Regular coins are being traded on the black market in Argentina as citizens fight inflation at record levels.

From the AP (via the IHT):

A kiosk owner bribes a bank worker with cookies to break bills. Subway workers let commuters ride free because they can’t change their cash. Bus companies resell the coins they collect at a steep black market markup.

Argentines are increasingly scrambling to get their hands on pocket change for everyday transactions, as soaring inflation makes the copper and aluminum that coins are made of worth more than their face value. Many suspect profit-seeking hoarders are scooping them up to stow away.

Argentine annual inflation officially hit 8.7 percent in September, but independent economists say the government is lowballing that rate, which they claim is closer to 25 percent.