Buying Pounds and Euros in coin shops?

scotty1419 · January 31, 2012 12:00AM

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

Bjorn · January 31, 2012 6:16AM

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

Weiss · January 31, 2012 7:25AM

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.

ajaan · January 31, 2012 7:52AM

I have found 1c and 2c Euros in junk bins, never any full Euros and definately no £ coins.

OnlyGoldIsMoney · April 16, 2014 11:58AM

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.

SaorAlba · April 16, 2014 7:52PM

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.

OnlyGoldIsMoney · April 17, 2014 1:54AM

<< <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.

SaorAlba · April 17, 2014 5:51AM

<< <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.

1960NYGiants · April 17, 2014 10:46AM

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

scotty1419 · May 12, 2014 7:11AM

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.

OnlyGoldIsMoney · May 12, 2014 7:58AM

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

scotty1419 · May 12, 2014 10:51AM

Congrats,

I usually find quantities at 1:1 but that's pretty sweet

Steve27 · May 12, 2014 8:01PM

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.

bronco2078 · May 13, 2014 5:30AM

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.

OnlyGoldIsMoney · December 17, 2014 9:55AM

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.

olmanjon · December 18, 2014 4:44AM

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.

Buying Pounds and Euros in coin shops?

Comments