Brief History of Malta's Money    

The island's numismatic history (the study or collection of money and coins) can be traced back over two millennia. This is a timeline:

218BC: The Carthaginians were the first to introduce bronze coins in Malta. Following the conquest by the Romans, a local bronze coinage based on Roman weight standards was emitted.

35BC: At about this time Maltese coins became completely Roman in character with the first appearance of the Graeco-Latin inion - MELITAS (of Malta) - on the coinage. After the first century there is no evidence that any more Romano-Maltese coins were struck and the Roman metropolitan coinage, current throughout the Empire, became the standard currency.

AD395 to 1530: Between the division of the Roman Empire in AD395 and the arrival of the Order of St John in Malta in 1530, the coins in circulation were those of successive rulers: Arabs (890-1090); Normans (1127-94); Swabians (1194-1266); Angevines (1266-1283); and Arag. Although no Maltese coins of the media period are known to exist in public or private collections, reference to Maltese specie can be found in official documents.

1530-1798: The Order of St John acquired the right to mint its own coins in Malta. Throughout its rule, various gold (the Zekkin), silver (Skud tal-Fidda) and copper coins were struck.

1798-1800: After the surrender of Malta to Napoleon in June 1798, the French seized all the gold and silver and precious stones they could lay their hands on. Some of the silver was taken to the mint in the Conservatoria, now Malta's National Library, and converted into 30 and 15 Tarì pieces bearing the bust and arms of Ferdinand von Hompesch, the last Grandmaster to govern Malta. During the subsequent blockade no minting was carried out and the confiscated gold and silver was converted into ingots, stamped with their intrinsic value and circulated as money.

1800-1850: With the advent of the British Protectorate in 1800 the mint ceased to function. During the first 50 years of British rule the circulating coinage was a potpourri of foreign coins. British gold sovereigns and half sovereigns were also introduced in 1826.

1855: British coins were declared the sole legal tender with all the remaining gold and silver of the Order and the foreign coins demonetised. Despite this, the Sicilian dollar continued to dominate the local circulation, until it was finally withdrawn in 1886 when it was demonetised by the Italian government.

1972: On May 16, Malta changed over to a decimal currency and abandoned the British system of pounds, shillings and pence. The Maltese Pound (renamed Maltese lira in 1983) was retained as the currency unit and the first set of decimal coins was issued in eight denominations: 50c, 10c, 5c, 2c in copper nickel; 1c in bronze; and 5m, 3m, and 2m in aluminium.

1975: An octagonal 25c denomination in brass was introduced in December.

1986/1987: A new set of seven definitive coins in denominations of Lm1, 50c, 25c, 10c, 5c, 2c and 1c was issued.

2008: On January 1, the island adopted its own euro coins with symbols of the island's Coat of Arms, the Maltese Cross and the altar of the Mnajdra Temples. There are eight denominations in all: €2, €1, €0.50, €0.20, €0.10, €0.05, €0.02 and €0.01

 

World currencies

Country
Currency
Symbol
Sub-divisions

Afghanistan

Afghani

Af

100 puls

Albania

Lek

L

100 qindarka (or quintars)

Algeria

Dinar

DA

100 centimes

Argentina

Peso

$

100 centavos

Australia

Dollar

A$

100 cents

Austria

Euro

100 cents

Bangladesh

Taka

Tk

100 paisa (or poisha)

Barbados

Dollar

Bds$

100 cents

Belgium

Euro

100 cents

Brazil

Real

R$

100 centavos

Brunei

Ringgit

B$ (or Bruneian $)

100 sen (or cents)

Bulgaria

Leva

BGN

100 stotinki

Cambodia

New Riel

CR

100 sen

Canada

Dollar

CAD

100 cents

China

Yuan Renminbi

RMB

10 jiao = 100 fen

Colombia

Peso

Col$

100 centavos

Congo

Franc

CFAF

100 centimes

Croatia

Kuna

HRK

100 lipas

Cyprus

Euro

100 cents

Czech Republic

Koruna

CZK

100 halers

Denmark

Krone

DKK

100 cents

Egypt

Pound

£E

100 piasters or 1,000 milliemes

Estonia

Kroon

EEK

100 sents

Ethiopia

Birr

Br

100 cents

Fiji

Dollar

F$

100 cents

Finland

Euro

100 cents

France

Euro

100 cents

French Polynesia

Franc

CFPF

100 centimes

Gambia

Dalasi

D

100 butut

Germany

Euro

100 cents

Greece

Euro

100 cents

Greenland

see Denmark

see Denmark

-

Guatemala

Quetzal

Q

100 centavos

 

