ECU

The ECU (European Currency Unit) was not a true circulating currency but an accounting unit used by the European Community from 1979 onward, defined as a weighted basket of member-state currencies. Bayerisches Münzkontor, a German private mint and coin marketing firm, produced souvenir ECU pieces throughout the early 1990s capitalizing on public enthusiasm ahead of the Maastricht Treaty's push toward monetary union. These were never legal tender anywhere.

The ECU designation was retired entirely in 1999 when the euro replaced it at a fixed 1:1 rate.