AJ stands for Andrew Jackson, our 7th president. His reputation for toughness earned him the nickname "Old Hickory." A hero of the War of 1812, Jackson has appeared on the $20 bill since 1928.

If you visit England, you won't be using dollars or euros.

Pay in Pounds

The stores and restaurants in England won't accept your dollars. They won't accept euros either.

That's because although England is part of the European Union, its government has decided not to participate in the common currency.

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While walking down a cobblestone street in Paris, you smell the delicious scent of pain au chocolat—bread with chocolate inside.

You'd love to buy some. What kind of money would you use?

You'd pay with euros. In fact, euros are the currency for 23 European countries:

You have to spend euros to enjoy these delicious pastries in Europe

Countries Using Euro
Andorra	Austria
Belgium	Cyprus
Estonia	Finland
France	Germany
Greece	Ireland
Italy	Kosovo
Luxembourg	Malta
Monaco	Montenegro
Netherlands	Portugal
San Marino	Slovakia
Slovenia	Spain
Vatican City

What is an euro?

The euro symbol is €: the abbreviation is EUR.

Euro coins are worth €2, €1, 50 cents, 20 cents, 10 cent, five cents, two cents, and one cent. (There are 100 euro cents per €1.)

See pictures of euro notes and euro coins.

Each coin has a common design on the front. The image on the back represents the country where the coin was made, or minted.

Euro bills come in denominations of five, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, and 500. Unlike the different coins, all 23 countries print bills with the same design.

The Notes are the Same

Euro notes contain images symbolic of Europe's architectural heritage.

On the front of the notes, windows and gateways symbolize the spirit of openness among the countries.

On the reverse, the notes feature a bridge from a particular era. The bridges stand for communication within Europe and with the rest of the world.

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What did the Euro replace?

Before 1999, the original 11 countries now using the euro had their own special currencies.

Enjoy the beautiful European markets and purchase interesting treasures with the euro.

Country	Former Currency
Austria	Schilling
Belgium	Franc
Finland	Markka
France	Franc
Germany	Deutschmark
Ireland	Punt
Italy	Lira
Luxembourg	Franc
The Netherlands	Guilder
Portugal	Escudo
Spain	Peseta

So why did they make the switch...?

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