Treasures !

[Ramon de Ramon y Ramon]

Hi everybody !

As an act of tying up loose ends after my move, I today have endeavored to count all the cash of foreign currencies I accumulated over the years in travels and on other occasions, so that Monday I can bring it to the local branch of the central bank to have it changed free of charge. Something all (EU)-Europeans will have to do at the some point over the next month since all currencies from Euro countries will loose their validity come Juli of 2002.

Besides this practical aspect the whole process was a little like looking at a photo album of all my past travels. So here is the final tally:

UK: 5 New Pence & 12 old pence (from 1955: are these still valid ?) =
53,47 Pfennige = 24.60 Cents

Greece: 5 Drachmas = 0.287 Pfennige = 0.132 Cents

Canada: 1 cent = 1.43 Pfennige = 0.66 Cents

Luxembourg: 1 Franc 25 Centimes = 26 Pfennige = 12 Cents

Sweden: 3 Crowns 50 Öre = 70 Pfennige = 32 Cents


Czechoslovakia: Yes, that is right, I got still money from the old Czechoslovakia which does not exist anymore: does anyone know if they still recognize that old money in the new Czech or Slovak Republic ? If so: 42 Crowns = 2 Marks 18 Pfennige = 1 Dollar

Yugoslavia: 5000 Dinar - from the the same department: the portrait of Tito, no, not the American billionaire, but the former Yugoslav president Josip Brosz called Tito, is gracing that bill. In case they still should recognize that money in the new Yugoslavia it must be worthless anyway. I think, they went through at least three major 4-digit inflations since the mid-eighties.

Belgium: 46 Francs = 2 Marks 23 Pfennige = 1 Dollar 3 Cents - Hooray ! We've taken the one buck barrier !

Austria: 21 Schillinge 50 Groschen = 3 Marks 5 Pfennige = 1 Dollar 40 Cents - these crazy Austrians: in German a "Groschen" is the same as a dime in the US: a 10-Pfennige-coin. The probably only did that to confuse the German tourists, so that they'd pay ten times as much for everything !

Denmark: 24 Crowns 5 Öre - home of Jacob/Bocaj and generally the friendliest people in the world, also producer of the best vanilla curd in the world. Try to imagine a country full of Moiraines and you are almost there. If we were all Danes, no not Great Danes, the world would be a much better place !

Spain: 311 Pesetas = 3 Marks 66 Pfennige = 1 Dollar 68 Cents - Ramon's beloved home country, every time the name is merely mentioned, the poor chap becomes all depressed. In case you've ever wondered why he was forced to take exile in this cold and barbaric country: well, knowing Ramon and his ways you probably already guessed it. There was that, uh, incident with this young lady of very, very noble blood which her father was less than amused about. So, Ramon had to make it to the border rather quickly - otherwise he would be missing a head or two now. Sigh !

USA: 4 Dollars 39 Cents - the only country besides Spain Ramon would really ever want to live in - as long as the supernaturally beautiful LadyWendy resides there.

The Netherlands: 12 Guilders 20 cents = 10 Marks 83 Pfennige = 4 Dollar 98 Cents - these shiny silver coins with the portrait of the Dutch Queen on them are what the incomparable Archbabe Melusine's slender hands touch every day when she goes to buy the famous Dutch cheese that has made her so incredibly blond and tall.

France: 56 Francs 5 Centimes = 16 Marks 70 Pfennige = 7 Dollars 68 Cents - "Pfennige" is such a nice oldfashioned German word which will vanish with the arrival of the Euro. Our government should have bribed the French into accepting "Pfennig" instead of "Cent" as name for the smaller unit of the Euro. Besides,
the notion of 60 million French trying to pronounce "Pfennig" every day brings a big dirty smile to my face.

Hong Kong: 200 Dollars = ? Sorry , don't have the exchange rate. Will play the role of the "candy box" when I go to the bank.

And finally Italy: 129,565 Lire - now, ladies, yes I am still single, but before you start to queue to propose, let me just calculate that to Dollars ...
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
= 130 Marks 86 Pfennige = 60 Dollars 20 Cents ...

"Where are all the lovely ladies running to ? - Hey, wait, I am not THAT ugly ! - Sigh !"




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So long !

R³ - new, much improved signature under construction !

[Staralfur]

Originally posted by Ramon de Ramon y Ramon: UK: 5 New Pence & 12 old pence (from 1955: are these still valid ?)

Do you mean the really big bronze coins?
If so, then no, but if you wait a couple of hundred years you could sell them on as antiques .

[Reeka]

Hi, Ramon, hope you're getting settled in OK. Why don't you just keep them? You've done without the money all this time. I would hang on the them, some could become valuable, especially with Euopre going to the Euro. Are any of the EU countries not changing? I thought Britain was not going to change? Am I wrong?

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Reeka--The Hand of Death O_H_F
GMDLM

[Moiraine]

Hi Reeka, long time no see .

Did Leah receive Marc's mail ? 'Cause Marc is eagerly waiting for a reply now !

