Coin Shopping Around The World

I moved your post. I felt it may fit in this section better.

Iraq

Iraq may not be the safest place on earth right now, but there's still a tiny piece called Kurdistan in the north that can safely be visited. Although Iraq abandoned coins some time ago, there's still some to be found here.

The smallest denomination they have nowadays is 250 Dinar, which roughly corresponds with $0.25. They used to had coins of 100, 50 and 25 Dinar, but these proved to be very unpopular and were thus abandoned. Previous currencies of Iraq had lots of coins.

Erbil

Erbil is the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan. As such, it attracts a lot of tourists. Ok... that's not true. I believe I was one of 5 tourists there. Nevertheless, people tend to be friendly, especially when they find out that you're not American. Most people do command the English language up to a basic level, so you should be able to communicate easily here.

Most of the things to see and do are found near the citadel. If you don't know where to find it: just follow one of the straight roads to the city center and you'll get there. Taxis are not cheap, though.

Right next to the citadel is a relatively big bazaar. In this bazaar you'll find some jewelers grouped. They will be able to provide you with bullion from Dubai: mainly Turkish-ish bullion coins and some other Arab things. Also troy ounce bars can be found here. Just ask the shop for either a certificate or to weigh it for you: my experience is that by far most are legit.

If you are more interested in Iraqi coins, then you can find at least two shops in and under the citadel. Just remember that they have a different view on coin grading than you have: older is more expensive, coin quality is not an issue. And most of the foreign stuff is also pricey, because it's foreign.

You should also be able to find a few legit world coins here. Just beware of the 'silver coins' they might try to sell you. By far most will directly end up in your collection of 'fake coins' or even 'fantasy coins'. They tried to sell me a few 'American Dollars' with a diameter of about 2 inch (about 5 cm), with fantasy reverses and obverses (seriously, a Dollar coin with an Indian head on it? And since when did Walking Liberty appear on dollar coins in 1900?). their Iraqi coins are all legit, though!

Additionally, a few money changers in the stalls next to the bazaar happen to have some old coins in circulated condition. They're pretty cheap but don't have anything 'special' to offer.

Moldova

Moldova isn't the first place in the world one thinks of when going on vacation. There's a reason for that: there's absolutely nothing to see or do there. The biggest pastime for locals in Chisinau, the capital city, is to go to one of the parks in the center, sit down on a bench, and stare at each other and to the people walking by. Oh, and Moldova actually creates some of the finer wines of East Europe. Some of those I can actually really recommend!

In addition, coinage there isn't the world's most exciting either. Most coins have already been withdrawn from circulation and what's still around is so like, that even locals have to look twice to be sure you get the right coin in change.

However, Moldova also houses the breakaway autonomous region called the Soviet Republic of Transdniester. This is a Russia-supported autonomous region on the east side of the Dniester river. They issue their own money and, in all honesty, it is interesting.

Chisinau
Coin collecting isn't a hobby in Moldova. The money in Moldova isn't inspiring to start such a hobby either. You should be able to get all currently circulating coins in every day life (like when going to a supermarket or so). There are no shops where coins can be bought.

However, there is a handicraft/souvenir market at a park called Vânzare de picturi #351;i suvenire. It's located at Bulevard Stefen Cel Mare, the main street in Chisinau. Some of the stands there sell coins. These are mainly old Soviet coins, though. Just make sure you're not American. Try Luxemburg, Canada or New Zealand if you have to come from some place, otherwise they'll instantly double the price. You have to bargain quite a bit anyway (one person seriously wanted $100 for a single circulated Soviet ruble. Then $20 when I said I was from Holland. Then we got it down to $5 and then I walked away to the next stand, as this was hopeless. There I got some nice rubles for less than $1 each).

Apart from this, don't expect to find anything here (and that's not just for coin collecting).

Tiraspol
According to some, I should maybe make a new topic for Transdniester and Tiraspol (its capital city), as this breakaway region and the last Soviet state on earth, considers itself independent. As no UN recognized state does so (not even Russia), I consider it part of Moldova.

However, Transdniester issues its own money. You can't get anything done with your Moldovan Leu, you need to change a few Euros or Dollars (forget Leu, you'll get a horrible rate) into Transnistrian Rubles. Those become worth less than toilet paper when you leave the country again, so beware. A bureau de change is already available at the bus and train station, where you'll most likely arrive when you take the train or bus from Chisinau.

