currency broke under the heavy weight of all the Euro coins.

What, Irish girls ;)

:D

my girlfriend is irish:weird: