( BRATISLAVA ) - Slovaks, who have been using the euro for six months, got rid of all their old koruna coins on Tuesday -- their last opportunity to exchange the coins for euros in banks.

"In recent days, people have brought to banks treasures such as a full box of 50-heller coins which they had found in their garage," spokeswoman for Slovenska Sporitelna bank Nada Urbanova told AFP.

"One family came to exchange several 5,000-koruna banknotes -- life-savings of their late grandma which they had found in her flat," Urbanova said.

Following a smooth currency changeover, most people came to exchange korunas for euros within the first weeks of January and only a few people have left it to the last minute on June 30.

"Most of the latecomers said that they had found the koruna coins and banknotes in their winter coats, old handbags and in the pockets of their Sunday clothes," Urbanova added.

"Some people have tried to exchange banknotes from the former Czechoslovakia, which split 16 years ago, or German marks, which haven't been in circulation sice the introduction of euro in 2002," said Boris Gandel, a spokesman for Tatra Banka.

From Tuesday, people will be able to exchange koruna coins only in the Slovak central bank while commercial banks will be exchanging koruna banknotes until the end of the year.