The peseta (, ) was the

currency A currency is a standardization of money in any form, in use or circulation as a medium of exchange, for example banknotes and coins. A more general definition is that a currency is a ''system of money'' in common use within a specific envi ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

between 1868 and 2002. Along with the

French franc The franc (; , ; currency sign, sign: F or Fr), also commonly distinguished as the (FF), was a currency of France. Between 1360 and 1641, it was the name of coins worth 1 livre tournois and it remained in common parlance as a term for this amoun ...

, it was also a ''de facto'' currency used in

Andorra Andorra, officially the Principality of Andorra, is a Sovereignty, sovereign landlocked country on the Iberian Peninsula, in the eastern Pyrenees in Southwestern Europe, Andorra–France border, bordered by France to the north and Spain to A ...

(which had no national currency with

legal tender Legal tender is a form of money that Standard of deferred payment, courts of law are required to recognize as satisfactory payment in court for any monetary debt. Each jurisdiction determines what is legal tender, but essentially it is anything ...

Etymology

The name of the currency derives from ''peceta'', a Catalan word meaning ''little piece,'' from of the Catalan word ''peça'' (lit. ''piece'', "coin"). Its etymology has wrongly been attributed to the Spanish ''

peso The peso is the monetary unit of several Hispanophone, Spanish-speaking countries in Latin America, as well as the Philippines. Originating in the Spanish Empire, the word translates to "weight". In most countries of the Americas, the symbol com ...

''. The word ''peseta'' has been known as early as 1737 to colloquially refer to the coin worth 2 ''reales provincial'' or of a

. Coins denominated in "pesetas" were briefly issued in 1808 in Barcelona under French occupation; see

Catalan peseta The Catalan peseta (in Catalan language, Catalan: ''peceta''; pl. ''pecetes'') was a unit of currency in Catalonia until 1850, when the whole of Spain decimalized. It was also a name used throughout Spain for an amount of four Spanish real, reales ...

Symbol

Traditionally, there was never a single symbol or special character for the Spanish peseta. Common abbreviations were "Pta" (plural: "Pts), "Pt", and "Ptas". A common way of representing amounts of pesetas in print was using

superior letter In typography and handwriting, a superior letter is a lower-case letter placed above the baseline and made smaller than an ordinary script. The style has traditionally been distinct from superscript. Formerly quite common in abbreviations, the ...

s: "P^ta" and "P^ts". AEG Olympia - Traveller de Luxe - Spanish keyboard layout-9620

Common Spanish models of mechanical typewriters had the expression "Pts" on a single type head, as a shorthand intended to fill a single type space () in tables instead of three (). Later, Spanish models of IBM electric typewriters also included the same type in its repertoire. When the first

IBM PC The IBM Personal Computer (model 5150, commonly known as the IBM PC) is the first microcomputer released in the List of IBM Personal Computer models, IBM PC model line and the basis for the IBM PC compatible ''de facto'' standard. Released on ...

was designed in 1980, it included a "peseta symbol" "Pt" in the

ROM Rom, or ROM may refer to: Biomechanics and medicine * Risk of mortality, a medical classification to estimate the likelihood of death for a patient * Rupture of membranes, a term used during pregnancy to describe a rupture of the amniotic sac * ...

of the

Monochrome Display Adapter The Monochrome Display Adapter (MDA, also MDA card, Monochrome Display and Printer Adapter, MDPA) is IBM's standard video display card and computer display standard for the IBM PC introduced in 1981. The MDA does not have any pixel-addressable ...

(MDA) and

Color Graphics Adapter The Color Graphics Adapter (CGA), originally also called the ''Color/Graphics Adapter'' or ''IBM Color/Graphics Monitor Adapter'', introduced in 1981, was IBM's first color graphics card for the IBM PC and established a De facto standard, de fac ...

