What is the strangest/oldest/rarest coin you have randomly received in change? Coin roll hunting doesn't count, and neither does asking "do you have any half dollars?" or seeing a silver coin in the drawer and asking for it. Change received in vending machines, self serve checkouts, and change machines do count.
Russia 10 ruble 2010 in change, and I`m located very far from Russian Federation. Put it in my collection, didn't have that type
War nickel. Not all that strange, I guess, but was very cool for me. Also a decently old wheat penny (1930's?) but I forget the exact year. Have gotten other wheats as well.
A dealer at the local coin show gave me a 1986 Ellis Island commemorative half in change a few years back; I though it was a nice marketing touch, but I'm not sure if it counts here. The most surprising ones I can remember offhand are a VF-XF details IHC that I got in change from the office cafeteria, and the 1972-S quarter I got back from the Kroger self-checkout line.
For strangest... a Gold Plated Navada Quarter from the vending machine at my library... I don't know how it got there but it was in excellent condition and I still have it today The oldest coin I received in change actually happened a week ago when I went shopping and got a 1955 wheatie in my change I think I mentioned it in the roll searchers post your results thread
1918 Canadian silver dime received in change in Feb of this year; haven't seen something with a date that early in my change since the mid-eighties...
Russian 10 kopek from ca. 2000 received in change as a dime earlier this year. I usually only got Russian coins in circulation in Ukraine or Russia - never America. I know that I have inadvertently spent Ukrainian coins in America in the airport coming back though - so likely someone else got them in change in a fast food place.
hehehehe--it was a Chinese Fake. lol. NOT!!!!! And, where did this thing come up that I collect antique music boxes?? That was hysterical.
I remember as a kid getting wheat cents and war nickels in my change. I have also gotten Canadian pennies on multiple occasions. Where I am, it's not super rare to receive euros in my change also - although not very common either. I have also received coins from Central America and South America. I've kept most of them and still have them today.
A 2008 quarter Balboa from Panama. It looked exactly like a clad US quarter in size and weight and even had a copper core. After qoogling I found out why. They are minted by the US Mint for Panama using the same planchets. Learned something new in the process.
a while back, cashing my slot machine ticket at the machine at the casino gave me a Norwegian 5 ore in place of a nickel. Same size, different color.