Help using count in excel?

I have a column thar has prices with the pound sign and to 2 decimal places, I format the cells to take the � sign out so I can use the count funtion to tally up the rows that are used but when I use the count funtion the answer comes correct but with a pound sign at the beginning of the number making it a price instead of just a number. Is there any way to use the count funtion to show the number of cells that I have used without teh � sign and without the 2 decimal places while keeping the 2 decimal places in the worksheet