Lira to eurol
 

Can Italian lira still be exchanged in Italy for Euros? We have about $10. US equivalent in Italian lira left over from a trip we took a few years ago. We had always thought we'd use it when we returned to Italy, but then the Euro came along. If the lira can be exchanged for Euros, are there only certain banks that would exchange? We will be in Rome for three days in October 2015, and would like to exchange the lira there. Are they now worthless, or can they be exchanged?

I think your lira are now elaborate bookmarks, but I could be wrong.

They were only convertible until 2012.

Why would you want to do that, anyway? By now they're a nice souvenir and in fifteen more years they may be worth something to collectors.

I made some cool earrings with lira coins.

The old 500 lire coins (worth about €0.25) resemble €2 coins. Some shopkeepers must have stocked up on them, because I occasionally get one in change without noticing.

How do you know they're worth $10?

When old currencies were converted to Euros, there was a locked exchange rate. This is how OP probably calculated how much the Lira are worth.

Put them in charity collection box at airports. I'm sure they can find a way to convert to euro or other up-to-date currencies.

No- it's too late. And even if they were valued at $10 it wold probably cost more than that to change them.

We have many of the old currencies - nice as souvenirs.

Save it for posterity or for when it truly goes antique.

bvlenci, 500 lire coins have still a limited use as they can be used to unblock supermarket shopping carts. This is probably why every now and then such coins get confused with 2 euros.

for info -

some of the pre-Euro currencies can still be changed at the respective national banks; and some can't.

see here for details
http://www.ecb.europa.eu/euro/exchan.../index.en.html

I can't understand why anyone would carry around a 500-lira coin to unblock a supermarket cart. Are they afraid someone is going to nab the cart to get the coin?

Anyway, I'm sure the shopkeepers who've given me 500 lire in change knew very well what coin it was.