A village in France has decided to give a second life to the franc, the national currency replaced by the euro in 2002. The idea is to give a boost to the local economy – but it’s also sparked a wave of nostalgia.

At a legally fixed rate, francs are now being accepted in the shops of Collobrières, a tiny village on the south coast.

The Bank of France will accept francs in exchange for euros until 2012. Until then, the community is planning to deal in the old currency along with the pan-European one.

The pragmatic side of the arrangement is simple. An income of francs gives steam to the local economy.

“It’s amazing how many francs people have kept at home,” said Dominique Cardi, a gift shop owner. “Now they can spend them.”

Over three months since the initiative began, the village has already taken more then 120,000 francs – or 24,000 dollars. Many people are hunting under mattresses and in closets for unused cash, and when elderly people die relatives are finding whole bundles of notes at their homes.

But it’s not just about their monetary value. The old francs, with their portraits of notable Frenchmen, strike a patriotic chord among nostalgic locals.

“On the euro they have these anonymous images that have nothing to do with France,” said a local shop assistant.