diff --git a/src/engine/Account.c b/src/engine/Account.c
index 9c387e2371..9048d8559b 100644
--- a/src/engine/Account.c
+++ b/src/engine/Account.c
@@ -141,8 +141,6 @@ xaccMallocAccount (QofBook *book)
 Account *
 xaccCloneAccountSimple(const Account *from, QofBook *book)
 {
-    const char * ucom;
-    const gnc_commodity_table * comtbl;
     Account *ret;
 
     if (!from || !book) return NULL;
@@ -166,9 +164,7 @@ xaccCloneAccountSimple(const Account *from, QofBook *book)
 
     /* The new book should contain a commodity that matches
      * the one in the old book. Find it, use it. */
-    ucom = gnc_commodity_get_unique_name (from->commodity);
-    comtbl = gnc_commodity_table_get_table (book);
-    ret->commodity    = gnc_commodity_table_lookup_unique (comtbl, ucom);
+    ret->commodity = gnc_commodity_obtain_twin (from->commodity, book);
 
     ret->commodity_scu = from->commodity_scu;
     ret->non_standard_scu = from->non_standard_scu;
@@ -181,8 +177,6 @@ xaccCloneAccountSimple(const Account *from, QofBook *book)
 Account *
 xaccCloneAccount (const Account *from, QofBook *book)
 {
-    const char * ucom;
-    const gnc_commodity_table * comtbl;
     Account *ret;
 
     if (!from || !book) return NULL;
@@ -206,9 +200,7 @@ xaccCloneAccount (const Account *from, QofBook *book)
 
     /* The new book should contain a commodity that matches
      * the one in the old book. Find it, use it. */
-    ucom = gnc_commodity_get_unique_name (from->commodity);
-    comtbl = gnc_commodity_table_get_table (book);
-    ret->commodity    = gnc_commodity_table_lookup_unique (comtbl, ucom);
+    ret->commodity = gnc_commodity_obtain_twin (from->commodity, book);
 
     ret->commodity_scu = from->commodity_scu;
     ret->non_standard_scu = from->non_standard_scu;
diff --git a/src/engine/gnc-commodity.c b/src/engine/gnc-commodity.c
index dda4c3e6ee..de7c5ce9e5 100644
--- a/src/engine/gnc-commodity.c
+++ b/src/engine/gnc-commodity.c
@@ -932,6 +932,27 @@ gnc_commodity_table_set_table(QofBook *book, gnc_commodity_table *ct)
   gnc_commodity_table_destroy (old_ct);
 }
 
+gnc_commodity *
+gnc_commodity_obtain_twin (gnc_commodity *from, QofBook *book)
+{
+  gnc_commodity *twin;
+  const char * ucom;
+  gnc_commodity_table * comtbl;
+
+  if (!from) return NULL;
+  comtbl = gnc_commodity_table_get_table (book);
+  if (!comtbl) return NULL;
+
+  ucom = gnc_commodity_get_unique_name (from);
+  twin = gnc_commodity_table_lookup_unique (comtbl, ucom);
+  if (!twin)
+  {
+    twin = gnc_commodity_clone (from);
+    twin = gnc_commodity_table_insert (comtbl, twin);
+  }
+  return twin;
+}
+
 /********************************************************************
  * gnc_commodity_get_size
  * get the size of the commodity table
diff --git a/src/engine/gnc-commodity.h b/src/engine/gnc-commodity.h
index 87fd31cd46..447579a660 100644
--- a/src/engine/gnc-commodity.h
+++ b/src/engine/gnc-commodity.h
@@ -596,7 +596,7 @@ gnc_commodity * gnc_commodity_table_find_full(const gnc_commodity_table * t,
  *  nothing), or another entries has the same namespace and mnemonic
  *  (updates the existing entry).
  *
- *  @param table A pointer to the commodity table for the book.
+ *  @param table A pointer to the commodity table 
  *
  *  @param comm A pointer to the commodity to add.
  *
@@ -611,7 +611,7 @@ gnc_commodity * gnc_commodity_table_insert(gnc_commodity_table * table,
 /** Remove a commodity from the commodity table. If the commodity to
  *  remove doesn't exist, nothing happens.
  *
- *  @param table A pointer to the commodity table for the book.
+ *  @param table A pointer to the commodity table 
  *
  *  @param comm A pointer to the commodity to remove. */
 void gnc_commodity_table_remove(gnc_commodity_table * table,
@@ -622,7 +622,7 @@ void gnc_commodity_table_remove(gnc_commodity_table * table,
  *  etc.  It also adds all of the ISO 4217 currencies to the commodity
  *  table.
  *
- *  @param table A pointer to the commodity table for the book. */
+ *  @param table A pointer to the commodity table */
 gboolean gnc_commodity_table_add_default_data(gnc_commodity_table *table);
 