You are right, English people won't go for the Euro - they never want to do things the way everybody else does, these. Drive on the wrong side of the road, cook things only they can eat ... I will remember forever the first day of my honeymoon : I was on a ferry going to Ireland, and when I woke up the first morning I wasn't feeling all that well, what with the ship rolling, and so I went to the dining room to have breakfast, and there was this huge amount of jelly things with impossible colors (bright green, pink, ...), that were slightly shivering with the ship ... eeek ! T'was terrible - I went back downstairs and got sick ...

Oh, and Ramon : Pffffennnig ... there, what is the big deal ?

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The world is my oyster !
And now I have the knives to open it ...

[This message has been edited by Moiraine (edited 05-06-2001).]

[This message has been edited by Moiraine (edited 05-06-2001).]

[Charlie]

Hey Ramon buddy, nice to see you again.
Add the 5 new pence to the 12 old pence and you got 17 totally worthless pence.
Even 17 totally useful pence won't get you into a public toilet over here mate so either keep em for posterity or chuck em. The 5 new pence, dependant on the year is either 5 old new pence (worthless) not to be confused with 5 old pence (also worthless) or 5 new new pence (worth 5 pence)...I know...go figure, ain't worth the mathematical headache....chuck it.

Err, what's a Euro....is it worth 5 pence?

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One love, peace.

[Ramon de Ramon y Ramon]

Originally posted by Staralfur: Originally posted by Ramon de Ramon y Ramon: UK: 5 New Pence & 12 old pence (from 1955: are these still valid ?) Do you mean the really big bronze coins? If so, then no, but if you wait a couple of hundred years you could sell them on as antiques .

No, they are silver and even smaller than the 5 "New Pence" coin. Guess that means I'll have to wait even a hundred or two hundred years longer than you already suggested before I can sell them as antiques.

N



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So long !

R³ - new, much improved signature under construction !

[WOLFGIR]

Originally posted by Moiraine: Hi Reeka, long time no see . Did Leah receive Marc's mail ? 'Cause Marc is eagerly waiting for a reply now ! You are right, English people won't go for the Euro - they never want to do things the way everybody else does, these. Drive on the wrong side of the road, cook things only they can eat ... I will remember forever the first day of my honeymoon : I was on a ferry going to Ireland, and when I woke up the first morning I wasn't feeling all that well, what with the ship rolling, and so I went to the dining room to have breakfast, and there was this huge amount of jelly things with impossible colors (bright green, pink, ...), that were slightly shivering with the ship ... eeek ! T'was terrible - I went back downstairs and got sick ... Oh, and Ramon : Pffffennnig ... there, what is the big deal ?

Hehe, well as they say in A fish called Wanda..
Englands only contrubution to the world cuisuine (OK terrible spelling, mayday mayday, Wolf going down....boom) hehe)) .. Fish and chips. I tried that one.. Well thank god they have Italian restaurants and MC Donalds there. Sorry all you UK people, I have heard you have more than that but I haven´t met anyone who could tell me where it was...

Jello is however truly and deeply disgusting...



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WOLF WINS EVERY FIGHT BUT ONE, AND IN THAT ONE, HE DIES

[Epona]

Wolfgir, I hear you mate!

Luckily the 'National Cuisine' in Britain is now considered to be Indian food (Chicken Tikka Masala is the most popular dish in Britain) so that's a huge relief to all food lovers out there. Come to Britain and have a really great Curry! I wouldn't bother with Fish & Chips, unless you have a thing for soggy batter and heart disease.

Ramon, I always keep a bit of money as a souvenir when I travel (even if I'm not supposed to ). One of my most treasured items is a Romanian 2000 lei note (about 30000 lei = £1 sterling when I got it). What is cool about this particular note is that it was produced specially for the eclipse of 1999 and it is made of plastic, with see through coloured plastic bits for the planets, sun and moon. I mean how cool does currency get??

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Time is an illusion. Lunchtime doubly so.

Epona of The Laughing Hyenas

[Reeka]

I have to agree, Wolfie. If it were not for the ethnic restaurants in London, when I travel there on business, I would starve.

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Reeka--The Hand of Death O_H_F
GMDLM

[Ramon de Ramon y Ramon]

Originally posted by Reeka: Hi, Ramon, hope you're getting settled in OK. Why don't you just keep them? You've done without the money all this time. I would hang on the them, some could become valuable, especially with Euopre going to the Euro. Are any of the EU countries not changing? I thought Britain was not going to change? Am I wrong?

Reeka, thank you, ma'am, I am already feeling quite at home in my new flat. I am indeed planning on keeping one example of each coin type as a souvenir. To add to what Moiraine already said: The Danes just recently voted not to introduce the Euro in the near future and the Swedes will vote on the same issue soon.

Well, Moiraine, coeur de ce forum, you had to edit your post here twice. I take that was because it took you - at least - two tries before "Pfennig" came out well enough, so that you cared and dared to present it to me ...

Charlie, I think a Euro is worth 19.5 Groschen - but I won't tell you if that is the Austrian or the German version.

Epona, money with plastic ?! No, thanks ! I am much more of a traditionalist when it comes to things like that. IMO the - new ! - French 10 Francs-coins are the most beautiful of them all. But what did you do in Romania, not a traditional touristic destination ?


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So long !

R³ - new, much improved signature under construction !