Historical Currencies
Currencies come and go. These historical currencies are no longer in circulation — replaced by newer money after revaluations, hyperinflation, independence, or the move to the euro. For each one you can see the country, the period it was used, and the currency that replaced it.
| Currency | Symbol | Country / Region | Period | Replaced by | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austrian schilling | S | Austria | 1925–2002 | Euro (EUR) | The currency of Austria until it adopted the euro; it was reintroduced after World War II and remained stable for decades. |
| Austro-Hungarian krone | K | Austria-Hungary | 1892–1919 | Successor states' currencies | The currency of the Austro-Hungarian Empire from 1892 until its collapse; after 1918 it was replaced by separate currencies in the successor states. |
| Belgian franc | Fr | Belgium | 1832–2002 | Euro (EUR) | The currency of Belgium from independence until the euro; for a time it was interchangeable with the Luxembourgish franc. |
| Brazilian cruzeiro | ₢ | Brazil | 1942–1994 | Brazilian real (BRL) | One of several currencies Brazil used during decades of high inflation before the real brought lasting stability in 1994. |
| Bulgarian lev (pre-1999) | лв | Bulgaria | 1952–1999 | Bulgarian lev (BGN) | The pre-redenomination Bulgarian lev; following a financial crisis it was replaced in 1999 by a new lev worth 1,000 of the old units. |
| Croatian kuna | kn | Croatia | 1994–2023 | Euro (EUR) | The currency of Croatia until it adopted the euro in 2023; the word kuna means 'marten', a reference to the historical use of marten pelts as currency. |
| Cypriot pound | £ | Cyprus | 1879–2008 | Euro (EUR) | The currency of Cyprus until it adopted the euro in 2008. |
| Czechoslovak koruna | Kčs | Czechoslovakia | 1919–1993 | Czech koruna (CZK) / Slovak koruna (SKK) | The currency of Czechoslovakia; it was split into the Czech and Slovak korunas when the country dissolved in 1993. |
| Dutch guilder | ƒ | Netherlands | 1680–2002 | Euro (EUR) | The currency of the Netherlands for centuries until the euro; also known as the florin, hence its 'ƒ' sign. |
| East German mark | M | East Germany | 1948–1990 | Deutsche Mark (DEM) | The currency of the German Democratic Republic; it was replaced by the West German Deutsche Mark upon German monetary union in 1990. |
| Ecuadorian sucre | S/. | Ecuador | 1884–2000 | United States dollar (USD) | The currency of Ecuador until a severe financial crisis led the country to officially adopt the US dollar in 2000. |
| Estonian kroon | kr | Estonia | 1992–2011 | Euro (EUR) | The currency of Estonia after regaining independence until it adopted the euro in 2011. |
| European Currency Unit (ECU) | ₠ | European Communities | 1979–1999 | Euro (EUR) | A basket-based unit of account used by the European Communities; it was replaced at par by the euro in 1999. |
| Finnish markka | mk | Finland | 1860–2002 | Euro (EUR) | The currency of Finland from 1860 until the euro; Finland was among the first wave of countries to adopt euro cash. |
| French franc | ₣ | France | 1795–2002 | Euro (EUR) | The currency of France for more than two centuries until the euro was adopted; the 'new franc' replaced the old franc in 1960. |
| French livre tournois | ₶ | France | 1200s–1795 | French franc (FRF) | The principal currency and unit of account of the Kingdom of France for centuries; it was replaced by the decimal franc during the Revolution. |
| German Goldmark | ℳ | German Empire | 1873–1914 | German Papiermark | The gold-based currency of the German Empire; it was suspended at the outbreak of World War I when convertibility into gold ended. |
| German mark (Deutsche Mark) | DM | Germany | 1948–2002 | Euro (EUR) | The currency of West Germany and later reunified Germany; renowned for its stability, it was replaced by the euro in 2002. |
| German Papiermark | ℳ | Germany (Weimar Republic) | 1914–1923 | Rentenmark / Reichsmark | The paper currency of Germany after gold convertibility ended; it became worthless during the hyperinflation of 1923. |
| German Reichsmark | ℛℳ | Germany | 1924–1948 | Deutsche Mark (DEM) | The currency of Germany from 1924 through the Nazi era and the immediate post-war period; it was replaced by the Deutsche Mark in the 1948 currency reform. |
| Greek drachma | ₯ | Greece | 1832–2002 | Euro (EUR) | The currency of modern Greece and one of the world's oldest currency names, dating to antiquity; it was replaced by the euro in 2002. |
| Hungarian korona | K | Hungary | 1919–1927 | Hungarian pengő | The currency of Hungary after the dissolution of Austria-Hungary; it was undermined by post-war inflation and replaced by the pengő. |
| Hungarian pengő | P | Hungary | 1927–1946 | Hungarian forint (HUF) | The currency of Hungary between the two world wars; it suffered the most extreme hyperinflation ever recorded and was replaced by the forint in 1946. |
| Irish pound | £ | Ireland | 1928–2002 | Euro (EUR) | The currency of Ireland, also known as the punt; it was pegged to the pound sterling until 1979 and replaced by the euro in 2002. |
| Italian lira | ₤ | Italy | 1861–2002 | Euro (EUR) | The currency of Italy from unification until the euro; by the late 20th century the smallest denominations had little value due to inflation. |
| Latvian lats | Ls | Latvia | 1993–2014 | Euro (EUR) | The currency of Latvia until it adopted the euro in 2014. |