(CGA) video output cards' hardware, with the code number 158. This original character set chart later became the

MS-DOS MS-DOS ( ; acronym for Microsoft Disk Operating System, also known as Microsoft DOS) is an operating system for x86-based personal computers mostly developed by Microsoft. Collectively, MS-DOS, its rebranding as IBM PC DOS, and a few op ...

code page 437 Code page 437 ( CCSID 437) is the character set of the original IBM PC (personal computer). It is also known as CP437, OEM-US, OEM 437, PC-8, or MS-DOS Latin US. The set includes all printable ASCII characters as well as some accented letters (di ...

. Some

spreadsheet A spreadsheet is a computer application for computation, organization, analysis and storage of data in tabular form. Spreadsheets were developed as computerized analogs of paper accounting worksheets. The program operates on data entered in c ...

software for PC under

, as

Lotus 1-2-3 Lotus 1-2-3 is a discontinued spreadsheet program from Lotus Software (later part of IBM). It was the first killer application of the IBM PC, was hugely popular in the 1980s, and significantly contributed to the success of IBM PC-compatibles ...

, employed this character as the peseta symbol in their Spanish editions. Subsequent international

code page In computing, a code page is a character encoding and as such it is a specific association of a set of printable character (computing), characters and control characters with unique numbers. Typically each number represents the binary value in a s ...

s, like code page 850 and others, deprecated this character in favour of some other national characters. In order to guarantee the interchange with previous encodings such as code page 437, the international standard

Unicode Unicode or ''The Unicode Standard'' or TUS is a character encoding standard maintained by the Unicode Consortium designed to support the use of text in all of the world's writing systems that can be digitized. Version 16.0 defines 154,998 Char ...

includes this character as U+20A7 PESETA SIGN in its Currency Symbols block. Other than that, the use of the "peseta symbol" standalone is extremely rare, and has been outdated since the adoption of the

euro The euro (currency symbol, symbol: euro sign, €; ISO 4217, currency code: EUR) is the official currency of 20 of the Member state of the European Union, member states of the European Union. This group of states is officially known as the ...

in Spain. In the version 1.0 of Unicode the character ₧ U+20A7 PESETA SIGN had two reference glyphs: a "Pts" ligature glyph as in IBM code page 437 and an erroneous P with stroke. In Unicode 2.0 the reference glyph P with stroke was erroneously displayed as the only symbol for peseta and was later corrected to the Pts ligature and a separate character code was added for the peso sign.

Subdivision

The peseta was subdivided into 100 ''

céntimo The céntimo (in Spanish-speaking countries) or cêntimo (in Portuguese-speaking countries) was a currency unit of Spain, Portugal and their former colonies. The word derived from the Latin reales,'' which are the origin of the American quarter. The last coin of any value under one peseta was a 50 cts coin issued in 1980 to celebrate Spain's hosting of the

1982 FIFA World Cup The 1982 FIFA World Cup was the 12th FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial Association football, football tournament for men's senior national teams, and was played in Spain from 13 June to 11 July 1982. The tournament was won by Italy national footbal ...

. The last 25-céntimo coin (or real) was dated 1959, the ten céntimos also dated 1959; both coins bore the portrait of Franco. The 1-céntimo coin was last minted in 1913 and featured King

Alfonso XIII Alfonso XIII (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Alfonso León Fernando María Jaime Isidro Pascual Antonio de Borbón y Habsburgo-Lorena''; French language, French: ''Alphonse Léon Ferdinand Marie Jacques Isidore Pascal Antoine de Bourbon''; 17 May ...

. The -céntimo coin was last minted in 1868 and featured Queen Isabel II.

History

Currencies used in Spain before the peseta's introduction in 1868 include: * The '' maravedí'' from the 11th to 15th centuries. * The original ''

Spanish real The ''real'' (English: /ɹeɪˈɑl/ Spanish: /reˈal/) (meaning: "royal", plural: ''reales'') was a unit of currency in Spanish Empire, Spain for several centuries after the mid-14th century. It underwent several changes in value relative to oth ...

