I'm not as hardcore a collector as some of you, but I'm missing a lot of circulated coins in my collection, as part of my goal to get one coin of every denomination. I've exhausted all options, don't use paper money to get change (always use debit or cc), and have bugged all my neighbours to see if I could go through their stash of coins. Aside from re-bugging them periodically, what can a person do to attain this goal, other than buy stuff that you can normally get in spare change? I don't want to be spending an arm and a leg to get what I can normally find in change. I guess I have to start spending paper currency again.
I fill all of my folders with circulated coins so I too prefer not to buy them for more than face if I can help it. That being said I do some coin roll hunting for whatever denomination I'm looking for at the time. Lately it's been pennies and nickels. I just pick up $10 worth of pennies at the bank, go through them and then after I have $20 or so to cash back in I goto the Coinstar and get an amazon gift card (no fee this way).
I'd have to go to the bank first... I never have any reason to go to the bank. I haven't stepped foot in a bank since I got my Canadian currency exchanged for US dollars two years ago. But I guess you're right, if I wanted to buy some rolls, that's where I'd go.
I did this a couple of years ago... dumped all my spare coins into the coin machine at the supermarket, and got a receipt to spend in the store. I could kick myself for doing this, because it didn't even occur to me to check them before dumping them!
Canada has its own tough dates. I love to torment American collectors asking them if they want to see my 1932 nickel. Of course I have one - Canadian. Dan, my best suggestion is to appreciate the hunt more than the find. It makes the process much more fun.
