After six centuries of use, the former French currency will finally be laid to rest, according to the New York Times.
Friday was the deadline for francs to be turned into the Bank of France, the central bank, in exchange for the common European currency, the euro.
According to the Washington Post, the euro replaced the francs in January 2002, however the central bank, has continued to to accept francs in exchange for euros until now.
Although it has been a decade since this currency transition, lines of procrastinators turned out to make the last-minute swap all week long. The Bank of France was the last possible place to make the exchange at a rate of 6.55957 francs for one euro, a rate that has been locked since France started using the euro in 1999, according to the Post.
The central bank estimated that even after the deadline, around half a billion euros worth of old franc notes will remain unexchanged and worthless. According to the Times, these worthless francs will be registered as revenue for the French state.
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