# What's the best way to buy small amounts of foreign currency? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 10, 2012, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-buy-small-amounts-of-foreign-currency/624725 "2012-06-10T14:50:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2012, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-buy-small-amounts-of-foreign-currency/624725/21 "2012-09-02T20:48:29Z")
> [@Meltdown](#): > > My son’s doing a project for school on world geography in which we (he and I) thought it would be pretty cool to have samples of currency from foreign countries. Is there a good way to obtain this? It’s far too late, but would not the best way be to write to the currency issuers and ask for specimen banknotes? Real banknotes, but with an obviously fake serial number and SPECIMEN printed on them. Note that you’ll have to find those countries which distribute them widely. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2012, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-buy-small-amounts-of-foreign-currency/624725/22 "2012-09-02T20:57:01Z")
> [@cantara](#): > > Have your kid hang out in the International Arrivals area with a sign explaining what he is doing…he might end up with what he needs. That’s what I was going to recommend. Most exchange bureaus don’t take change, so after every trip, I’ve ended up with a pocketful of change that I couldn’t convert, and I’d have been happy to donate it to a school project coming out of the airport. For larger denominations, I know my bank (Wells Fargo) can exchange it for you, but you have to give them a certain amount of lead time, and probably a minimum amount to exchange as well. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2012, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-buy-small-amounts-of-foreign-currency/624725/23 "2012-09-03T05:21:15Z")
The countries embassy/consulate would be a good place to look. ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2012, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-buy-small-amounts-of-foreign-currency/624725/24 "2012-09-03T06:56:11Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > The countries embassy/consulate would be a good place to look. I doubt it, not all countries embassies are the fortresses US embassies are but none are going to want to bother with that kind of request. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2012, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-buy-small-amounts-of-foreign-currency/624725/25 "2012-09-03T12:06:17Z")
> [@grude](#): > > I doubt it, not all countries embassies are the fortresses US embassies are but none are going to want to bother with that kind of request. They usually are more than happy to give you information on the country. They might not have notes handy, but they may have samples or pictures. ---
**Author:** ![Traveller44](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2acd7d/32.png) [@Traveller44](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Traveller44)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2012, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-buy-small-amounts-of-foreign-currency/624725/26 "2012-09-03T15:01:06Z")
here the english version of the UNICEF site as translation - EUromoney24 has an english site anyway. [http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=de&tl=en&js=n&prev=\_t&hl=de&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.unicef.at%2Funternehmen.html&act=url&act=url&act=url](http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=de&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=de&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.unicef.at%2Funternehmen.html&act=url&act=url&act=url) ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2012, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-buy-small-amounts-of-foreign-currency/624725/27 "2012-09-03T15:16:08Z")
Sounds like a new poster is trying to drum up UNICEF donations. ---
**Author:** ![Simple\_Linctus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Simple\_Linctus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simple_Linctus)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2012, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-buy-small-amounts-of-foreign-currency/624725/28 "2012-09-03T15:51:21Z")
I third the ebay advice. I have a nice collection of weird currency from there. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-buy-small-amounts-of-foreign-currency/624725.md?page=1)