Apropos of this from the SBP
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It could be the ultimate measure of how bad things got in the recession - the state has lost money by making money.
The Central Bank was forced to withdraw almost €23 million worth of coins from circulation last year, resulting in a €30 million hit to the exchequer.
The withdrawal was as a result of a sharp fall in demand for coins because of the recession.
The economic slump also resulted in more people raiding their coin jars, further reducing the need for newly-issued coins. ‘‘This [withdrawal] was largely due to a fall-off in demand for smaller denomination coin and may reflect a reduction in hoarding of such coins as economic activity weakened," according to the Central Bank.
Cash businesses, such as shops and pubs, needed lower stocks of coins as the recession resulted in fewer transactions, while the banks opted to return their surplus coins to the Central Bank instead of incurring substantial storage costs.
This resulted in the Central Bank seeking a reimbursement of €30million in profit that had been given to the exchequer in 2008 from the issue of new coins.
The bank earns a profit on the difference between the face value of a coin and the cost of producing it, and any profits arising from the issuing of coins are transferred to the exchequer.
The volume of coins issued has fallen from a high of 446 million coins in 2007 to 284 million in 2008 and 112million last year.