Rare Spanish 5 Peseta coins worth €20,000

IT has been 17 years since the Euro replaced the Peseta as Spain’s currency, but that does not mean the old money is worthless.

In fact coin collectors are willing to pay up to €20,000 for a single five peseta piece – providing it is the right one of course.

Knows as a ‘duro’ (after the ‘hard’ days’s work it was supposed to represent the wages of) the ones sought by collectors date from 1949 to 1952. At the time the price of the nickel they were minted from rose and many were withdrawn from circulation to avoid speculation, meaning they are now pretty rare. Depending on condition, they are worth between €12,000 and €20,000.

Other valuable coins include:

– 100 Pesetas 1983. They are known as ’20 duros’. The most coveted coins of the series were those manufactured in 1983. Collectors pay about €55 for them.

– 50 Pesetas 1984. These large coins can be worth €60.

– 25 Pesetas 1995. They are known for the hole in the centre. Each year the design was dedicated to an Autonomous Community and early examples dedicated to Castile and Leon reach €100 at auction.

– 100 Pesetas 1966. These large silver coins were manufactured in 1966, although those from 1969 are generally more expensive, reaching around €145. However, there is a variant from 1966 that has a ‘straight nine’ and can be worth up to €400.

– 5 Pesetas 1975 with reverse marked Mundial 82. It is one of the most desired coins among collectors because they were manufactured for the 1982 World Cup. However, by mistake one batch was minted with the wrong year – 1975 – on and these are worth up to €400.

– 1 Peseta 1947. They are the first coins with the portrait of Franco. Currently, the best preserved coins can be sold for up to €1,400.

For those with a draw full of old Pesetas but not lucky enough to have one of the valued ones, you have until December 31, 2020 to exchange them for Euros at the Bank of Spain.