Over 53 Million D-Mark Exchanged for Euros in 2024, Billions Still Unreturned

More than two decades after the Euro's introduction, billions of Deutsche Marks remain unaccounted for, with free exchanges continuing indefinitely in Germany.

• In 2024, 53 million Deutsche Marks (DM), worth approximately 27.2 million Euros, were exchanged, a slight decrease from 58 million DM in 2023.
• Despite ongoing exchanges, around 12.2 billion DM, equivalent to 6.24 billion Euros, remain unreturned, including 163 million banknotes and over 23 billion coins.
• The Bundesbank estimates some DM are lost or held abroad, as the currency was widely used internationally before the Euro's adoption in 2002.
• Germany is one of six Eurozone countries offering unlimited and free exchange of its former national currency into Euros at a fixed rate of 1 Euro for 1.95583 DM.
• Unusual finds, such as buried cash or damaged notes, occasionally surface, with the Bundesbank processing these exchanges when possible.

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