Slovenian coins

From Roman coins to the monetary systems of the Habsburg lands

The history of payments in the Slovenian territories predates the national currency introduced in 1991 after independence. The Bank of Slovenia Museum places the use of coinage in these territories in Roman times, distinguishing that long past from the central bank’s history, which began in 1991. Ancient evidence connects with the Roman coins route; later centuries belonged to different political and monetary systems. Between the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, much of the Slovenian territories came under Habsburg rule. Later monetary systems were associated with the florin, the thaler and finally the krone introduced in 1892. These names help trace trade and monetary reforms in central Europe, but do not identify an already existing Slovenian national currency. The Austro-Yugoslav route connects the monarchy’s dissolution in 1918 with the currencies of the new Yugoslav area. The official Slovenian chronology documents these historical turning points.

From the Yugoslav dinar to the tolar of 1991

In 1918, after Austria-Hungary’s collapse, the Slovenian territories entered the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, renamed the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1929. The occupation and partition of 1941–1945 were followed by federal Yugoslavia in 1945; wars and reforms also changed the dinar system. The independence acts of 25 June 1991 opened the new institutional framework of the Republic of Slovenia. The tolar was introduced on 8 October 1991, initially through provisional vouchers: the Bank of Slovenia preserves and describes these first issues. Vouchers preceded the definitive series: the first banknotes entered circulation on 30 September 1992, followed by the first 50 stotin and 1, 2 and 5 tolar coins on 4 January 1993. Their 1992 dates therefore differ from their entry into circulation. One tolar was divided into one hundred stotin. Its name recalls the central European thaler, but linguistic kinship does not make the currency of 1991 equivalent to historical silver coins. State chronology, currency reform and a specimen’s date are distinct information. The Bank of Slovenia distinguishes issue dates for vouchers, banknotes and coins.

Tolar coinage and the euro

The Slovenian coin catalogue brings together stotin fractions and tolar denominations from the national currency before the euro, together with the higher-denomination specimens already in the collection. Designs, alloys and dimensions distinguish the denominations; a photograph’s presence does not mean the selection includes every circulation or commemorative type. Slovenia joined the European Union on 1 May 2004 and adopted the euro on 1 January 2007, at the irrevocable rate of one euro to 239.640 tolars. The Bank of Slovenia documents the changeover and the end of dual circulation on 14 January 2007. Slovenian euro coins continue the story in their dedicated view: they belong to the common European coinage, while the tolar catalogue documents the preceding national currency.