| Lithuanian litas | Lt | Lithuania | 1993–2015 | Euro (EUR) | The currency of Lithuania until it became the last of the Baltic states to adopt the euro in 2015. |
| Luxembourgish franc | Fr | Luxembourg | 1854–2002 | Euro (EUR) | The currency of Luxembourg until the euro; it was pegged at par with and circulated alongside the Belgian franc. |
| Maltese lira | ₤ | Malta | 1972–2008 | Euro (EUR) | The currency of Malta until it adopted the euro in 2008. |
| Mozambican metical (pre-2006) | MT | Mozambique | 1980–2006 | Mozambican metical (MZN) | The pre-redenomination Mozambican metical; it was replaced in 2006 by a new metical worth 1,000 of the old units. |
| Peruvian inti | I/. | Peru | 1985–1991 | Peruvian sol (PEN) | A short-lived currency of Peru during a period of hyperinflation; it was replaced by the nuevo sol in 1991. |
| Polish złoty (pre-1995) | zł | Poland | 1950–1995 | Polish złoty (PLN) | The pre-redenomination Polish złoty; after years of high inflation it was replaced in 1995 by a new złoty worth 10,000 of the old units. |
| Portuguese escudo | $ | Portugal | 1911–2002 | Euro (EUR) | The currency of Portugal after the fall of the monarchy until the euro; amounts were written with the cifrão symbol separating escudos from centavos. |
| Pound scots | £ | Scotland | 1100s–1707 | Pound sterling (GBP) | The currency of the Kingdom of Scotland until the Union with England in 1707, when it was replaced by the pound sterling. |
| Romanian leu (pre-2005) | L | Romania | 1952–2005 | Romanian leu (RON) | The pre-redenomination Romanian leu; it was replaced in 2005 by a new leu worth 10,000 of the old units. |
| Russian Empire ruble | ₮ | Russian Empire | 1704–1917 | Soviet ruble | The currency of the Russian Empire after Peter the Great's monetary reform; it gave way to Soviet currency after the 1917 revolution. |
| Slovak koruna | Sk | Slovakia | 1993–2009 | Euro (EUR) | The currency of Slovakia after the dissolution of Czechoslovakia until it adopted the euro in 2009. |
| Slovenian tolar | — | Slovenia | 1991–2007 | Euro (EUR) | The currency of Slovenia after independence from Yugoslavia until it adopted the euro in 2007. |
| South African pound | — | South Africa | 1825–1961 | South African rand (ZAR) | The currency of South Africa under sterling-based denominations until it was replaced by the decimal rand in 1961. |
| Soviet ruble | руб | Soviet Union | 1922–1991 | Successor states' currencies | The currency of the Soviet Union; after the USSR dissolved in 1991, each successor state introduced its own national currency. |
| Spanish dollar (piece of eight) | — | Spanish Empire | 1497–1868 | Spanish peseta (ESP) | The silver eight-real coin of the Spanish Empire that circulated worldwide and helped inspire the US dollar; it was a de facto global currency for centuries. |
| Spanish peseta | ₧ | Spain | 1868–2002 | Euro (EUR) | The currency of Spain from 1868 until it was replaced by the euro in 2002. |
| United States Confederate dollar | $ | Confederate States of America | 1861–1865 | United States dollar (USD) | The currency issued by the Confederate States during the American Civil War; it became worthless after the Confederacy's defeat in 1865. |
| Yugoslav dinar | дин | Yugoslavia | 1920–2003 | Successor states' currencies | The currency of Yugoslavia; it endured several of the worst hyperinflations in history during the 1990s as the country broke apart. |
| Zimbabwean dollar (2008) | $ | Zimbabwe | 1980–2009 | Multi-currency regime / ZWG | The original currency of Zimbabwe; it became infamous for hyperinflation that reached astronomical levels before being abandoned in 2009. |
About this guide
This is a reference guide only — it lists currency codes, symbols and issuing countries and does not provide exchange rates or financial advice. Currency details can change; always check an official source before relying on them.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an ISO 4217 currency code?
ISO 4217 is the international standard that gives every currency a unique three-letter code — for example USD for the US dollar, EUR for the euro and JPY for the Japanese yen. The first two letters usually match the country's ISO code and the third is the currency's initial.
Why do some currencies have no symbol?
A currency symbol is just a shorthand sign like $, € or £. Many currencies never adopted a distinct symbol and are written using their ISO code or an abbreviation instead, so the symbol column is left blank for them.
Do different countries share the same currency symbol?
Yes. The $ sign is used by the US dollar, the Canadian, Australian and many other dollars; ¥ is used by both the Japanese yen and the Chinese yuan. The ISO 4217 code removes the ambiguity, which is why codes matter.
What happened to currencies like the pengő, mark, lira and peseta?
They were withdrawn from circulation. The Hungarian pengő was destroyed by record hyperinflation and replaced by the forint in 1946; the German mark, French franc, Italian lira and Spanish peseta were all replaced by the euro in 2002.
Does this page show exchange rates?
No. This is a reference guide to what each currency is, its code, symbol and country. It intentionally does not include exchange rates or conversions.
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