I thought all banks keep a stock of some foreign currency, but apparently mine’s too small or something. They only occasionally have 2 dollar bills and it took like a month after the $100 bills came out for them to have some.
I’m not a coin collector, I just want it because it looks cool. But I don’t want to order it online or something and pay shipping fees. I just want to plunk down the $2.2 dollars or whatever the exchange rate is and get a shiny Euro coin
A large airport. O’Hare has an exchange booth in the United terminal.
Just wait a few. One of our European brethren or sistren will likely send you one if you send them something interesting from wherever you are.
Otherwise, find an international airport.
Note that, while a moneychanger at the airport is sure to have one, they’re also going to charge a terrible exchange rate. Which might be OK, if you just want it as an interesting trinket, but be warned.
And if you’re going to get one, I recommend that you get one from Italy (every nation has a different design on the reverse). The Italian 1-euro coins feature Leonardo’s Vitruvian man, cleverly incorporated into the bi-metallic pattern of the coin, which I think is pretty cool.
Wow, each country has their own versions?
Moneychangers ordinarily don’t take coins. If you find one who does, he will more than likely just hand it to you at something near the official exchange rite, since he probably got for about 10% less than that, and it’s not worth turning you away for a few cents more. It’ll cost you ten bucks to park at the airport, to undertake this transaction.
I worked for one of the “big 4” banks in their biggest-size consumer store (something like 12 teller windows vs. 5 or so in a regular branch), and we never kept foreign currency on hand. We would take orders for it, which IIRC delivered quick. We might have some on hand if someone recently deposited some, but I doubt we had the wherewithal to give it out again.
US “rare” currency - you have to be there at the right time, ask them when the next shipment is in.
If you don’t mind paying some premium, eBay might work. Also local coin shops, maybe pawn shops.
Yeah, for coins but notes are the same, so pick one of the better looking ones.
Could you get one at an airport w/o purchasing a ticket to get your thru security? I don’t believe my local international airport has any services on the ‘public’ side.
How about a coin dealer/store?
The ones to avoid are the Belgian Euros.
I handle them all the time in my restaurant here in the Dominican Republic! Have to make weekly trips to a money changer to change my US Dollars and Canadian Dollars and the Euros which all creep into my cash drawer.
Call a local coin dealer or two. They should have one to sell you for about $1.25-1.75 US.
Banks in the US don’t take in foreign coins.
Put a couple three US dollars for sale on eBay under Italian coins and ask to be paid in Euro coins.
Collectors trade coins there all day every day.
Better yet just buy one on eBay (with free shipping!).
Why pay $4 US when a local coin dealer will sell you one for $2 or less?
Convenience… it’s not like there are a lot of coin dealer stores these days. (Even if there were how long would they be in business selling $1 Euro coins?)
I just returned from Finland, and was going to offer to send you one of several I had in my pocket. But I realized I gave them all to the airline’s “Donate your spare change to benefit the children” scheme.
Sorry.
I’ve got one with an eagle on the back and one with a tree on the back. If you want one, let me know which and PM me your address. No charge.
ETA: The tree is French and the eagle is German.
How about Slovenia?
Save up your American pennies, buy plane ticket to Europe, remove currency from ATM, make small purchase, receive Euro coin.
At least the Slovene guy looks a little like Santa Claus. The Belgian coin looks like a mug shot engraved onto a coin. They really capture his weak chin and jowls.
All the monarch ones suck: Spain, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands.
But the worst is surely the Pope Benedict Vatican City one. No thank you. I’d rather have the Belgian mug shot in my pocket.