Tuesday, April 11, 2023, 00:18
Despite the rise of digital tools, cash continues to be the most widely used means of payment in Spain. However, according to the latest study on its use published by the Bank of Spain, only half of the establishments check the authenticity of the bills and coins they receive. Hence, this body has launched a small guide to easily determine if a coin is false or not.
The origin. The first step is the most elementary; we must verify that it is a euro and not a currency from another country. It seems a platitude, but there are local currency currencies that are very similar to ours. This is the case of the five-peso coin from the Dominican Republic, which can be confused with the one-euro coin and is only worth eight cents, or the one Turkish lira, which is similar to the two-euro coin despite being worth forty cents.
The coin spin. The second piece of advice is to look at the alignment of your motives. This means that if we hold a coin between our thumb and index finger and turn it over on itself, the images on both sides must be correctly aligned vertically. In other words, if the number faces up, the drawing on the back must also do so.
The concordance. In 2007, the design of the map of Europe that appears on the common side of each coin changed slightly to include the entire European continent and not just the countries of the European Union and as independent islands. Therefore, if a coin was minted after that date (this information is seen on the side with the national design), we must look for the complete map of Europe.
The surface of Europe. The map is again the clue. In the one and two euro coins, the surface must be partially rough, it will never be smooth.
The magnetism. The one and two euro coins are slightly magnetic, but only in the center, so although they will stick to any small magnet they will also come apart with a slight shake. On the other hand, the low denomination coins (those of one, two and five cents) are strongly magnetic and do not detach from the magnet. The half denominations (the ten, twenty and fifty cent) are not magnetic at all.