 /** @} */
@@ -639,8 +639,7 @@ guint gnc_commodity_table_get_number_of_namespaces(gnc_commodity_table* tbl);
 
 /** Test to see if the indicated namespace exits in the commodity table.
  *
- *  @param table A pointer to the commodity table for the current
- *  book.
+ *  @param table A pointer to the commodity table 
  *
  *  @param namespace The new namespace to check.
  *
@@ -661,8 +660,7 @@ GList * gnc_commodity_table_get_namespaces(const gnc_commodity_table * t);
 /** This function adds a new string to the list of commodity namespaces.
  *  If the new namespace already exists, nothing happens.
  *
- *  @param table A pointer to the commodity table for the current
- *  book.
+ *  @param table A pointer to the commodity table 
  *
  *  @param namespace The new namespace to be added.*/
 void      gnc_commodity_table_add_namespace(gnc_commodity_table * table,
@@ -671,8 +669,7 @@ void      gnc_commodity_table_add_namespace(gnc_commodity_table * table,
 /** This function deletes a string from the list of commodity namespaces.
  *  If the namespace does not exist, nothing happens.
  *
- *  @param table A pointer to the commodity table for the current
- *  book.
+ *  @param table A pointer to the commodity table 
  *
  *  @param namespace The namespace to be deleted.
  *
@@ -687,8 +684,7 @@ void      gnc_commodity_table_delete_namespace(gnc_commodity_table * t,
 
 /** Returns the number of commodities in the commodity table.
  *
- *  @param table A pointer to the commodity table for the current
- *  book.
+ *  @param table A pointer to the commodity table 
  *
  *  @return The number of commodities in the table. 0 if there are no
  *  commodities, or the routine was passed a bad argument. */
@@ -713,8 +709,7 @@ GList * gnc_commodity_table_get_commodities(const gnc_commodity_table * t,
  *  field has been set.  All matching commodities are queued onto a
  *  list, and the head of that list is returned.
  *
- *  @param table A pointer to the commodity table for the current
- *  book.
+ *  @param table A pointer to the commodity table 
  *
  *  @param expression Use the given expression as a filter on the
  *  commodities to be returned. If non-null, only commodities in
@@ -733,8 +728,7 @@ GList * gnc_commodity_table_get_quotable_commodities(const gnc_commodity_table *
  *  This table walk returns whenever the end of the table is reached,
  *  or the function returns FALSE.
  *
- *  @param table A pointer to the commodity table for the current
- *  book.
+ *  @param table A pointer to the commodity table 
  *
  *  @param f The function to call for each commodity.
  *
@@ -772,6 +766,13 @@ void          gnc_commodity_table_destroy(gnc_commodity_table * table);
  */
 void gnc_commodity_table_set_table(QofBook *book, gnc_commodity_table *ct);
 
+/** Given the commodity 'from', this routine will find and return the
+ *   equivalent commodity (commodity with the same 'unique name') in 
+ *   the indicated book.  This routine is primarily useful for setting
+ *   up clones of things across multiple books.
+ */
+gnc_commodity * gnc_commodity_obtain_twin (gnc_commodity *from, QofBook *book);
+
 /** You should probably not be using gnc_commodity_table_register()
  * It is an internal routine for registering the gncObject for the
  * commodity table.