The Final Issues of Pesetas Banknotes and Coins
The 1980's Series
Between 1982 and 1987 the Banco de España issued a new series of banknotes designed by José María Cruz Novillo, which was engraved and printed by the Spanish National Mint. The Banco de España's objective in issuing the new banknotes was to reduce and standardise their size, modernise their design and make it easier to automatically process them. Compared with earlier banknotes, the new set formed a homogeneous series with denominations ranging from 200 to 10,000 pesetas according to the 1-2-5 rule and including, as a new feature, the 200 and 2,000 peseta denominations.
To make it easier to identify genuine banknotes, the new series included the traditional features (large portrait and watermark) along with innovations such as a security thread and fluorescent fibres, as well as certain secret elements designed to facilitate automated banknote processing.
The sizes of the banknotes and the portraits on their reverse sides were as follows:
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Banknotes links open in a new window (only in spanish) 
Commemorative Series - Discovery of America
Ten years after the series described above was conceived, the Banco de España's Governing Council decided to commemorate, in 1992, the Fifth Centenary of the Discovery of America with a new series of banknotes. First to appear was the 2,000 peseta note dedicated to the eminent botanist José Celestino Mutis. It was shortly followed by three others with personages also related to the chosen theme.
To perform the design work, the Bank enlisted the assistance of the Bundesdruckerei (German Federal Printing Works) in Berlin. The new Spanish banknotes were designed by this institution's graphic artist, Reinhold Gerstetter, as had been those of the Bundesbank a few years earlier. The definitive implementation of the plan, and the engraving and printing of the new Spanish banknotes were performed by the Spanish National Mint.
The security measures used in the previous series were supplemented on this occasion by special marks set in relief for people with impaired vision and by lithographic inks which changed colour when illuminated with ultraviolet light. Also included were microprinted texts and coded print visible only with a magnifying glass or a special lens.
The banknote design combined Spanish and American personages and artistic elements. The 1,000 peseta banknote bore the portraits of Hernán Cortés and of Francisco Pizarro, the 2,000 peseta banknote, Celestino Mutis, the 5,000 peseta banknote that of Christopher Columbus, and the 10,000 peseta banknote those of H.M. King Juan Carlos I and of Jorge Juan. The 1,000 peseta banknote measured 65 x 130 mm with successive banknotes increasing in dimension by 3 and 8 mm, respectively: that of 2,000 pesetas was 68 x 138 mm, that of 5,000 pesetas was 71 x 146 mm and that of 10,000 pesetas was 74 x 154 mm.
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Banknotes links open in a new window (only in spanish)
If you like, you can look through the leaflets published on the event of this issue:
All documents are in PDF format
- 1.000 pesetas note (4 MB)
- 2.000 pesetas note (3,29 MB)
- 5.000 pesetas note (3,55 MB)
- 10.000 pesetas note (3,73 MB)
The series was in circulation until the introduction of the euro in January 2002.
The Final Coin Series
Following are the eight coins which formed the series in circulation in Spain until the introduction of the euro. These are the only coins that can be exchanged at the Banco de España, for an unlimited time. It should be noted that the front and reverse side designs reproduced here are merely illustrative, since they usually varied each year. Within each denomination, the alloy or colour and the diameter are the features that identify the exchangeable coins:
These coins can be exchanged at Banco de España for an unlimited time.
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You can also look through the FNMT explanation of the last change of coins in circulation: