At the same time that the 500-euro note was born, the 1-centime coin also arrived; 50,000 of which was worth the same as the big-hitting bank note.
At the same time that the 500-euro note was born, the 1-centime coin also arrived; 50,000 of which was worth the same as the big-hitting bank note.
We’re talking about 2001 when the dear-old Peseta started being phased out; a transition that took a while, especially for those that mentally converted euros to pesetas to get an idea of the new currency’s worth – amongst them, yours truly.
The 500-euro note (affectionally know as a Bin ladens in Spain, because everybody knew they existed but nobody knew where they were) was the king of murky deals; millions in the black economy were laundered through their use until whipping one out of your pocket in a bank was like whipping out a pistol – alarm bells rang.
It’s diminutive cousins, the one, two and five-centime coins are disappearing as well, but nobody can be bothered having them; at supermarkets the people at the checkout are told to keep them. Even in bars and restaurants, nothing less than 10-centimes is charged. What’s the point?
OK, there are still the old ladies that have their purses bulging with them who infuriatingly insist on counting them out at the checkout, whilst you hang onto your purchases that you are desperately holding in your arms because you only intended to pop in for just one thing and didn’t pick up a basket.
So, is it any wonder that in the underground car parks in the city of Granada they don’t want them because nobody wants loose change or chatarra (scrap) as the Spanish say.
The latest case was when the Town Council approved the change in parking-charges; the prices were raised from 0.0333735 centimes to 0.0342078) with a rounding-up system to multiples of five.
Goodbye one and two-centime coins with the five centimes ones hanging on by the skin of their teeth.
But it’s not only the city of Granada, because Finland and the Netherlands were the first to withdraw these coins from circulation. It was in 2025 when they eliminated them due to the high cost of production in relation to their value. In other words, it costs more to make them than their face value.
These two countries were followed by Belgium, Slovakia, Estonia, Ireland, Italy, and Lithuania. Spain for the moment, has heroically fought off having to make a decision on them. Viva España Cañí
(News: City & Metropolitan Area, Granada, Andalucia)
Keywords: The Disappearing Centimes, Coins, Parking Machines, 500-Euro Note, Bin Laden, Supermakets
news, andalucia, granada, city & metropolitan area, the disappearing centimes, coins, parking machines, 500-euro note, bin laden, supermakets