FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE)— Fort Wayne’s City Clerk is trying to find viable options to get rid of thousands of foreign coins that have been inserted into the city’s parking meters over the last two decades. The task is proving to be a tough one.
“The only viable option for getting rid of these is taking them back,” Fort Wayne City Clerk John McGauley said. “And you know, obviously, then the cost versus the benefit starts to fade.”
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McGauley said his office now has about 200 lbs. of foreign coins after 20-25 years of collecting invalid currencies from parking meters around the Summit City. The coin collection at the clerk’s office includes coins from the 1800s, all continents besides Antarctica, and many non-currency tokens, like those from the Fort Wayne Zoo. During WANE 15’s visit, some of the nations’ currencies seen included Ghana, Barbados, Jamaica, Romania, the United Arab Emirates, South Africa, and the Philippines, just to name a few.
“We’ve uncovered some real curiosities that make you wonder how did this wind up in a parking meter in Fort Wayne, Indiana,” McGauley said…