'' (later, ''real nacional'') introduced in the mid-14th century, which from 1497 was fixed at 34 maravedíes. Eight of these ''reales nacional'' were equal to the

Spanish dollar The Spanish dollar, also known as the piece of eight (, , , or ), is a silver coin of approximately diameter worth eight Spanish reales. It was minted in the Spanish Empire following a monetary reform in 1497 with content fine silver. It w ...

, or ''peso'', or ''duro''. * The ''real provincial'', used only in

Peninsular Spain Peninsular Spain is the part of the territory of Spain located within the Iberian Peninsula, thus excluding other parts of Spain: the Canary Islands, the Balearic Islands, Ceuta, Melilla, and several islets and crags off the coast of Morocco kno ...

and not its colonies, and valued at dollar. * The ''real de vellón'', another version of the ''real'' also exclusive to Peninsular Spain, issued prolifically in the 17th and 18th centuries, and valued much less than the above-mentioned ''reales''. In 1737 it was finally fixed at th dollar. In 1850 it was divided decimally into 10 ''décimos'' or 100 ''céntimos''. * The short-lived '' silver escudo'' from 1864 to 1869, worth dollar and divided into 10 ''reales de vellón'' or 100 ''céntimos de escudo''. The peseta, previously not a monetary unit but a colloquial name for the coin worth of a

, was formally introduced as a currency unit in 1868, at a time when Spain considered joining the

Latin Monetary Union The Monetary Convention of 23 December 1865 was a unified system of coinage that provided a degree of monetary integration among several European countries, initially Belgium, France, Italy and Switzerland, at a time when the circulation of bank ...

(LMU). Spain eventually decided not to formally join the LMU, although it did achieve alignment with the bloc. The Spanish Law of June 26, 1864 decreed that in preparation for joining the Latin Monetary Union (set up in 1865), the peseta became a subdivision of the Spanish peso with 1 ''peso duro'' = 5 ''pesetas''. The peseta replaced all previous currencies denominated in '' silver escudos'' and '' reales de vellón'' at a rate of 5 ''pesetas'' = 1 ''peso duro'' = 2 ''silver escudos'' = 20 ''reales de vellón''. The peseta was equal to 4.5

gram The gram (originally gramme; SI unit symbol g) is a Physical unit, unit of mass in the International System of Units (SI) equal to one thousandth of a kilogram. Originally defined in 1795 as "the absolute Mass versus weight, weight of a volume ...

s of

silver Silver is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag () and atomic number 47. A soft, whitish-gray, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal. ...

, or 0.290322 grams of

gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

, the standard used by all the currencies of the Latin Monetary Union. From 1873, only the

gold standard A gold standard is a backed currency, monetary system in which the standard economics, economic unit of account is based on a fixed quantity of gold. The gold standard was the basis for the international monetary system from the 1870s to the ...

applied. In 1883 the peseta went off the gold standard and traded below parity with the gold

. However, as the free minting of silver was suspended to the general public, the peseta had a floating exchange rate between the value of the gold franc and the silver franc. The Spanish government captured all profits from minting ''duros'' (5-peseta coins) out of silver bought for less than Pts 5. While total issuance was limited to prevent the peseta from falling below the silver franc, the abundance of ''duros'' in circulation prevented the peseta from returning to par with the gold franc. Spain's system where the silver ''duro'' trades at a premium above its metallic value due to relative scarcity is called the ''fiduciary standard''. The political turbulence of the early twentieth century (especially during the years after the

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

) caused the monetary union to break up, although it was not until 1927 that it officially ended. During the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

(1936–1939), gold and silver coinage was withdrawn and copper-nickel coins were introduced. In 1959, Spain became part of the

Bretton Woods System The Bretton Woods system of monetary management established the rules for commercial relations among 44 countries, including the United States, Canada, Western European countries, and Australia, after the 1944 Bretton Woods Agreement until the ...

, pegging the peseta at a value of Pts 60 =

US$ The United States dollar (Currency symbol, symbol: Dollar sign, $; ISO 4217, currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and International use of the U.S. dollar, several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introdu ...

