Got Leftover Foreign Coins From a Trip Abroad? Here's What to Do With Them
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You unpack your suitcase after an international trip, toss a handful of coins into a drawer and promptly forget about them.
Months — or years — later, you rediscover them while looking for batteries or a spare phone charger. Suddenly, you're holding a small pile of euros, pounds, pesos or yen and wondering: Can I do anything with these?
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At a time when Americans are already rethinking their relationship with spare change following the end of penny production, foreign coins present an even bigger challenge. Unlike U.S. coins, which can generally be spent, deposited into a bank account or converted into cash, leftover foreign currency is often difficult to exchange once you're back home. That leaves many travelers with money from other countries that they aren't quite sure what to do with.
Luckily, you have options.
Save them for your next trip
If you think you'll return to the same country — or another country that uses the same currency — hanging onto the coins may be the easiest solution.
A few euros or pounds won't fund your entire vacation, but they can come in handy for airport lockers, transit tickets, vending machines, luggage carts or other small expenses immediately after arrival.
Many seasoned travelers keep a small stash of foreign currency specifically for this purpose. But keep in mind that because exchange rates fluctuate over time, the value of those coins relative to the U.S. dollar could be higher or lower by the time you return, potentially making them worth a bit more — or a bit less — than when you first brought them home.
Donate them
One of the simplest ways to put leftover coins to use is to give them away.
Some airports have donation boxes that collect foreign currency for charities, such as UNICEF's Change for Good. A number of international aid organizations and children's charities also run programs that allow you to mail them foreign coins and notes.
A pocketful of low-denomination coins may seem insignificant, but when thousands of travelers contribute their spare change, it can add up quickly.
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Sell them to collectors
Not every foreign coin is worth only its face value.
Older coins, discontinued currencies and coins with unusual designs, minting errors or limited production runs can sometimes attract interest from collectors.
Check the coin's year, denomination and country of origin. Online marketplaces and coin-collecting forums can help you determine whether it's worth more than the loose change rattling around in your desk drawer.
Most coins in modern circulation won't be particularly valuable, but exceptions do exist.
Use them for education or hobbies
Foreign coins can make surprisingly useful teaching tools.
Parents and teachers often use them to introduce children to geography, history, languages and world cultures. Coin collectors may also enjoy organizing them into a starter international collection.
If you have a large assortment from different countries, they can become an inexpensive conversation piece or travel keepsake. Foreign currency can also come in handy when your kid needs a show-and-tell item for school in a pinch.
Give them to friends who are traveling
Know someone heading abroad for business or pleasure?
Your forgotten travel leftovers could save them a small hassle when they land. While the value may be modest, having local currency on hand can be convenient during the first few hours of a trip.
It's not exactly a life-changing gift, but it's one that frequent travelers often appreciate.
Turn them into souvenirs
Some people embrace the fact that foreign coins are difficult to exchange and simply repurpose them.
Coins can be displayed in shadow boxes, incorporated into crafts, used in jewelry projects or saved alongside photos and mementos from a memorable trip.
If the amount is small, the sentimental value may ultimately outweigh whatever dollar value you could recover.
Why foreign coins are hard to exchange
Unlike foreign banknotes, which many banks and currency exchange services can convert into U.S. dollars, coins are a different story.
Most financial institutions won't accept foreign coins because they're expensive to handle relative to their value. Coins are heavy to ship, costly to sort and difficult to process, especially when they come from dozens of different countries and currencies.
As a result, the cost of exchanging foreign coins often outweighs the value that banks and exchange providers can recover from them.
If you have a substantial amount, it's worth checking with your bank before assuming they're unusable. But for most travelers, donating, saving or repurposing the coins ends up being the more practical option.
That forgotten pile of foreign coins probably won't make you rich. But it doesn't have to sit in a drawer forever, either.
Whether you save them for your next adventure, donate them to charity, pass them along to a fellow traveler or turn them into a keepsake, those leftover coins can still serve a purpose long after your passport is tucked away.