Beware of coin switch

The 2 euro coin is bicolor, bigger and more massive than the 200 lire. The 200 lire was single color, yellowish, closer to the present 50 cents.

For your reference:
1 and 2 euros (worth something): bicolor
50, 20, 10 cents - yellow
5, 2, 1 cents (worth almost nothing) - bronze

Probably you are referring to the old 500 lire coin, that was bicolor, not as massive as the 2 euro but about the same dimensions. I keep some of them as tokens to unblock supermarket trolleys.

Yes, probably 500L ( typo in previous post) it is silver in color on the edge and gold in the center, hence the identical look to the 2 Euro coin! So, the point is many scammer slip these in with change, as in stacking a 2 euro coin ( or NOT just giving all useless coins as change) on top of 3 of the 500L coins for change from a 10 or 20Euro bill...so beware folks! Look at your money! :)

Thanks for the info!!!

I keep some of them as tokens to unblock supermarket trolleys.

Iachera, don't you know you are not supposed to advocate this sort of activity on the Rick Steves website :-)

Value will depend on year of mintage and condition:

http://coinquest.com/cgi-bin/cq/coins?main_coin=15601
Italy Bi-Metallic 500 and 1000 Lire 1982 to 2000

For the circulating bi-metallic coins, values are low. Typically the
1000 lire are worth a smidgen more than the 500 lire, but on average:

worn: face value (500 or 1000 lire in Italy)

average circulated: less than $1 US dollar

well preserved: $2

fully uncirculated: $5

Could be worthwhile if someone passes you a silver 500L coin.

Thanks everyone! The point is check your coins as swapping out 2 Euro coins is not uncommon and leaves you short no matter how you slice it! Look at all your money! :)

as in stacking a 2 euro coin ( or NOT just giving all useless coins as change) on top of 3 of the 500L coins for change

The 2 euro coin is a bit thicker than the former 500 lire coin.
Using them (or any token) to unblock supermarket trolleys is perfectly legal, as you leave back the trolley you get your coin back so nobody is cheated.

Here in America, most people are unfamiliar with using a coin to unlock a supermarket trolley, as they are always free here. Except for those of us who shop at Aldi's, where they have introduced this European method to the benighted shoppers of the New World. There are no empty trolleys (we call 'em carts) floating around the parking lot crashing into cars from people too lazy to return them to the rack. It only takes a $0.25 coin to unlock them. The system works, and saves the cost of the other supermarkets, who must have employees constantly collecting and returning carts.

But here is the rub, at least concerning Aldi's in the U.S. When you unload your items onto the belt, the clerk scans them and loads them into an empty cart at the end of the belt that the last customer left there. When you are done, you pay the clerk (cash or debit card only please) and then you take the cart loaded with your items, and you replace it with your now empty cart. So this would be cheating the customer immediately behind you. But here, there are no low cost substitutes for a quarter, except maybe a Canadian quarter which is only worth US$0.20. Wow, a whole nickel. People will not even bend over to pick up a 5 cent piece in the street. But $0.25 is a totally different situation.

So lachera, that is why I kid you. Don't take any wooden nickels.

Lidl which is another low price German supermarket somewhat similar to Aldi (I much prefer Lidl) distribute free plastic Pound shaped coins in the UK to unlock trolleys, blue ones with the logo on both sides. These coins also work in Germany.

In both England and Germany the customer is responsible for repacking their own groceries. The checker doesn't put them in the trolley, either at Lidl or Aldi.

I can remember years back that Asda used a two trolley system but haven't seen it in a long time.

The plastic substitute coins are used as an alternative some places in Italy as well. In a Coop supermarket near us, ingenuous thieves were using a piece of metal to release the one Euro coin from the carts of inattentive shoppers. The Coop introduced plastic coins to stop their racket.

Well, in the Florence supermarket where I shop there is no trolley switch at checkout so you get back what you put. People have to pack their own groceries. But - habitual customers with the supermarket card may get a scanner and scan themselves the merchandise while they shop, then proceed to a simplified check out and pay without taking the merchandise out of the trolley. There are occasional audits when everything is scanned again and compared to the customer scan.

Yes Lachera, is the same in Milan. Actually, I have a turkish coin that is the same size as 1 euro that I always use to take the cart at the supermarket.
I scan my own things, and then pack them myself, return the cart and get my coin back.

It is always a good idea to look at the change you are given to make sure it is the right amount. But I seriously doubt the lira switcheroo is still going on. It has been 17 years since the Euro took the place of the lira. I have spend considerable time in Italy over the past 3 years and not once has anyone tried to give me a coin that was not an actual Euro. Not saying it won't or can't happen, but just feeling most of the coins that would work for this are long gone.

Last winter in Key West, FL, I received a Mexican coin of some sort (can't remember now what it was) as change in an ice cream store. It can happen anywhere.

Another coin that is sometimes slipped in is the Turkish lire--I forget which European coin it resembles (think it was a 1-euro), but it happened to me.

A few years ago when being given change, I got a Singapore dollar coin instead of a one euro coin. That's hardly worthless, but 1) it's not worth as much as a euro, and 2) it's not legal tender in Europe.

So, while the 500 lire coin may be old news, there are indeed still other "look alike coins" out there.