As can be expected from a Soviet state, there's absolutely no formal interest in or praise for money. In that respect, there is absolutely no coin shop to be found in the whole country. Transdniestran Rubles do stand out due to having coins made of composite materials for higher denominations, in addition to having metal coins for smaller values. It shouldn't be difficult to get hold of most coins: just buy a few small things (your best bet is a bottle of brandy from local heroes Kvint. This brandy factory is so important for the country that it's also pictured on one of their bank notes. It's probably also featured there because there's not much else there to put on a bank note). I have no idea if there are any commemorative coins (Soviet Union used to have a bunch), and even less of a clue of where these should be found, as Transdniester doesn't seem to be very open about this kind of thing.

Please do change all your Transnistrian money for something else before you leave, as you can't do that outside the region.

Monaco

Monaco is a tiny spot squeezed in on the French Riviera. The easiest way to get in is by train from Italy or Nice, or by helicopter from Nice Airport (a tad expensive, but worth it!). Monaco is known for its expensive Euro coin sets and also had quite some of its own currency before 2002. You can obtain it when you're here, you can even obtain a lot of commemorative coins, but beware, you need to bring a big bag of cash to leave with a tiny one... coin collecting and numismatics are a big things here!

Monte Carlo
Monte Carlo is the capital (and let's face it, the only town worth mentioning) of Monaco. You'll find a lot of shops here that will sell you coins - but at a price.

First of all, if you're interested in getting circulation coins from Monaco, your best bet is to get them at the big supermarket down near the harbor. Just follow the racing track, the supermarket is at the finish line. They fill up their self-check-out machines with local currency - that's Monaco coins. This doesn't guarantee that you'll get it, but the chance is big.

For coin sets (for example BU sets of Euros), you can basically visit a lot of different shops and banks. If a shop has coins, there's a big chance that they'll display it in the window. I bought my 2 2001 and 2002 BU sets (packed in foil) at a shop in a tiny shopping mall between the station and the Casino. I think the shop is actually an accountant's office and the owner doesn't speak much English, but he'd be pleased to help and sell those sets for a reasonably good price.
Also a lot of coins are sold in souvenir shops in the area near the castle, so in and around the pedestrian area.

Dedicated coin (and stamp) shops can be found in Rue Princesse Caroline. There were two or three there the last time I visited. I found that these are well-stacked, as they also have a lot of exclusive local coins and stamps, but again, a tad pricey. If you still have money left, then you can also find a lot of overpriced (and sometimes bad quality) restaurants there.

Again, as Monaco is so tiny, it's well worth investigating a bit before buying somewhere. You can try to haggle, but most prices seem fixed.

Netherlands

Now for an easy one: The Netherlands.

In fact, The Netherlands is such an easy place for any numismatic craving that I won't even make a list of specific cities or shops or areas. Coins are easy to get in circulation (except 1 and 2 euro cent: only a few shops still use them, the rest uses Swedish rounding to 5 cent).

A lot of Dutch coins, especially bullion coins and current commemorative coins can be ordered directly at Koninklijke Nederlandse Munt. They have an on-line shop with reasonable prices. Most regular coin shops will follow these prices, some might have a special offer. The only disadvantage is that their shop is in Dutch only. With a tad of fantasy and perhaps Google Translate, you might be able to get somewhere, though.

For physical shops, you can just google. 'Munt' means coin, 'munten' means coins and 'winkel' means shop. Also 'munthandel' might work. Distances are short in The Netherlands, the infrastructure is good and every self-respecting city has at least one shop dedicated to coins (usually combined with 'postzegel' or stamp). So, technically there's always a coin shop nearby.

My experience is that most coin shops do have coins that are up for a bit of haggling. just stay friendly and don't expect the price to drop too much, though.

Unfortunately, my experience is also that Dutch coins (especially classic bullion and all before the Second World War) tends to be a tad more expensive than what I pay for it abroad. I guess that's because the main market in The Netherlands is focused on Dutch coins... Other coins are usually a fair to good deal.

I read it very fast, but I had to comment on what an excellent post this is.

Now I have to go back and read more carefully to get the most benefit.

Thank you for the information!

There are places where you can get the currently circulating coins and yearly bullion at the post office. Specifically Singapore and Gibraltar come to mind.

Most informative and enjoyable reading. Thanks for taking the time!