1. In 1967, the peseta followed the devaluation of sterling, maintaining the exchange rate of Pts 168 = £1 stg. and establishing a new rate of Pts 70 = US$1. High

inflation In economics, inflation is an increase in the average price of goods and services in terms of money. This increase is measured using a price index, typically a consumer price index (CPI). When the general price level rises, each unit of curre ...

was constant in Spain from the Civil War until the 1990s. After one century with the Pts 1,000 being the largest note, the Pts 5,000 note was introduced in 1976. A series of coins was issued to commemorate the

held in Spain. All the fractional coinage was withdrawn in 1983; at the same time, Pts 2,000 and Pts 10,000 notes were introduced. Pts 200 and Pts 500 notes were withdrawn in 1992 and replaced by coins, leaving Pts 1,000 as the smallest note. Coins ranged from Pta 1 to Pts 500. In that year, a series of coins commemorating

1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics (, ), officially the Games of the XXV Olympiad (, ) and officially branded as Barcelona '92, were an international multi-sport event held from 25 July to 9 August 1992 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Beginning in 1994 ...

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

and Expo '92 in

Seville Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spain, Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the Guadalquivir, River Guadalquivir, ...

were issued. Spain was hit heavily by the

early 1990s recession The early 1990s recession describes the period of economic downturn affecting much of the Western world in the early 1990s. The impacts of the recession contributed in part to the 1992 U.S. presidential election victory of Bill Clinton over incum ...

and the peseta was devalued three times, the first of them being just after

Black Wednesday Black Wednesday, or the 1992 sterling crisis, was a financial crisis that occurred on 16 September 1992 when the UK Government was forced to withdraw sterling from the (first) European Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERMI), following a failed at ...

, plummeting from Pts 100 to Pts 130 per US$1. All Franco era coinage was withdrawn in 1997. The peseta linked its value with the euro coin on 1 January 1999, and hit rock bottom that year when Pts 200 were required to buy US$1. At the time Euro became a material coin, Pts 185.29 were needed to buy US$1, that is, 1.1743 euros. The peseta was replaced by the

in 2002, following the establishment of the euro in 1999. The exchange rate was €1 = Pts 166.386.

Coins

From 1868 to 1982, a unique dating system for Spanish coins was employed. This would be adopted and sometimes abandoned intermittently during various times, and continued through to be used through the first years of

Juan Carlos I Juan Carlos I (; Juan Carlos Alfonso Víctor María de Borbón y Borbón-Dos Sicilias, born 5 January 1938) is a member of the Spanish royal family who reigned as King of Spain from 22 November 1975 until Abdication of Juan Carlos I, his abdic ...

's reign. Although a common "authorization date" will be found on virtually all coins of this period on the obverse (front) of each coin, the actual date for many coins can be found inside a small six pointed star, typically on the reverse (back) of each coin, but sometimes the front. Therefore, the obverse date does not always reflect the actual date of mintage but rather a restriking of older obverse coin die designs. So, if the coin date shows 1959 up front but a tiny "64" is depicted in the six pointed star on the back, then the actual date of issue is in fact 1964 rather than the date depicted in front. This dating system would be abandoned in the early 1980s anticipating a one-by-one redesign of each coin denomination. Pesetas fin siglo XX

Decimal coinage of the monarchy

*No coins were issued by the short lived First Republic (1873–1874). In 1869 and 1870, coins were introduced in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, and 50 céntimos, and Pta 1, Pts 2, and Pts 5. The lowest four denominations were struck in copper (replaced by bronze from 1877), with the 20 cts, 50 cts, Pta 1 and Pts 2 struck in .835 silver and the Pts 5 struck in .900 silver. 5 cts and 10 cts coins were quickly nicknamed ''perra chica'' (small dog) and ''perra gorda'' (fat dog) respectively, as people then were unable to recognize the shape of the

lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'', native to Sub-Saharan Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body (biology), body; a short, rounded head; round ears; and a dark, hairy tuft at the ...

