Sweden's ongoing banknote and coin changeover, which began in 2015, has entered its final phase, with the remaining old 1-, 2- and 5-kronor coins and 100- and 500-kronor notes becoming invalid last month.

The old 5- and 1-krona coins. Photo: Claudio Bresciani/TT

August 31st is the last day to hand the coins in at a bank (you still have until June 30th next year to deposit the 100- and 500-kronor notes). But only around 43 percent have been received so far and Sweden's central bank, the Riksbank, believes there is almost 1.6 billion kronor in coins still out there.

“The oldest coins are from the late 19th century, so one must assume that some have quite simply disappeared, or are being retained as they may be collector's items. But on Thursday it is the last day the banks will accept the old coins, so anyone wishing to get rid of them needs to act quickly,” said Christina Wejshammar, head of the Riksbank's cash and payment systems department, in a statement.

The new Swedish coins. Photo: Anders Wiklund/TT

The invalid 100- and 500-kronor banknotes can still be handed in to the Riksbank after the deadline June 30th 2018 for an administration fee of 100 kronor. The Riksbank will however not redeem invalid coins.

There is a detailed schedule (in English) for the banknote and coin changeover, and a map where you can find your nearest coin-deposit location is available at Myntkartan.se.