FOREIGN CURRENCY QUESTION

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Posted: Thu Dec 30, 2010 2:34 pm

About 2 years ago I traveled to England and Croatia. I forgot to exchange some money for USD when I was at the Gatwick Airport.

Where I live in the US, none of the banks will change out my foreign currency as they are all very small banks. If I lived near a major city this would not be a problem.

Could anyone tell me what this currency is worth or point me in some direction for ridding myself of this money. I have one of each of the following:

5 pound Bank of England paper money
5 Euro paper money
50 ?? Leftover from Croatia. On it reads Hrvatska Narodna Banka (I am guessing that is the Bank of Croatia or Croatian National Bank; it also reads "Pedeset Kuna"

I have a number of British and Croatian coinage but I figure I cannot mail them anywhere and they are small potatoes anyway.

Right now they are only good to me as bookmarks and even that won't work as I read from a Kindle2 e-reader.

Open to suggestions.

BTW, Croatia was wonderful. I stayed on the island off the coast of Salt where many Brit ex-pats are retiring (and very cheaply) I would visit Croatia in a heart beat if I could. Salt was great.

Posted: Thu Dec 30, 2010 2:53 pm

5 euro = around $6.50
5 British pounds = around 10 bucks

Posted: Thu Dec 30, 2010 2:56 pm

No International airports or sea ports near by? Then they are just souveniers. Sad

Any friends overseas you can send them to? Gifts?

Posted: Thu Dec 30, 2010 3:00 pm

Charity??

Baiting Guru Joined: 31 Jan 2007 Posts: 12237

The last time I was in Zimbabwe I forgot to cash out several of these, the bride was sure angry. (Interestingly, I actually bought one on Ebay for several dollars (US), the greater fool theory in action I suppose.)

Posted: Thu Dec 30, 2010 3:57 pm

If anyone knows a (legitimate) charity in the UK I would send the 5 pound note and 5 Euro to them.

Although we have major ports coming into the Gulf Coast region, there is no place to exchange as ours is mainly shipping.

It was my own tiredness that I neglected to exchange them at Gatwick as the day before I was on every form of transportation, save horseback, getting from Salt, Croatia back to Gatwick starting at 6 am.....car, boat, taxi, bus, airplane, bus, airplane, train and nearly missed my train stop for Gatwick. Fortunately I woke up at Paddington Station at 10:30 pm

Then went to the kiosk in Gatwick to find a hotel. The fellow at the kiosk found me a hotel and said it would be 189 per night. Being tired and forgetting to interpret the exchange correctly, I only realized how much I was paying in USD when I got inside the hotel room!!! But I took advantage of every luxury available to me that night.

Posted: Thu Dec 30, 2010 4:18 pm

Most high streets in the UK have at least one charity shop. The major ones all accept foreign currency. Take them with you next time you go window shopping Smile

Edit: Oops. Forgot you were elsewhere. Embarassed

Doesn't matter though, the same rule applies to most civilised countries.

Posted: Thu Dec 30, 2010 5:15 pm

I can give you a neutral UK address if you want to stick them in the post, and I'll get them to Oxfam for you, or alternatively try any international charity (eg Greenpeace/MSF/Red Cross/etc) and just give them the notes, they will have €, £ and $ accounts anyway. 50 Kuna is about $9, harder to exchange, but worth sticking in with the other. Coins are worthless, so keep them as souvenirs.

XE.com will give you accurate exchange rates Smile

Posted: Thu Dec 30, 2010 8:12 pm

Just want to point out, for currency exchange rates I rather like this site: http://www.xe.com

Posted: Thu Dec 30, 2010 9:19 pm

Send it HERE they need it bad. Wink

Posted: Thu Dec 30, 2010 9:54 pm

What i did all my us coins last year was put them in a envelope and sent them to British Airways, they were collecting them for charity, was unable to sort them out on the plane home, waited till i got home.

Posted: Thu Dec 30, 2010 11:19 pm

I've seen several pubs and bars have lots of foreign currency tacked on their walls. So go in with an appropriate foreign accent and pay for your drinks with your currency. Very Happy

Posted: Thu Dec 30, 2010 11:30 pm

^^^ You want me to do that in the heart of redneck country!! Laughing

Posted: Fri Dec 31, 2010 2:49 am

Like I said, phony up a foreign accent, with the 5 pound note, British accent is easy.

5 Euro note, you have your choice of accents....

The Croation note, phony up any slavic accent, it's not like they know the difference in the deep south. Inbreeding does that, makes you less smart!!

Posted: Fri Dec 31, 2010 3:25 am

^^^ I would have to drive a ways out of my area. I am too well known at the local establishment(s). Wink

If I came in with a phony accent, they would probably think I was tipsy or had gone bonkers and try to commit me! Laughing

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