Turkish mint halts production of small-denomination lira coins
A pile of ₺0.25, ₺0.10, and other small-denomination Turkish lira coins, which are no longer being produced as Türkiye adapts to inflationary pressures. (Adobe Stock Photo)
The Turkish State Mint and Security Printing has ceased the production and circulation of small-denomination Turkish lira coins as of January, citing the impact of high inflation.
According to data from the Turkish mint under the Ministry of Treasury and Finance, inflationary pressures have affected coin production, preventing the issuance of lower-value coins.
As a result, coins with denominations of ₺0.01 ($0.028 cents), ₺0.05, ₺0.10, and ₺0.25 have not been released into circulation.
₺0.50 and ₺1 coins still in production
However, the mint has continued producing and distributing ₺0.50 and ₺1 coins.
As of January 2025, the total number of newly issued coins stood at 84,000 for the ₺0.50 denomination and 45.49 million for the ₺1 coin.
This brought the total number of ₺1 coins in circulation to approximately 4.35 billion and ₺0.50 coins to 1.59 billion. The total number of coins in circulation, including all denominations, reached 13.14 billion.
Thus, ₺0.50 has become the smallest denomination of Turkish lira coin in circulation.
With high inflation figures since 2021, the role of small-denomination Turkish lira coins has been diminishing, as lower-value coins lose significance in daily transactions while cash usage adapts to rising prices.
