Bank of France mobbed as coin deadline expires
February 19, 2005
Paris - Teller windows at the Bank of France were mobbed by a record crowd as a deadline for declaring franc coins expired, the central bank said on Friday.
Around 45 000 people showed up at the bank's various branches throughout France to turn in old coins on Thursday, setting an "absolute record" that far surpassed a previous high set when the euro became legal tender more than three years ago.
Roughly 17 000 had turned up on January 3 2002 as the bank opened two days after the 12-nation eurozone introduced euro banknotes and coins.
According to the central bank, more than 50 million franc-denominated coins were turned in since February 1, compared to 22 million in January and 118 million for all of 2004.
On Monday, the bank had said that three billion franc coins worth about €600 million (about R4.7 billion) were still outstanding.
French franc bank notes may still be exchanged during a period running from November 30 until February 17, 2012, depending on the bill. - AFP
|
|