in them, mistaking it for a dog. The Pts 5 coin was nicknamed ''duro'' (hard), referencing the old ''peso duro''. Pts 5 coins were called ''duros'' by every generation until the withdrawal of the peseta in 2002, and Spaniards would often informally account in that unit (e.g. using '20 duros' for Pts 100). Gold Pts 25 coins were introduced in 1876, followed by Pts 10 in 1878. In 1889, Pts 20 coins were introduced, with production of the Pts 25 ceasing. In 1897, a single issue of gold Pts 100 was made. Production of gold coins ceased in 1904, followed by that of silver coins in 1910. The last bronze coins were issued in 1912. Starting in 1906 a new series of 1 ctm and 2 cts coins were issued in bronze. Due to a number of economic issues these were the only two coins from this series. Coin production resumed in 1925 with the introduction of

cupronickel Cupronickel or copper–nickel (CuNi) is an alloy of copper with nickel, usually along with small quantities of other metals added for strength, such as iron and manganese. The copper content typically varies from 60 to 90 percent. ( Monel is a n ...

25 cts. In 1926, a final issue of silver 50 cts was made, followed by the introduction of a holed version of the 25 cts in 1927.

The Second Republic and Civil War period

In 1934, the

Second Spanish Republic The Spanish Republic (), commonly known as the Second Spanish Republic (), was the form of democratic government in Spain from 1931 to 1939. The Republic was proclaimed on 14 April 1931 after the deposition of Alfonso XIII, King Alfonso XIII. ...

issued its first coins in the denomination of 25 cts and 50 cts and Pta 1. The 25 cts and silver Pta 1 were the same size and composition as the earlier Royal issues, whilst the 50 cts was struck in copper. In 1937 a 5 cts coin was struck in iron and a new Pta 1 in brass. An iron 10 cts coin was also produced in 1938 but never issued into circulation, unknown whether due to its close resemblance to the 5cts or because the government of issue fell before it could be released. All of these replaced symbols and images related to the monarchy. The brass Pta 1 was sometimes nicknamed ''La Rubia'' (The Blonde), as it featured a woman's face in a gold-coloured alloy.

Coins of the Nationalist State and World War II periods

The Nationalists issued their first official coins in 1937. These were holed 25 cts featuring a rising sun and a clutch of arrows. These coins were minted in

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

. A smaller copper 25 cts followed in 1938. Following the end of the

in 1939, the victorious Nationalist government introduced aluminium 5 cts and 10 cts in 1940 featuring a

conquistador Conquistadors (, ) or conquistadores (; ; ) were Spanish Empire, Spanish and Portuguese Empire, Portuguese colonizers who explored, traded with and colonized parts of the Americas, Africa, Oceania and Asia during the Age of Discovery. Sailing ...

, followed by reduced size aluminium-bronze Pta 1 coins in 1944 featuring the state crest and national symbols. During the

, a number of local coinages were also issued by both Republican and Nationalist forces. In 1936, the following pieces were issued by the Nationalists: : The following issues were made by Republican forces in 1937: :

Franco-era coinage

The first Pta 1 coins bearing the portrait of

Francisco Franco Francisco Franco Bahamonde (born Francisco Paulino Hermenegildo Teódulo Franco Bahamonde; 4 December 1892 – 20 November 1975) was a Spanish general and dictator who led the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalist forces i ...

were issued in 1947. Cupro-nickel Pts 5 followed in 1949. In 1949, holed cupro-nickel 50 cts were introduced, followed by aluminium-bronze Pts in 1954, cupro-nickel Pts 25 and Pts 50 in 1958 and smaller aluminium 10 and 25 céntimos in 1959. Silver Pts 100 were issued between 1966 and 1969, with aluminium 50 céntimos introduced in 1967. In 1966 Franco's profile was redesigned to depict a more recent representation of the dictator. In the sport of 43-man squamish, developed in 1965 during the Francoist era and well before Spain's transition to the euro, gameplay commences with the toss of "a new Spanish peseta."

