A country’s currency can sometimes say a lot about it’s history and culture. National traditions are often imprinted on bills and coin. Cash can be crisp and fresh  or it can be crusty and wrinkled. Dirty money smells different in different places… and the ‘dirt’ clings differently too.

A while ago I found myself at the end of a long trip in Doha. I had bills from six different countries and took a picture of the pile with my iPhone.

I’ve visited a few more countries since that time, and I have money left over from almost every trip. A while ago I bought a 100mm macro lens to go along with my 5D. The last few shots (the non-closeups) were taken with the X-Pro1 and 35mm.

The currency below was used in the US, Mexico, Turkey, Sri Lanka, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, the Dominican Republic, Aruba, Lebanon, Libya, Switzerland and other parts of Europe.

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Click on any of the pictures below to launch a slideshow in full screen. All the macro (close-up ) shots were taken with the Canon 5D Mark III and a 100mm lens. The other shots were taken with the Fuji X-Pro1 and 35mm lens.