On Tue, 1 May 2012 13:47:34 +0100, "BartC" wrote:



In Holland once, instead of being handed a 5 guilder coin as part of my
change (worth about £2), I got a 5 Belgian franc coin, as a I found out
later. The Belgian coin was around the same size, but was worth just a few
pence.

So take care next time you're in a part of Holland that hasn't yet switched
to euros..
Would there be a part?

Anyway ,can any one confirm that in France at one time coins that had
been issued during the German occupation or by the Vichy French
remained in circulation but were worth less than their more modern
equivalents. I recall some being handed over in change to a Pal on a
school trip to France in the late 1960's. They felt a lot different to
the normal ones being made of aluminium and the accompanying French
teacher heard the comments and intervened ,as he was a French national
he easily entered into a lively discussion with the vendor and the
coins were substituted. It may have just been the case that the value
was the same but like Scottish currency in most of England it was only
begrudgingly accepted and the Vendor was trying to unload some. The
teacher pointed out that the coins carried the legend Etat Française
and normal ones would have République Française .

G.Harman