Restoration of democracy

When Juan Carlos became king, there were a few changes: the replacement of Franco's portrait with that of Juan Carlos on the 50 cts and Pta 1 in 1975 and the addition of a cupro-nickel Pts 100 in 1976. 10 cts coins were discontinued. But there were bigger changes to each coin in 1982. Following this redesign the 50 cts was discontinued, and aluminium replaced aluminium bronze in the Pta 1. A Pts 2 coin was also introduced, featuring a map of Spain, though this denomination never became popular. More importantly, nickel-brass Pts 100 were introduced. The redesign centered around the

and depicted

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

-related themes on the Pta 1, Pts 5, Pts 25, Pts 50, and Pts 100. Shortly afterwards, the large cupronickel Pts 100 was replaced by a smaller aluminium bronze coin, which also replaced the 100 ₧ banknote. A cupronickel Pts 10 was introduced in 1983, a denomination that had not been issued for many decades. This preceded a wholesale redesign in all circulating Spanish coins and abandonment of the "star" dating system. Cupronickel Pts 200 coins were introduced in 1986, followed by aluminium bronze Pts 500 in 1987. In 1989 the biggest changes came. The size of the Pta 1 coin was significantly reduced. The Pts 2 coin was discontinued. Smaller aluminium bronze Pts 5 were introduced, and reduced aluminium bronze Pts 25 were also introduced which had a hole in the centre. Smaller Pts 50 coins were also issued the same year in cupronickel with the distinct Spanish flower shape that would eventually be used by many countries, most notably the 20-cent coin of the euro. At the same time, the Pts 200 coin was made larger and included an identifiable edge with

incuse This glossary of numismatics is a list of definitions of terms and concepts relevant to numismatics and coin collecting, as well as sub-fields and related disciplines, with concise explanations for the beginner or professional. Numismatics (a ...

lettering. In 1999, a laser-etched hologram was added to the Pts 500 coin as a security feature to help discourage counterfeiting. During this period, all coins except the Pta 1 and Pts 500 went through a commemorative redesign each year, in a similar vein to the U.S. State commemorative quarters program, until they were discontinued in 2001 before the introduction of the

common currency. Until 19 June 2001, the following coins were minted by the Spanish Fábrica Nacional de Moneda y Timbre: : The Pts 50 coins issued between 1990 and 2000 were the first that featured the Spanish flower shape.

Spanish euro coins

Like all member nations, these coins come in denominations of 1, 2, and 5 cents in copper plated brass, 10, 20, and 50 cents in Nordic gold, and bimetallic 1 and 2 euros with a common reverse design. The obverse of the first three denominations feature

Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela The Santiago de Compostela Archcathedral Basilica (Spanish language, Spanish and Galician language, Galician: ) is part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Santiago de Compostela, Metropolitan Archdiocese of Santiago de Compostela and is an inte ...

, the 10, 20, and 50 cents depict Spanish poet-writer

Miguel de Cervantes Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra ( ; ; 29 September 1547 (assumed) – 22 April 1616 Old Style and New Style dates, NS) was a Spanish writer widely regarded as the greatest writer in the Spanish language and one of the world's pre-eminent novelist ...

, and the 1 and 2 euros depict the effigy of King Juan Carlos I or King Felipe VI.

