Not sure if anyone has touched on this yet or not. But I was washing my car the other day at a car wash and I got to thinking about the change machine. Is it possible to find silver quarters or does the owner go through them? same can be said for any change machine however. Just saw a lot of change going in and out. Any thoughts?
Just yesterday or the day before someone was asking where to get coins to search and I suggested getting coins from the change machines at a car wash. I wouldn't recommend overdoing it because the car wash owner provides the change machines for customers who will spend the coins at his car wash, not for coin collectors. I would assume the coins in car wash change machines come from a bank, not some secret source.
A guy I know used to have a vending machine business - before he loaded a change machine he would briefly scan the coins for silve. When he unloaded the machines he would also scan them for silver. Doesn't mean he caught all of it, but was aware of the value of silver - this was 10 years or more ago. You just never know how much effort they put into searching. I watched him a few times count and stack the coins - it had to be real obvious it was silver before he made an effort to mess up his stacks. I am sure he missed most of them.
Car wash and other change machines just recirculate coins within that little circle. Most quarters go from the change machine to the washing machine and back again. An unending circle. Occasionally, the owner must replenish the quarters, as some may leave the premises, but not many actually leave.
No, but surely some come in. Most "normal" people don't come to the car wash to get change, but some people must use that as a place to dump their change -- particularly if they just found a big jar of it when they were cleaning out Grampa's attic, right?
To a small extent, you are right, but I don't see a car wash as a dumping ground. What's the most you can dump at any one time? $5 to $7? The average person won't wash their car 12 times in a day to unload $75 in quarters.
Unless you're at the one my wife uses (or more often, laundromat). She doesn't know how to use a bill changer, so she grabs whatever loose change she has or finds to dump in the machines. On a side note, the guy I deal with at the local flea market has an arrangement with the town he lives in. He gets all the change they take from their parking meters and searches that. Pulls what he wants, rolls and deposits what he doesn't. Claims to find some pretty good stuff often enough to justify the time he spends. He's a retired mailman.
Gave it a whirl I popped in a ten spot at my local car wash, no silver, but plenty of state quarters. I'm big into coin hunting regardless of the avenue. ill throw a dollar in a coke machine just to see what it shoots back at me. When your not rich, little things matter.
I buy a pop at college atleast once a week, and next to the vending machine there is a change machine so I get change from the pop and I'll throw extra singles in the change machine if I've got them. I've filled a few State Quarter spots this way. The change machine is nice too because it's not only quarters.
Very true! I filled most of my state collection from change machines. Also found some beat up silver dimes. The one thing I have not done yet is go to the bank and get coins. I would feel like I was wasting their time or something!
Yea I know what your saying. for me it's one of those things I want to do, but when I get the chance or think about doing it, I think "well maybe next time". Haha I'm not sure why though. Maybe a little nervous to go ask for rolls I guess.
I ask for rolls of half dollars at my bank. They are always happy to see how many they can come up with. The first few times I did this I scored about two rolls of 90% and 40% after searching through around thirty rolls. The last six months or so have been bone dry. Not worth bothering with anymore.
