Want Drachmas? DOT's Got 'Em

The city is selling [500 pounds of foreign coins] that lucky swindlers successfully jammed into parking meters this year. Deputy chief of meter collections says the mix is pretty diverse, with nearly every denomination from every continent represented, though the most common are Greek drachmas (pictured). Perhaps more inexplicable is who would buy them. Last year’s [highest bidder was collector Jim Corliss](http://www.1010wins.com/pages/733133.php?contentType=4&contentId=732527), 60, of Braintree, Mass., who explains that he finds something valuable from to time—like an 1835 British shilling worth $5. Don't spend it all in one place, Jim.

Apparently, the city [loses an estimated $8,500 annually] due to foreign coins masquerading as U.S. currency in parking meters. And The Department of Transportation decided to sell the coins about 10 years ago because it wasn’t worth exchanging them for U.S. currency. In the past, the coins have earned the department between $2 and $4 per pound. The agency, which rakes in about $90 million from parking meters annually, has already received this year's bids and will announce the best offer on Monday. We wait with bated breath.