I work in a shop in Blanchardstown. Today I went to another store around the corner to get some change and I noticed this little fucker among the coins after coming back. This is the second time that this has happened now, first time I fell for it in my own place. I thought it was a cute mistake first time around, but now it looks like some fucker's going around and doing this on purpose due to the coin's remarkable similarity to our 2 euro. Watch out!

by Philush

40 comments

  1. This was really common about 15 years ago, weirdly I remembered it a few days ago – probably still have some of the feckers here from then.

    Worth ~25c so if someone had a way to get them in bulk there is enough there to make it worth doing as a scam.

  5. Bulgarian 2 Lev coin is another one I’ve seen over the years. It’s worth about €1. There is another possibly Turkish I’ve seen too thats similar to the €2 coin we use.

  6. Easy mistake to make, most cashiers wouldn’t baht an eyelid at it

  7. My ex’s father used to go to Thailand on business and bring back a pile of these. They used to work in the cigarette machines in pubs. We made out like bandits.

  8. The Turkish Lira and South African Rand also have coins that look like a €2 coin and have a lower face value.

  10. Huh I have one I kept from a few years ago (looks different, I think mine had a building on it?), I always assumed it was an accidental mistake rather than a scam as Irish people do often go on holidays to Thailand & if you mixed your coins in your purse, it might slip though. 

    Reading some of the comments, yeah I can see why it could be used as a scam.

  11. Yeah they’ve been floating around ever since the Euro. Used to work in a shop in the early 00s and we’d get these from time to time.

  13. I remember back in the day of Pesetas that vending machines in Spain were full of 5p coins during the summer.

  15. Came back from a Thailand summer holiday, along with half of Dublin about 15 years ago. Went into a nightclub with a handfull of them, hoping for a semi-cheap night out.

    Must have broke a note later in the night as I woke up the next with more than in my pockets than I had went out with. Turns out everyone was at it…

  16. It’s really annoying when you get a rogue coin. Got a Kruggerand once from a corner shop.

  18. Rip, it looks so similar, if I wa sin hurry I might be tricked as well, yikes

  20. I still have one at home from getting stung with one of these as a two Euro change. TBF probably it’s karmic justice for people my age migrating to Germany as seasonal guest-workers and using low value Irish pence coins in phone boxes which were the same size and shape as higher value German Mark coins. 👀😬

  21. Got a new-to-me one recently an Italian 200 lire coin passing for a 50c one. Same diameter, slightly thinner and was worth 10c

  22. Hahaha I put one of these into a Tesco machine yesterday by accident. It didn’t work.

  23. This is Austrian, the face is clearly a Habsburg dude.

  24. Brought loads of these back from Thailand in about 2007. Used to use them in train stations vending machines on my way to college for a solid 3 years!

  25. I knew a guy who did this consistently. Say he’s charged €6 for a pint, he’d hand then 20 thai baht and €2. If they called him out on it he’d apologise and say he was just back from Thailand and hadn’t emptied his wallet.

  26. Moroccan Durhams have coins that are almost identical to both a €1 and a €2

  28. Theres a Turkish coin that is also very similar. It used to even work in vending machines, maybe it still does!

  30. I’ve been doing similar with Bulgarian Lev for years!

  31. if it works in a vending machine then i don’t care, it may as well be

  33. I’m in Bangkok I’ll sell you 10 baht coins for £1.

  34. The Jamaican $20 coin looks and feels like a €1 coin too. Got dispensed one of those as change from a vending machine a few years ago. Said machine wouldn’t take it back…🙄

  35. i wouldnt go calling it a scam, its a fairly simple mistake to make

  36. A guy at drive thru (I work at McDonald’s) tried giving me a 5 baht coin before (its just silver so doesn’t even look like a euro)

  37. Used to be able to use these in vending machines. at worst it will spit it out.

  38. Could be a scam or could be someone who just unfortunately mixed the coins together

    I have actually done this with Lira when I got back from Turkey by accident. Sometimes hard to tell similar coins apart.

    If it’s recurring more than this it’s likely intentional

  39. yea when i worked at EuroGiant our manager told us to be very careful about the coins not just 2 euro coins

    also 1 euro

    50 cent hell even 5 cent could have a convincing duplicate

    but yea as shown here that coin could very easily pass as a 2 euro and the worst part is if you catch on to it in time the person will just feign ignorance and get their coin back and try a different shop

  40. Only talking about this today. Dublin airport water stalls now have cameras installed. Sweet deal to throw that coin in..that water used to be €1, now €2.

    Also used it in machines back in 2007

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