Prague - The month of September will say goodbye to the 50 haléř piece. It is the last remnant of the haléř coin group, as the 10 and 20 haléř coins were abolished in 2003.

The popularity of the 0.50 haléř coin was never high and one could often see the coin left on shop counters.

But that is not the reason why the Czech National Bank (ČNB) decided to eliminate the 50 haléř piece. The reasoning behind the move is purely economic. The value of the coin seems to be lower than the aluminum that the coin is made of.

Apart from the 50 haléř coin, the Czech National Bank decided to eliminate the CZK 20 banknote too, which is nominally the lowest-value banknote in Czech purses.

Nobody wants them

According to the bank, coins have long lost their function. "The economic return of 10 percent of the face value is so small that it was necessary to act," director of the Czech National Bank (ČNB) Pavel Řežábek said to Aktuálně.cz.

"Nobody really wants these coins and you cannot buy much for them any more," Řeřábek added.

Producing coins means a great loss for ČNB also because many of them don't return from the circulation and ČNB has to keep producing new ones.

In spite of this, banks will continue to accept and change the 50 haléř until 31 August 2009. ČNB will accept them until 2014.

As for prices in shops, price tags are to to show prices with haléř included but the product price will be rounded upon paying.

Saving measure

Smaller entrepreneurs welcomed the abolition of the 50 coin, as it will save them time and money. Banks imposed fees on deposing and withdrawing coins from a bank, which were not exactly small - one to two percent from the sum.

However, one groupf of people did not find the elimination with enthusiasm - card players. This popular Czech pub activity will have to change its rules.

"50 haléř coins was ideal for playing cards. It was light to carry them around and were of low value. Now we will have to raise the bet up to 1 CZK," said one of card-players for Czech TV news bulletin.