Slovaks hope the adoption of euro on 1 January will help the country to weather the current economic crisis, the BBC's Rob Cameron says.

A British tourist has discovered almost 300 gold coins dating from the 7th Century at a dig just outside Jerusalem's Old City.

Pakistan is to issue a commemorative coin to mark the first anniversary of the assassination of ex-PM Benazir Bhutto.

A motorist who paid a £30 fixed penalty charge in 10p pieces sparks a bomb scare in Suffolk.

Seventy-five years before the Spice Girls coined the term girl power, Betty Boop struck a blow for just such a cause. Ever since, cartoons and animations have challenged our traditional perceptions of femininity.

Rare coins from the time of the English Civil War fetched nearly £36,000 at auction in Dorset.

Rare coins from the time of Oliver Cromwell and Charles I are to be sold at auction.

Chelsea striker Didier Drogba has been handed a three-match ban for throwing a coin into a section of Burnley fans.

Chelsea manager Luiz Felipe Scolari defends Didier Drogba for throwing a coin into the crowd against Burnley.

Didier Drogba is facing police and FA investigations after throwing a coin into the crowd during Chelsea's Carling Cup fourth round defeat to Burnley.

A tradition of throwing coins to children at a fair in Cambridgeshire is thwarted by health and safety rules.

Three 700-year-old coins found in a field are declared treasure by a coroner.

A £50,000 reward is offered in the hunt for a stolen collection of "unique" early Scottish coins.

A coroner declares thousands of Roman coins found buried in a field as treasure trove.

The Football Association will investigate the incident that saw an assistant referee hit by a coin during Portsmouth's draw with Aston Villa.

Austria's mint goes into overdrive as worried investors seek a more solid store of wealth.

One of only four known Pwllheli Pennies dating from 1666 is presented to the Gwynedd town's council.

Archaeologists in Namibia work to rescue the wreck of what is thought to be a 16th Century Portuguese trading ship.

The number of fake £1 coins in circulation now stands at more than 30 million, according to figures from the Royal Mint. But how do you know if you've been given one?

The number of fake £1 coins in circulation has doubled in the last five years to more than 30 million, the BBC learns.