Hong Kong

Dollar

HK$

100 cents

Hungary

Forint

HUF

100 forint

Iceland

Króna

IKr

100 aurar (singular: aur)

India

Rupee

Rs

100 paise

Indonesia

Rupiah

Rp

100 sen (no longer in use)

Iran

Rial

Rls

10 rials = 1 toman

Iraq

Dinar

ID

1,000 fils

Ireland

Euro

100 cents

Israel

New shekel

NIS

100 new agorot

Italy

Euro

100 cents

Jamaica

Dollar

J$

100 cents

Japan

Yen

¥

100 sen (no longer in use)

Jordan

Dinar

JD

1,000 fils

Kazakhstan

Tenge

Te

100 tiyn

Kenya

Shilling

K Sh

100 cents

Korea, North

Won

Wn

100 chon

Korea, South

Won

W

100 chon

Kuwait

Dinar

KD

1,000 fils

Kyrgyzstan

Som

S

100 tyyn

Laos

New kip

KN

100 at

Latvia

Lat

LVL

100 santims

Lebanon

Pound (Livre)

£L

100 piastres

Liberia

Dollar

$

100 cents

Libya

Dinar

LD

1,000 dirhams

Lithuania

Euro

100 cents

Luxembourg

Euro

100 cents

Macedonia

Denar

Denar / MKD

100 deni

Madagascar

Ariayry franc

FMG

100 centimes

Malawi

Kwacha

MK

100 tambala

Malaysia

Ringgit

RM

100 sen

Maldives

Rufiyaa

Rf

100 lari

Mali

Franc

CFAF

100 centimes

Malta

Euro

100 cents

Mauritius

Rupee

Mau Rs

100 cents

Mexico

Peso

Mex$

100 centavos

Mongolia

Tugrik (Tögroög, a.k.a. Tughrik)

T

100 mongos

Montenegro

Euro

100 cents

Morocco

Dirham

DH

100 centimes

Mozambique

Metical

Mt

100 centavos

Myanmar

Kyat

K

100 pyas

Namibia

Dollar

N$

100 cents

Nepal

Rupee

NRs

100 paise

Netherlands

Euro

100 cents

New Caledonia

Franc

CFPF

100 centimes

New Zealand

Dollar

NZD

100 cents

Niger

Franc

CFAF

100 centimes

Nigeria

Naira

N

100 kobo

Norway

Krone

NOK

100 øre

Oman

Rial

RO

1,000 baizas

Pakistan

Rupee

Rs

100 paisa

Papua New Guinea

Kina

K

100 toeas

Paraguay

Guarani

G

100 centimos

Peru

New sol

S

100 centimos

Philippines

Peso

PHP

100 centavos

Poland

Zloty

PLN

100 groszy

Portugal

Euro

(100 centavos)

Qatar

Riyal

QR

100 dirhams

Romania

Leu

L

100 bani

Russia

Ruble

RUB

100 kopecks

Rwanda

Franc

RF

100 centimes

Saudi Arabia

Riyal

SRls

100 halalat

Serbia

Dinar

Din

100 paras

Seychelles

Rupee

SR

100 cents

Singapore

Dollars

SGD

100 cents

Slovakia

Koruna

SKK

100 haliers

Slovenia

Euro

100 cents

Solomon Island

Dollar

SI$

100 cents

Somalia

Somali Shilling

Sh

100 centesimi

South Africa

Rand

R

100 cents

Spain

Euro

100 cents

Sri Lanka

Rupee

SLRs

100 cents

Sudan

Sudanese Dinar

Dinar

100 piastres

Sweden

Krona

SEK

100 öre

Switzerland

Swiss Franc

CHF

100 rappen

Taiwan

New dollar

NTD

100 cents

Thailand

Baht

Bht

100 stang

Turkey

Lira

TL

100 kurus

Uganda

Shilling

USh

100 cents

United Arab Emirates

Dirham

DH

100 fils

United Kingdom

Pound sterling

£

100 pence

United States of America

Dollar

US$

100 cents

Zambia

Kwach

ZK

100 ngwee

Zimbabwe

Dollar

ZD

100 cents