Banks are frustrating! rant about canadian coins

So I went through a 'roll searching' bender for a couple of months this past winter to fill my circulated coin books. Yeah, good times. Anyway, I was guaranteed to get 1 or 2% Canadian coins. I am close to the border, so even getting canadian coins in change from stores is common. No big deal. I ultimately received so much Canadian (from the rolls), that I was able to put circulated books together of Canadian nickels, dimes, quarters and cents from 1950's +. Yeah, boring I know, but yes, quite a bit of silver in the bank rolls.

Geez...get to the point!

Ok, so I have now accumulated at least $200 in Canadian coinage that I do not want or need. 90% of it came from U.S. bank rolls. The problem is I cannot take it anywhere!
Do you think the banks will take it back (since they gave it to me)? NO!
Can I go to the duty free store and exchange it without crossing the border? NO!
Will the casinos dowtown change it for me? NO!

So frustrating!!!!!!!! I could really use the money to buy some coins!

Any ideas aside from getting a passport and crossing the border?
My local coin shop will give me half of the face value...geez, thanks.

Just ranting, sorry.

 

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Just spend it while shopping. Or wrap it putting american coins on both ends and return it to the bank.

 

i ran into the same problem with my extra euros. i did find a coin shop downtown, that the owner wanted to personally start collecting them so he paid what they were worth. by luck, the next day is when they bombed out!

this may seem like a hassle, but could you get a bunch of change and mix the Canadians in with them? just like how you got them..

it would be a bit of a hassle, but it beats buying a passport or getting half of face..

the passport to get into canada was the dumbest idea. me and my gambling grandma used to go almost every weekend in the summer. now, they don't get any of our money and usa does not get any of our travel money for the economy.

at last resort, you could try selling them on ebay and maybe even get a little bit more then face to someone not near the border.

 

This seems like a good idea. I have never actually returned rolls to the bank. I always used the coin changer thing in the lobby.

I wonder if they will take rolls, or tell me to go use the machine.
Do they generally open the rolls? Or weigh them? How do they know whats in it? I cant beleive banks are that trusting.

 

Heck yeah brother, glad you get frustrated at this kind of thing too!
I hate getting Canadian coinage, just do what has already been suggested, put it in rolls, return it to the bank, they really do anything as a precautionary measure.
Just gotta make sure NOT to return to that bank for a few days or a week or so, don't want to get that coinage back ya know?
I've done this a few times, and I've had no problems.
Good luck brother, and keep on hating the foreign currency that you get but can't spend, in your country

P.S. to other members, I hope snaz doesn't see this thread...

 

Get caught doing a roll w/ Us on ends Canadian in middle and you may have to find a new dump bank.

 

You'll have to wait till Snaz comes to America again, so you can exchange your money with him. That's what I plan on doing. haha

 

The US in general is terrible with foreign currencies. It seems like there's a currency exchange kiosk on every corner in Europe. But here, its virtually impossible to turn all those Canadian cents into "real" money.

 

Send it to me, I'm vacationing in Vancouver next month.

 

Yes - you can. Someone did and that is how you ended up with it. So just spend your change the next time you go out. Most store clerks don't even look at.

Or donate it to a local charity. I personally like getting some foreign money in my change. Keeps things lively.

 

We did not have a lot - but at work we wrap our change and take it to the credit union. And some canadian money does make it into it - I take most pennies and nickels. But several quarters go back - they take the rolls and we just have to write an account number on them. I have used mine with out any incident.

 

PS - My brother uses some of them for tipping(not just canadian).

Next time at the local casino - when you get a drink tip the waitress with canadian money. I have not seen a waitress refuse any tip from any country.

 

Well, for me, knowing my luck, the clerk would not only not accept it, but within minutes I'd be pinned down to the ground by a SWAT team.

He is mad because he can't find a usage for his coinage which he stated in his OP.
And I think they would have to look at it, to tell what coins you are giving them. By your method you are saying I could go to a store hand the guy 4 'quarters' with one of them being a silver button that I drew on. (Make it a button that weighs as much as a quarter)

To gbroke, have you gone to a store and tried to pay for something and they have refused to accept the currency?

 

I've received a Canadian coin in change from a McRestaurant and handed the Canadian coin right back, in plain view, to the teller. The teller tells me, "We don't take Canadian coins". I was ****ed, and they DID take this coin back, I made sure of it!

 

I could probably get away with sneaking in a dime or nickel here and there, but for the most part the stores will know, because we are so close to the border, they make sure they don't receive canadian change!

On that note, Michigan offers a "modified drivers license". If you get this, you don't need a passport. So I am thinking I should spend the $40 to get this license. Then I can skip acorss the border at lunch. I wouldn't mind buying rolls of Canadian Halves from the banks, or is it Banques. If they will do that.

 

You say you live close to the border. Do you live close enough that you can drive over there and spend them in Canada?

 

Yes, Im about 10 minutes from the tunnel to windsor. The issues for me are having to get a passport. You know, getting an original copy of my birth certificate, getting a new social securtiy card, and then the passport itself. I was pretty irresponsible this one time (for 15 years) and have no idea where any of those things are. So i would be starting from scratch.

Oh, and also I really am not looking forward to having homeland security tear apart my car, or my butt!

So I guess I'll skip the passport, get the modified drivers license, and put on clean underwear and cross the border!

 

If you cross into Quebec don't change your underwear, you'll fit right in.

 

Haha, too funny.

 

Mayb your banks counter is different bc you are close to the border, but all my dump bank's counters will count Canadian coinage. Most major air ports also have a currency exchange right off the international terminal so you can 'buy' currency to where you're going. I actually buy candian qaurters by the dollar this way when I fly to look for silver

good luck getting rid of your Candians, eh!