Pre-Euro mint: what countries can still be used for postage?

passport_collect · **Posted:** Mon Oct 10, 2011 09:09:26 am

I have recently had a letter from Belgium with pre-Euro Belgian Franc stamps on the cover. In what Euro countries are mint stamps denominated in their old pre-Euro currency still postally valid?

Edward
http://www.passportland.com

fromdownunder · **Posted:** Mon Oct 10, 2011 09:20:24 am

I think that France may be still valid as well as Belgium. Germany is definately not valid.

Norm

memphre · **Posted:** Mon Oct 10, 2011 09:59:10 am

France stamps are still valid; even most of the issues before 1960, in old francs are valid. In 1960 France converted from francs to new francs at the rate of 100 francs to the new franc. I occasionally get letters with old francs stamps counted as new francs. Who is to know, except for a stamp collector?

Even Petain stamps which were demonetized in 1945 are currently used and are accounted for at 100 times their true face value.

Memphre

pirano · **Posted:** Tue Oct 11, 2011 23:32:06 pm

I've received quite a few from Belgium and Finland as well over the past few years.

Question: Does anyone think these types of covers - ie with 'old postage' used in the euro days - will have any type of 'value' in the future? I personally now save all covers but am just curious.

LucaL · **Posted:** Tue Oct 11, 2011 23:42:52 pm

Italian and S. Marino stamps in lires are still valid. Vatican stamps in lires, on the contrary, cannot be used.

Luca

aethelwulf · **Posted:** Tue Oct 11, 2011 23:43:35 pm

I recall this topic was brought up before, somewhere in a thread. Apparently some countries have set an 'expiry date' for the use of stamps denominated in their pre-Euro currency. IIRC Finland is one of those countries, so collectors and dealers are scrambling to 'use up' their stocks and such material can be had in the "scrap postage" market for a huge discount on face, as once the clock runs out, all you can do with them is add them to your collection, and in the case of modern material, pretty much everyone that wants one, has one.

I wouldn't say that covers using pre-Euro denominated stamps in the Euro period will be worth anything. Why would they? As long as the stamps are valid for postage, they are not postal history displaying illegal use of stamps. They're simply philatelic mail, and would be worth less than covers showing the stamps used in-period, as a stamp used years later cries out "I'm a cover mailed by a stamp collector who bought their postage below face from a dealer".

stampchris · **Posted:** Wed Oct 12, 2011 00:34:39 am

aethelwulf wrote:

I recall this topic was brought up before, somewhere in a thread. Apparently some countries have set an 'expiry date' for the use of stamps denominated in their pre-Euro currency. IIRC Finland is one of those countries, so collectors and dealers are scrambling to 'use up' their stocks and such material can be had in the "scrap postage" market for a huge discount on face, as once the clock runs out, all you can do with them is add them to your collection, and in the case of modern material, pretty much everyone that wants one, has one.

I wouldn't say that covers using pre-Euro denominated stamps in the Euro period will be worth anything. Why would they? As long as the stamps are valid for postage, they are not postal history displaying illegal use of stamps. They're simply philatelic mail, and would be worth less than covers showing the stamps used in-period, as a stamp used years later cries out "I'm a cover mailed by a stamp collector who bought their postage below face from a dealer".

Yes there was a topic somewhere.

I think a few countries are banning the use of pre-Euro stamps at the end of 2011 (I believe Finland is one such country) as the public have had 10 years to use up all those old stamps.

AKPhilately · **Posted:** Wed Oct 12, 2011 00:46:29 am

The Dutch, too, are still allowed to use their old "guilder" issues.

The Pom · **Posted:** Wed Oct 12, 2011 04:51:54 am

Austrian stamps in Schillings are no longer valid.

Faust · **Posted:** Wed Oct 12, 2011 05:47:04 am

Belgian stamps in Frank the currency before the Euro are still valid. A lot of dealers and collectors with a stock are using those stamps, there is a small premium to use them, for a normal letter 0.10 Euro.
For stamp collecting there is an advantage, stocks will dry out, and hopefully a situation as in Germany and Austria will be avoided, where stamps of the last decennia before the Euro are nearly worthless due to overstock.

Misterperf · **Posted:** Tue May 08, 2012 17:25:08 pm

Reaching out to see what anyone can tell me about using non-euro late modern face for the following countries in their former denominations before EU:

France
Austria
Italy
Spain

I have hoards of face I've accumulated over the years from these areas, and I intend to use some of it (if I can) to send packages and post cards while I am in Europe this summer. Hoping I can put these piles to good use in the post!

aethelwulf · **Posted:** Tue May 08, 2012 17:41:23 pm

I've received mail with pre-Euro denominated stamps from France and Italy; Belgium also allows it. Finland has set a deadline for validity, the end of 2011 or 2012.

It varies country-by-country, some places saw the demonitizing of pre-Euro stamp issues as a way of freeing themselves from the liability of all that old mint postage floating around. :wink:

In Germany they're verboten, and so apparently the material trades, with difficulty, at 20% of face. In the period after the conversion rates were set, but before the Euro currency began trading as coins and banknotes, most (all?) countries wrote both currencies on their stamps, so that those issues wouldn't be rendered invalid.

Tanuki · **Posted:** Tue May 08, 2012 19:44:54 pm

Hi,
yes you can use pre-Euro French stamps in France. The only stamps you can't use are Vichy's Regime stamps with Marshal Petain on them.

stampchris · **Posted:** Tue May 08, 2012 22:59:19 pm

Also, if any of these countries issue no value indicated/forever stamps (1 klass, A etc.) it is more than likely that these can be used know matter how old there are. However, be cautious as some post offices have different rules about the validity and value of these stamps.

Global Administrator · **Posted:** Wed May 09, 2012 00:17:11 am

Seems there is no set policy.

LucaL · **Posted:** Wed May 09, 2012 00:26:25 am

Italian stamps in Lires are still valid for postage. 1 euro = 1,936.27 lires.

Luca

HalfpennyYellow · **Posted:** Wed May 09, 2012 02:52:48 am

In Malta stamps denominated in the Maltese Lira / Maltese Pound (LM/£M) are not valid. I tried it once:


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