This is currently not possible because of the lockdown in the branches of the Deutsche Bundesbank.
In Germany, there are apparently D-Mark treasures in drawers or in the basement: almost 19 years after the introduction of euro cash, not everyone has said goodbye to the old currency. At the end of November, according to the Deutsche Bundesbank, notes and coins with a total value of 12.4 billion marks (6.34 billion euros) had not yet been exchanged.
Finds less often
That year, D-Marks worth a good 53.4 million marks were received in the branches of the central bank. That is significantly less than in previous years. The finds are becoming increasingly rare. “In the current year, however, we had a disproportionately strong decline in D-Mark filings. This is likely to be due to restrictions in connection with the corona pandemic,” said Bundesbank board member Johannes Beermann of the German press agency.
As before, banknotes with a value of 5.79 billion marks and coins with a volume of 6.61 billion marks have not yet been returned. According to the Bundesbank, the largest proportion of banknotes that have not yet been returned, measured by value, consists of 100 and 1000 mark notes. The Bundesbank expects that some of the D-Mark holdings will never be returned – partly because collectors have secured old notes and coins.
Open-ended exchange
Most of the stocks were exchanged around the introduction of euro cash at the beginning of 2002. Again and again, however, D-Mark treasures are discovered by chance, hidden in drawers, in cellars, books or in the garden.
Unlike in many other euro countries, the old notes and coins can be exchanged for an unlimited period at the Bundesbank. The exchange rate is unchanged: you get one euro for 1.95583 Deutschmarks.
Due to the restrictions on business and society from this Wednesday (16.12.) On by the federal and state governments, notes and coins can initially only be submitted to the Bundesbank by post. “From this Wednesday we will stop the so-called everyone business in the branches of the Deutsche Bundesbank until January 10th. This means that D-Mark exchange is no longer possible on site for the time being,” said Beermann.