Banknotes

In 1874, the Bank of Spain (''Banco de España'' in Spanish) introduced notes for Pts 25, Pts 50, Pts 100, Pts 500 and Pts 1,000. Except for the Pts 250 notes only issued in 1878, the denominations produced by the Central Bank of Spain did not change until the Civil War, when both the Republicans and Nationalists issued Bank of Spain notes. In 1936, the Republicans issued Pts 5 and Pts 10 notes. The Ministry of Finance (''Ministerio de Hacienda'') introduced notes for 50 cts, Pta 1 and Pts 2 in 1938, as well as issuing stamp money (consisting of postage or

revenue stamp A revenue stamp, tax stamp, duty stamp or fiscal stamp is a (usually) adhesive label used to designate collected taxes or fees on documents, tobacco, alcoholic drinks, drugs and medicines, playing cards, hunting licenses, firearm registration, ...

s affixed to cardboard discs) in denominations of 5 cts, 10 cts, 15 cts, 20 cts, 25 cts, 30 cts, 40 cts, 45 cts, 50 cts and 60 cts. The first Nationalist Bank of Spain issues were made in 1936, in denominations of Pts 5, Pts 10, Pts 25, Pts 50, Pts 100, Pts 500, and Pts 1,000. Pta 1 and Pts 2 notes were added in 1937. From the mid-1940s, denominations issued were Pta 1, Pts 5, Pts 25, Pts 50, Pts 100, Pts 500, and Pts 1,000. The Pta 1, Pts 5, Pts 25, and Pts 50 were all replaced by coins by the late 1950s. In 1978, Pts 5,000 notes were introduced. The Pts 100 note was replaced by a coin in 1982, with Pts 1,000 notes introduced in 1983, Pts 200 in 1984 and Pts 10,000 in 1987. The Pts 200 and Pts 500 notes were replaced by coins in 1986 and 1987. The penultimate series of banknotes were introduced between 1982 and 1987 and the last series, dedicated to Spanish figures from the exploration of the Americas and introduced in 1992, remained legal tender until the introduction of the Euro.

Andorran peseta

Spagna 200 pesetas Madrid Capitale Europea della Cultura

The Andorran peseta (ADP) (''pesseta'' in Catalan) was pegged at 1:1 to the Spanish peseta. Following the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War on 17 July 1936, the Andorran General Council issued Decree No. 112 of 19 December 1936, authorizing the issuance of paper money backed by Spanish banknotes. There are two issues of Andorran pesetas, known as the Blue issues and the Brown issues. Both issues are dated 19 Desembre 1936 though the Brown issues were not issued until 19 December 1937. Both issues were withdrawn from circulation by 31 December 1938 and replaced with Spanish pesetas. None of the notes are signed. All notes feature the coat of arms of Andorra on the front, along with text in Catalan indicating the value and issuer. On the back is the serial number and the issuing Decree in Catalan, in full on the Blue issues and in an abbreviated form on the Brown issues. Also on the back of the Brown issues is the coat of arms.

Replacement by the euro

The peseta was replaced by the

on 1 January 1999 on currency exchange boards.

Euro coins There are eight euro coin denominations, ranging from one cent to two euro (the euro is divided into a hundred cents). The coins first came into use in 2002. They have a common Obverse and reverse, reverse, portraying a map of Europe, but each cou ...

and

notes Note, notes, or NOTE may refer to: Music and entertainment * Musical note, a pitched sound (or a symbol for a sound) in music * ''Notes'' (album), a 1987 album by Paul Bley and Paul Motian * ''Notes'', a common (yet unofficial) shortened versi ...

were introduced on 1 January 2002, and on 1 March 2002 the peseta lost its legal tender status in Spain, and also in Andorra. The conversion rate was

€ The euro sign () is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the eurozone. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists of a stylized letter E (or epsilon), crossed by t ...

1 = Pts 166.386. Peseta notes issued since 1939 and coins that were

on 31 December 2001 remained exchangeable at any branch of the Spanish Central Bank until 30 June 2021. According to that entity, as of March 2011 pesetas to a value estimated at €1.7 billion had not been converted to euros.

Notes

# 1999 by law (on financial markets and business transactions only), two currency units were used (the Spanish peseta still had legal tender on all banknotes, coins and personal bank accounts) until 2002.

References

Bibliography

* *

External links

Overview of the peseta from the BBC

{{Authority control 1868 establishments in Spain 2002 disestablishments in Spain Currencies of Spain Currencies replaced by the euro Currencies of Andorra Coins of Spain Currency symbols