Question about your coin hunting

kpcoins · September 4, 2016 1:35AM

Hello all.I've been reading through a lot of threads and have a question to pose and some tips to add.How do you do your coin hunting? Not on ebay,more so in person hunting.

I'm talking about pocket change finds and stuff like that.I've seen where people search leftovers at the coin machines,which I do.I try looking at gas stations to see if they have any halves and if they do,they let me buy them.I've found that "buying" change from customers,at gas stations,can yield a few silver finds.(The people counting out change for smokes or a little bit of gas) My most unusual way,I guess,is actually buying containers of change from people going to the coin machine.It's easy if they know how much they have,if not I'll sit down and help count it out.It's a good way to find foreign coins and silvers.One time I was going in the bank,at the right moment,and a guy was bringing in bags of rolled change to cash out and my bank let me buy it from him.I'm just wondering if anyone else does any of this,or if someone has other ideas I haven't thought of!

ambro51 · September 4, 2016 2:13AM

I admire your nerve and energy to do this "in this day and age".

lordmarcovan · September 4, 2016 2:40AM

I've never found anything but a heavily corroded zinc cent out of a CoinStar machine, on one single occasion.

Most of my face-value finds that weren't a result of pure luck came about from searching bank rolls.

I'm never able to get rolls of halves so nickels have typically been my favorite.

Of course the other way to hunt for coins "in the wild" (and pay LESS than face value) is to find them with a detector and dig 'em up.

This is a whole different world, with its own set of challenges, frustrations, disappointments, and... occasionally... thrilling surprises.

Kccoin · September 4, 2016 5:51AM

The simplest way is to have an established account at a bank/credit union that handles a ton of currency. (where do your area merchants bank?). A money center like this is always receiving new rolls of change. Some branches have coin counting machines, and friendly tellers may sometimes offer counting rejects or anything "odd". And if I am not mistaken, Wells Fargo also handles foreign currency, so that could be another source for foreign coins.

Please remember that it REALLY helps if you have an account

ricko · September 4, 2016 11:27PM

I used to roll hunt.... but got discouraged after several hundred halves rolls with no finds. I have found silver in the Coinstar and usually watch the cash register drawers at the market. Also I have found some coins at yard sales... nothing of real note, couple of Morgans etc.. Cheers, RickO

joeykoins · September 5, 2016 12:31AM

Yeah, like most on the forum. I lurk into the CoinStar machines, bank machs. and even taking a peek in the bank drawers, as well as, grocery stores. Once in a while I'll ask my bank for either cent rolls or half rolls. I always wanted to ask the people who have jars to dump if I can take a gander at their treasures. but still don't have the guts like you do. Anyway, keep on hunting, things will show up!-joey

kpcoins · September 5, 2016 3:38AM

Thanks for the replies! I meander at various yard sales and such,only ever found coins a few times.Same thing,a morgan or 2,and lots of wheats.I don't really search bank rolls,so I might have to start doing some of that.I never even thought of asking at the bank,if they have "rejects".The one place where I seem to find halves,not that I'm encouraging gambling,is horse race tracks and horse racing at local fairs.Any change they pay out,are dimes and halves.Sometimes I'll dabble,on a favorite,just to get a few back in halves.Not sure if they do it everywhere and the ones I've found,won't let me buy the leftover halves.

silverpop · September 5, 2016 5:25AM

change and coin shop is how I do my coin hunting

ambro51 · September 5, 2016 10:20AM

Yeahhhhh so maybe picking the Coinstar reject tray can be pretty good, I could not resist this single scoop at the grocery store tonight. It is 2003 and 2006 Canadian Quarters, two clad (normal) dimes?, two Lincolns one corroded, a 1983 Haitian coin just fractionally smaller than a quarter which I Heard they were passing as quarters, a typically circulated 1943 Steel cent and a 1920 S Mercurt dime in Fair-AG. Not a bad scoop. [URL=http://s249.photobucket.com/user/ambro51/media/Mobile Uploads/image_zpsepypzf2e.jpg.html]

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mvs7 · September 5, 2016 10:31AM

Nice Coinstar find! My four-year-old is now trained to look whenever we are leaving the grocery store, and we've found all sorts of dirty modern US coins, foreign coins, local tokens, a few wheat cents, and about a half-dozen silver dimes and quarters over the past year. The more she finds, the more she wants to look!

kpcoins · September 5, 2016 10:47AM

Nice find ambro51! Finding stuff like that,is what I really like doing.I was quite disappointed at Walmart tonight,I missed a younger lady by a few minutes,dumping a bag into the Coinstar.An older guy was talking to her as she dumped them in.Over $205 when I walked by and was still dumping them in!

ARCO · September 5, 2016 1:14PM

Hunting through bank rolls, change or other means to find silver may yield a silver coin or two, but they do not come often.

I remember once a forum member offering a collecting choice for the low budget bank roll hunter. His advice was to collect really nice AU Lincoln cents by going through loose change and bank rolls. Now, the collection may never have much numismatic value, but finding really nice AU coins in change can take a lot of time and offer something of a challenge.

Food for thought.
Tyler

ambro51 · September 5, 2016 11:20PM

The "Golden era" of change hunting peaked mid sixties Up till then, you'd even catch an occasional barber. You could "slide out" a roll of pennies and see the '43s and rounded edge 1910-20 pennies. Ahhhhhh

Question about your coin hunting

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