>I had a friend who played for Canada's national basketball team back in the 60s. he went to Brazil for a tournament and knew nothing much about the monetary units. When a kid helped carry his bags up to his hotel room, he tipped the kid 5 cruzeiros. He said the look he got from the kid made his blood curdle. He found out later that in Brazil it cost 5 cruzeiros to make a one cruzeiro note. So I guess it would have been like tipping a kid 1 cent here.

Dositej Obradović (an important guy from XIX century) would have a handful of local currency, in smallest coins, wherever he went. When paying a coach, he'd slowly put them one by one into the coachman's hand... until he'd see a smile on his face. Then he'd take the last coin back.