Exchanging foreign coins for US dollars?
 

I have coins from Australia, India, and Mexico that I would like to convert to US dollars. Unfortunately, Travelex doesn't take coins, nor do any of the banks I've checked with. Does anyone know where I can exchange these coins in the US?

I have about $10-12 Australian dollars worth of coins. As I'm not going to Australia anytime soon, I'm leaning towards taking anything I can get.

Alternatively, are there any reputable charities that will take these coins if I mail them in?

I also see from previous Flyertalk postings that there is a machine at Portland PDX which will take coins - anyone know what currencies it accepts (and if Australian dollars is on the list)?

Coupon Connection? Or is that against the terms?

Many years ago I worked for a big university which accumulated many foreign coins from who knows where. The big bank downtown where the U banked (and which had a big forex dept.) took the coins and provided cash for them. But, I was told, that in general, coins are impossible to exchange outside the country in which they originated. And I have found this to be generally true. Big U got its cash only 'cause it was a very big customer.

One solution I have used is to, next time you are at an international airport with a little time, go to the check in area for the country issuing the coins you want to get rid of, grab a boarding passenger and ask them to give your coins to a worthy organization when they arrive. As for Mexican coins, just give 'em to someone you know who is going to Mexico.

Meanwhile, IMHO, don't waste your energy on this.

Good rule, spend all coins before leaving country.

If you do not find a place to exchange the coins and feel you will never use them again, please consider donating to UNICEF's "Change for Good" program.

You can send it to the following address:
U.S. Fund for UNICEF
ATTN: Change for Good Program
29 West 38th Street, 11th Floor
New York, NY 10018

For more info on the program click here

Heck just keep them and watch the value appreciate, we're near parity. :p A big rise from when the Pacific peso was only worth 50c US.

A more pragmatic solution, do your airlines have change bags/envelopes for charity which accept foreign coins?

When flying QF (domestic at that!) they have an envelope in the head phone plastic bag which actively seeks foreign coins. The charity concerned has a deal with the bank who gives them appropriate value for all coins.

Other than the mentioned good suggestions above, the not-too-long-ago coin exchange thread may give you some ideas:

Where to exchange Canadian coins for US coins?

You have to understand that even if it's a dollar or two dollar coin the US bank will make about 5c on it and will pay more than that to ship it anywhere. Banks don't tend to see themselves as charities so won't take them. Change for Good however is a charity and will happily take them off you and do something genuinely useful with them :)

Thanks for the suggestions. By a stroke of good luck, someone at work was talking about a trip they planned to take to Australia next week. I told the person I had some coins and could give him a favorable exchange rate, and he agreed.

Sweet timing :-) My backup plan might have been to find an Australian at the Oracle Open World conference here in San Francisco.

I keep a few in my pocket to distribute to children, as occasion permits.

Many, many years ago I was in the hospital for something unimportant. Wart removal, or something. Memory fails. However, I was disconsolate and acting like the child I was. A stranger, a soldier, gave me a 10,000 yen(?) note. I was entranced for hours and quite forgot my emotional upset. ^ to that stranger. I still have that note ~40 years later.

A few years back I had some Australian dollars left from a trip down South. I left them (along with US currency) as a tip at an Outback Steakhouse. Listening to the server discuss her find with her co-workers was reward enough. :D

I'm sure you can find a use for your coins that will far outweigh their value as currency.

Should be able to find someone at an FT gathering that will give you $USD for them, as a lot of us go to Australia. I'll be over in again in May for the Hobart Do.