8 Things You Can Do With Your Leftover Foreign Coins

Fun and Crafty Ways to Use Up Your Unspent Currency

You graduated college, you traveled around the world for a few months, and now you're back home with a bag full of foreign coins. Unspent currency has to be the least glamorous souvenir you can bring back from your travels. It's near-impossible to spend every coin before you leave, they're dirty and heavy, and currency exchange counters will rarely accept them. It feels strange to throw money so here are a few suggestions on what to do with your leftover coins:

Sell Them Online

You'd be surprised to know that you can often sell foreign coins online and make close to their value back. Ebay is a great place to start doing this.

Use Them as Decorations

Clean your coins in a bucket of disinfectant and then buy a sleek glass bottle to pop them all in. Place it on your windowsill or beside your bed to always be reminded of the places you've been. 

Use Them to Reload Your Starbucks Card

If you're somewhere that has a Starbucks nearby, ask them to reload your card with your foreign currency. 

Give Them to Charity 

UNICEF accepts unused foreign currency as a donation, thanks to the Change For Good scheme. Twelve international airlines collect during their flights, and you can also send it to them directly. 

Give Them Away as Gifts

If you have a friend that has always wanted to travel, give your coins away to them as a gift, especially if they're from a country they want to visit. Alternatively, the children in your life -- younger siblings, cousins, nieces and nephews -- would likely be grateful to receive them, and you can use the coins as a way of teaching them about the world and where you visited.

Make Them Into Jewellery 

If you have a drill lying around at home, why not drill a small hole into the coins and string them up to make some jewellery. You could make some earrings with the Euros you have leftover from your trip to Spain, a bracelet linking coins from Southeast Asian countries, or a necklace with Mexican Pesos to remind you of Spring Break. 

Create Magnets Out of Them

Of course, you may want to keep your unused currency as a souvenir of your trip, in which case, turning them into magnets is a fun way to do so. Buy a magnetic board, a few small magnets, and glue them to the back of the coins. Now you can pin up your photos, tickets, and memories to the board, using coins from those countries!