The Rarest Currency You Have Ever Seen | FF News at Retail Bank Transformation Europe

What’s the rarest cash or coin you have ever seen? 

We’re guessing that those who have been in the banking industry long enough will have seen some interesting forms of currency. 

In the latest video from Datos Insights Retail Bank Transformation Europe, we asked attendees and exhibitors what they thought the rarest cash or coin they’d seen was. 

It was interesting to see how people interpreted the question.

Watch the video for some interesting finds! 

Different forms of currency 

Cash use is still very popular around the world, and even though it is in decline, it is still used for 44% of point-of-sale (POS) transactions globally. Nonetheless, foreign currency is increasingly becoming a novelty in other places around the world. Unless you travel it’s unlikely you would come across the Danish Krone as one of our guests mentioned. 

With a hole in the middle it’s certainly a unique one that stands out, especially in Europe where the Euro dominates. 

Among other foreign currencies mentioned were the Tanzanian shilling, some Russian coin and currency from Jordan, from Temenos’ Robert Wint. Of course there were also some who had seen old British currency too. We imagine the shilling is getting rarer and rarer. 

Of course, many of these forms of currency could become less and less common as time goes on and more people adopt digital forms of transaction at the point of sale. So hold on to your unique coins while you can. 

Under the ground

A particularly unique answer was from Matthew Phillips of Diebold Nixdorf who reminisced about a time where archeologists near where he lived uncovered coins from the Vikings. Now that is a rare find indeed. We’re pretty sure that’s no longer legal tender. 

Then of course, a few people mentioned the commemorative or collectible coins that are produced, usually by the Royal Mint, for special occasions or to commemorate everything from the England football team to Paul McCartney. 

Speaking of official currency, Sean Wilson from Dormakaba pointed out that they get to see new cash before it’s released to the public. How privileged!

It was very interesting to hear the answers of attendees and exhibitors at the event, who clearly have lots of interesting stories to tell. Watch more videos from this conference on our website.