Home World & Ancient Coins Forum
Options

Buying Pounds and Euros in coin shops?

Have any of you guys had much luck finding pounds or euros at coin shops? Has anyone ever found a reasonable rate buying them there or found some at a good price in the foreign junk bins?

I'm planning an upcoming trip and just curious if I can pick up any foreign currency before heading over image

Comments

  • Options
    BjornBjorn Posts: 529 ✭✭✭
    While in the US I have never found any pounds or Euros in junk bins. I currently live in Scotland and can report finding no quarters or above in junk bins here image
  • Options
    WeissWeiss Posts: 9,935 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I haven't looked, but my dealer has stacks of them, and Canadian coins & currency. He wholesales them to people he knows in their respective countries. Must be several hundred dollars a year at least.
    We are like children who look at print and see a serpent in the last letter but one, and a sword in the last.
    --Severian the Lame
  • Options
    ajaanajaan Posts: 17,109 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I have found 1c and 2c Euros in junk bins, never any full Euros and definately no £ coins.

    DPOTD-3
    'Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery'

    CU #3245 B.N.A. #428


    Don
  • Options
    OnlyGoldIsMoneyOnlyGoldIsMoney Posts: 3,296 ✭✭✭✭✭
    This thread is two years old but I can add some recent experiences.

    This month my LCS had a fresh batch of foreign coins in their 10 cent junk box. I picked up two 2-Euro, one 1-Euro and one 1-pound coin for 10 cents each. Prior to that trip I picked up over the last year from the same 10 cent junk box twelve 1-pound and assorted 50-pence and 20-pence coins for an outlay of about $2.
  • Options
    SaorAlbaSaorAlba Posts: 7,475 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Have you considered a WTB in the BST?

    I have about 5 quid in British dosh, a similar amount in Euro and about 3-4 Swiss francs worth of their change. If you want to go to Ukraine, like who doesn't right now, I have about 500 hryven in Ukrainian coins.
    In memory of my kitty Seryozha 14.2.1996 ~ 13.9.2016 and Shadow 3.4.2015 - 16.4.21
  • Options
    OnlyGoldIsMoneyOnlyGoldIsMoney Posts: 3,296 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>Have you considered a WTB in the BST?

    I have about 5 quid in British dosh, a similar amount in Euro and about 3-4 Swiss francs worth of their change. If you want to go to Ukraine, like who doesn't right now, I have about 500 hryven in Ukrainian coins. >>




    Interesting idea and worth a try. Someday we'll visit Ukraine (or is it "the Ukraine"?). My wife's paternal great-grandparents came from a family of bakers when Nicholas II still ruled.
  • Options
    SaorAlbaSaorAlba Posts: 7,475 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>


    Interesting idea and worth a try. Someday we'll visit Ukraine (or is it "the Ukraine"?). My wife's paternal great-grandparents came from a family of bakers when Nicholas II still ruled. >>



    I was supposed to be there last week, but we postponed our trip back in January when things started going down politically. "The" Ukraine is very offensive to people from Ukraine, implies somehow that it is a part of Russia. The problem with the Hryven currency is that it has lost a lot of value while it has sat around.
    In memory of my kitty Seryozha 14.2.1996 ~ 13.9.2016 and Shadow 3.4.2015 - 16.4.21
  • Options
    1960NYGiants1960NYGiants Posts: 3,452 ✭✭✭✭
    I have accumulated E4.47 from poundage lots over the past 6 months.

    Also £28.39 which I have listed on the BST

    Along with some Swiss Francs
    Gene

    Life member #369 of the Royal Canadian Numismatic Association
    Member of Canadian Association of Token Collectors

    Collector of:
    Canadian coins and pre-confederation tokens
    Darkside proof/mint sets dated 1960
    My Ebay
  • Options
    scotty1419scotty1419 Posts: 927 ✭✭✭
    Never expected this to pop back up.

    I've had good luck the last couple months buying euros and pounds from the local shops - usually 5-20 euros/pounds at a time but it adds up.

    The problem with online is shipping.
  • Options
    OnlyGoldIsMoneyOnlyGoldIsMoney Posts: 3,296 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Today's pickups at a local coin shop junk box:

    1 British Pound coin

    1 British 20 Pence coin

    1 Euro 10 cent coin

    My total cost = 30 cents US
  • Options
    scotty1419scotty1419 Posts: 927 ✭✭✭
    Congrats,

    I usually find quantities at 1:1 but that's pretty sweet image
  • Options
    Steve27Steve27 Posts: 13,274 ✭✭✭
    I have purchased a few 1 pound coins out of the 3 for $1 junk box at a local show, and I was also able to purchase a 1 euro and 2 euro coin from the same box, but those were a while ago. Recently, on a business trip over to England, I purchased a 1957 90% silver dime for 50p out of their "world coin" pile.

    "It's far easier to fight for principles, than to live up to them." Adlai Stevenson
  • Options
    bronco2078bronco2078 Posts: 9,964 ✭✭✭✭✭


    I just bought 84 euros for 90 cents each and 150 pounds for a dollar each. I happened to see a new we buy gold place that had a sign saying they bought foreign currency in the window.


    You could post an ad on craigslist , I have bought Canadian coins and currency that way before. I wound up with almost 1000 canadian dollars by the time I stopped running it.

    It's a nice way to get foreign money before a trip if you have enough lead time.
  • Options
    OnlyGoldIsMoneyOnlyGoldIsMoney Posts: 3,296 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Reviving an old thread again.

    My local coin shop keeps adding 1 euro, 2 euro, 1 pound and 2 pound coins to its 10 cent "junk" box.

    This week's pickups were 3 1/2 euros plus 3 pounds 32 pence. My cost was 70 cents.
  • Options
    The bartender where I bowl also happens to work at the bank that I do business with. One night I asked her what they do with the foreign coins that come into the bank and she said that they don't get any. A couple of days later she walked up to me with a handful of foreign coins. When people bring there change in and put it into the change counter they just leave in the shoot at the bottom all of the rejected coins. In the handful was a british pound. My cost---a dozen donuts for the young lady and her fellow workers who promised to keep an eye out for any foreign coins for me. Doesn't get much better than that.
    Proud recipiant of the Lord M "you suck award-March-2008"
    http://bit.ly/bxi7py
Sign In or Register to comment.