The Old Currency Exchange strives to be Ireland’s most helpful coin and banknote dealer, with a website that informs, educates and entertains. Our approach is to hold a diverse inventory that will be of interest to beginners, intermediate and advanced collectors.

We also:

• Buy old Irish coinage and banknotes
• Value and buy leftover holiday currency
• Advise people on how best to sell their collections, attic finds and inheritances

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• Check out the menu at the top of this page – see if we have something of interest!
• If wish to make an enquiry, or let us know what you collect
  • please contact us by email old.currency.exchange@gmail.com

This specialist Irish website brings you ‘the story’ of Irish money, from the days before we had our own coinage, through the pioneering currencies of the Dublin Vikings and medieval Anglo-Norman colonists to political and monetary independence and the present day Euro currency.

• If you scroll down, on the right-hand-side of the page, you will see a list of categories which will allow you to quickly find a list of articles appropriate to your collecting interests.
• This includes coin types, denominations, metals, kings/queens, moneyers, and mints

Ireland’s numismatic history is a complex story – with ebbs and flows of trading, taxation, shortages and expansion. Each chapter is rich in geo-politics, social, economic and monetary detail.

Each individual coin, token and banknote issue has its own unique raison d’être – the complete story is going to take a while to finish … but we hope to have a reasonable degree of completeness over the next year (or two). Of course, as new facts emerge, be prepared for a few twists and turns, as individual posts are updated.

• Celtic Ring Money isn’t really Celtic – most of it has been dated to the Bronze Age!
  • Blog Post – What is Celtic Ring Money ?
    • For more information on Bronze Age ‘pennanular rings’ and Celtic coinage:
    • see our Irish Hammered Coinage page

• Early to Late Christian period Ireland (pre-Coinage Ireland?)
  • Imported Roman coins
  • Imported Anglo-Saxon coins
  • Imported Islamic coins

• Medieval Ireland (Hammered Coinages)
  • Checklist of Hiberno-Norse Coinages
  • Hiberno-Saxon / Gaelic Regnal Coinage ? 
  • Checklist of Anglo-Norman Coinages
  • Checklist of Tudor & Stuart Coinages

• The 17th C Transition from Feudalism to Capitalism
  • Currency Crises throughout Europe
  • The beginning of Irish Milled coinage
  • Emergency coinages of the War of the Three Kingdoms
  • Tradesmens’ Tokens of the Interregnum & Restoration
  • The ‘fiat’ currencies of the Glorious Revolution & the Williamite Wars
  • The end of Hammered coinage in Ireland

• Coinage of the Anglo-Irish Ascendancy
  • Regal Coppers
  • Shortage of Copper coins and the Proliferation of Forgeries & Unofficial Tokens
  • Forgeries, Evasion and Currency Reform

• Early Irish Banknotes
  • 17th to 19th Century Private Banks in Ireland
• In 1782, The Bank of Ireland was established in as a national bank
  • It establishes a monopoly around Dublin and issues its own notes
    • Bank of Ireland Notes (1783-1939)
  • A shortage of specie creates a new type of private bank – the Silver Banks
  • Tradesmens’ Notes are also issued for small amounts (less than £1)

• Monetary Union with Britain
  • The Joint-Stock Banks Act, 1824
    • The Abolition of The Bank of Ireland’s Monopoly in Dublin
    • The 1845 Bank Act then reduced it to the status of a Joint-Stock Bank
      • The Demise of the Small Private Banks
  • GB & Ireland Coinage 1826-1967
    • Farthing – Crown
      • The Demise of the Silver Banks
    • Gold Sovereign – Five Pounds
      • The Rise of the Multi-Branch Networks of the Joint-Stock Banks

• Independence (Modern Irish Coins)
  • The Currency Commission of Ireland
  • Pre-Decimal coinage (1928-69)
  • Decimal coinage (1969-2000)

• Modern (Irish Banknotes)
  • Political Issues
  • Modern Irish Banknotes
    • Currency Commission Issues
      • Series A
    • Consolidated Banks & their Notes
    • Central Bank of Ireland Issues
    • Sterling Issues
    • Irish Punts
      • Series B
    • Irish Punts (pegged to the ECB / ERM)
      • Series C

• The Single European Currency
  • Circulating Coinage (Irish Euro Coins)
  • Commemorative Coins, BU Sets and Proof Sets
    • Irish Euro Notes

We strive to be the best-stocked shop in Ireland for coins, tokens and banknotes.  The Old Currency Exchange specialises in Irish collectibles but also holds a substantial inventory of British, European and World coins / banknotes.  Collectors and investors alike will flock to our shop every week to see what new inventory has arrived.

We cater for beginners, intermediate and advanced collectors, as well as those looking for investments to hedge against inflation, currency (FX) devaluations and general malaise in the financial markets.  So, whether you are looking to buy, looking for advice or to have your collection appraised, do ‘drop by’ next time you are in Dublin.

We buy old banknotes and coins – individual items, small lots or entire collections.

• We pay more than the Central Bank for your old banknotes and coins.

Cheannach againn nótaí bainc d’aois agus boinn – míreanna aonair , go leor beag nó bailiúcháin ar fad

• Íocaimid níos mó ná an Banc Ceannais do do nótaí bainc agus boinn d’aois.

This website is updated on a frequent basis, so do please ‘re-visit’ as often as you can.

It is dedicated to the needs of Irish coin and banknote collectors, plus anyone else who is interested in the history, geo-politics, economics and development of Irish currencies over the past thousand years or so.  It is hoped that it will become a useful (and popular) reference point for Irish numismatics and notophily worldwide.

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Market Research Project 2016

• What type of Irish banknotes & coins are most popular with collectors?

Helpful Guides for Coin Collectors

• Grading Irish Coins – An Introductory Guide
• An Illustrated Glossary of Numismatic Terms for Coin Collectors
• How NOT to sell the gem in your collection … a marketing faux pas !

Other blog posts on banknote and coin collecting

• Unlocking hidden talents … and developing your child’s learning skills
• Irish Metal Detectorists: Saints or Sinners?
• These banknotes didn’t inhale … they just absorbed second-hand smoke in an Irish pub !
• Irish Currencies, from a Coin Collecting and Banknote Collecting perspective
• Piedfort Coins – Twice the weight, double the thickness !

BUYER’S GUIDE:

• Is ‘coin slabbing’ a fool’s paradise?

• Beware of over-priced coins online.

 

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If you have any queries regarding Irish banknotes, coins or tokens, please email us on

old.currency.exchange@gmail.com

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