Latin Monetary Union



         


Coins
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George I of Greece 5 drachmae 1874
Leopold II of Belgium 5 francs 1868
Napoleon III of France 5 francs 1868
Victor Emmanuel II of Italy 5 lire 1874


The Latin Monetary Union was a 19th century attempt to unify several European currencies into a single currency that could be used in all the member states, at a time when most national currencies were still made out of gold and silver.

In 1865, France, Belgium, Italy, and Switzerland (from 1868 Greece and from 1889 Romania, also Austria, Bulgaria, Venezuela, Serbia, Montenegro, San Marino and the Papal State joined the union) agreed to change their national currencies to a standard and make them freely interchangeable.

Due to the fluctuations of gold and silver the union, disrupted by World War I, lasted until 1927 when it was disbanded.






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