Published on 4 March 2024

Circulation coins – The present-day role of coins as currency

With most of us, circulation coins conjure up ambivalent feelings. On the one hand, they hold an inexplicable attraction for us – as, indeed, all forms of money do – an attraction which probably harks back to fond childhood memories of all the treasures we could buy with our allowance of coins. On the other hand, however, coins can also be a nuisance. For instance, when too many of them make wallets heavy and bulky so that we take the first opportunity of getting rid of them only to find ourselves afterwards without the right change for the ticket or cigarette machine. Nevertheless, coins will continue to hold their ground as a convenient, cheap, and, above all, universally accepted form of currency.