If all these weeks of shopping have left your wallet threadbare, why not entertain yourself for free by looking at other people’s money? Beyond offering a bit of post-consumer-frenzy therapy, world currency boasts an amazing variety of styles, color and detail. Some books offer highlights, like The Art of Money, which is out of print but used versions can easily be found. A vast, high-quality archive is online at a site run by Ron Wise, where excellent scans of everything from Burmese rupees to Bolivian centavos can be perused for free. Of course, it’s always possible these galleries will inspire you to get the collecting bug yourself, and if that’s the case there’s no shortage of online resources. The International Bank Note Society has a wealth of information for the new collector, including a list of any number of dealers - such as Educational Coin, NovaCoins, PomExport or SmytheOnline - who stock items ranging from an Argentine bill for 500 pesos that sells today for under 40 cents to curious obsolete items like a 25-cent note issued by a sewing machine company that now retails for $200. Many dealers offer bundles as well, which get you a taste of exotic currency for not a lot of American greenbacks.