Hunglish.orgOn November 16, out goes the nice green 200-forint banknote and in comes a shiny new 200-forint coin. Heavy, man...
Written by Scott Savoie
You may notice shopkeepers trying to pawn off their remaining 200-forint notes, as they cease being legal tender on November 16.
It is kind of like the children’s game Musical Chairs. When the music stops, everyone jumps for a seat. On November 16, the music stops: Anyone holding a 200-forint note loses 200 forints.
Or maybe not. You may still be able to take them to a bank or something. Who knows? The procedure at the bank could take an hour or more, and thus may not be worth it.
Personally I hate the new, heavier coin. I seem to collect dozens of them at a time. They are clunking around in my pockets and washing machine.
I suppose it won't be long before we have a 500-forint coin, followed of course by the 1000, etc.
It stands to reason that, if this trend continues, we’ll soon all be carrying around 20,000-forint coins the size of hubcabs and weighing several kilos each.
Why the sudden move to make money heavier and more unwieldy? Is it to stimulate the economy?
It should stimulate the economy in the short term, as the nation spends its remaining 200-forint notes.