Pre-Euro Circulating Coinage In Andorra

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Author	Replies: 4 / Views: 1,469
cainn New Member Australia 2 Posts	Posted 09/04/2015 05:03 am Can anyone tell me what sorts of coins people actually had in their pockets before the introduction of the Euro? I don't mean immediately before Andorra started circulating it's own Euro coins; I mean before Andorra essentially inherited Euro coinage from France and Spain back in 2002. I understand that the Spanish Peseta and French Franc were in use, so does that mean that people in Andorra would typically literally have a pocket/purse full of both Spanish and French coins, and that retailers were routinely accepting a combination of both (and returning same as change) when someone purchased some groceries from a local supermarket or whatever? And if you were to walk down the aisle of such a store, what prices would be listed above/below all the items? And how were the values of both sets of coins determined with respect to each other if both were indeed often used in a single transaction? Thanks in advance for any help :) Edited by cainn 09/04/2015 05:05 am Report this Post to the Staff

NumisRob Bedrock of the Community United Kingdom 17927 Posts	Posted 09/04/2015 2:13 pm I stayed there for one night about 30 years ago when returning from a camping holiday in Spain. I also was there briefly about two years before the Euro was introduced - I made a short detour from France to buy some cheap brandy! I seem to remember that tills had separate compartments for Spanish and French coins, and prices in shops were in both currencies. I never attempted to pay for one item in a combination of currencies. I think that you generally got change back in the currency you paid with. A similar situation exists today in Gibraltar where everywhere accepts sterling and euros. One strange thing about Andorra was that the postal services were administered jointly by the French and Spanish post offices. You could buy stamps denominated in either pesetas or francs, but you had to post them in a 'French' or 'Spanish' post box depending on which currency they were in! My Trade List: https://goccf.com/t/194596 My Wants List: https://goccf.com/t/191710 Edited by NumisRob 09/04/2015 2:15 pm Report this Post to the Staff
cainn New Member Australia 2 Posts	Posted 09/05/2015 12:04 am Thank you for the reply NumisRob. It's helpful. It makes perfect sense that the two currencies would generally be used individually rather than in combination for a single transaction, although I imagine that in at least some cases retailers might have allowed split payments if a person could only pay with a combination of currencies (this is an assumption on my part but it's hard to imagine that customers would be turned away in such circumstances). It also makes perfect sense that prices would be listed in both currencies and I found an additional reference that supports that as well. Thanks again :) Oh, and the tidbit about the postal service is indeed somewhat amusing! Edited by cainn 09/05/2015 12:07 am Report this Post to the Staff
NumisRob Bedrock of the Community United Kingdom 17927 Posts	Posted 09/08/2015 5:27 pm Yes, cainn - I think a shop in Andorra would almost certainly have accepted a mixture of currencies. Much of their revenue comes from selling luxury goods like top brand watches, cameras and electronic items in tax free stores. I am sure that if you were buying a camera for $200 they would have taken $100 in francs and $100 in pesetas! Perhaps a village store might not have accepted a mixture of 20-centime and 5-peseta coins for a candy bar. My Trade List: https://goccf.com/t/194596 My Wants List: https://goccf.com/t/191710 Report this Post to the Staff
augsburger Pillar of the Community Germany 1063 Posts	Posted 09/08/2015 10:33 pm Saying that in Zimbabwe you could easily use a mixture of coins for a transaction. I got SA and Botswana coins back in a single transaction. Report this Post to the Staff
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