How many coins in a roll?

Discussion in 'US Coins Forum' started by catbox_9, Jan 6, 2007.

  1. catbox_9

    catbox_9 Member

    I was rolling some change today and got to thinking (before you read on, I'm not that dumb, I know there are 40 quarters in a roll etc.). Can anyone fill in the blanks for me?
    Pennies:50
    Nickels: 40
    Dimes: 50
    Quarters: 40
    Halves: 20
    Dollars (large size): 20
    Dollars (SBA/Sac): 25

    and now the tricky ones:
    half cents: (i'd guess 50, but I have no idea...did they even roll coins back then?)
    large cents: (again, I'd guess 50)
    2 cent pieces (while I'm at it, do these have a nickname....3 cents = trime so 2 cent = brime or something?)
    3 cent pieces....nickel and silver versions
    20 cent pieces
    Gold coins of various sizes (i.e. quarter eagle, half eagle, etc.)

    Any help would be greatly appreciated because this has bugged me for a while and I don't collect the above coins for the most part (I have a large cent, two "brimes" and a silver trime but that's about it) so I don't know a whole lot about them and I certainly don't have enough for whatever a roll of them would be.
     
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  3. Treashunt

    Treashunt The Other Frank

    Great question, perhaps someone has an answer, I don't.
    Also, interesting thought.
     
  4. seeker007

    seeker007 New Member

    Didn't they send coins out loose in bags before rolls? Or have rolls been out longer than I think?
     
  5. catbox_9

    catbox_9 Member

    That could be correct (most of the coins I was wondering about haven't been used in quite some time).
    If bags is the case.....how many trimes, etc. in a bag?
     
  6. walterallen

    walterallen Coin Collector


    To this day the mint only issues bagged coins. It was the banks and coin dealer that first started to roll coin.

    Today distribution centers roll coin for banks as well as the mint.

    The coins that you buy from the mint in rolls are not rolled by the mint. They are no better then rolls you get from the bank. Its just you can't get Denver rolls in banks on the east coast or Philly rolls in banks on the west coast. I guess that's why people are paying a premium to get P&D rolls from the USMINT sales center.

    I've been searching and cannot find when rolls were first introduced. My guess would be after WWII when people were hoarding large amount of coin. Of course I could be totally wrong.
     
  7. karrlot

    karrlot Senior Member

    Oh, please!!! That's crazy. The mint sells them for a 40% premium, so they must be at least 40% better than what you get at the bank. They've got to be 40% prettier. They make you 40% happier. :goofer:
     
  8. GDJMSP

    GDJMSP Numismatist Moderator


    Crazy or not it's a true statement.
     
  9. huntsman53

    huntsman53 Supporter**


    Just like Doug said, "that is true"! The Mints take special care when bagging up the coins that are shipped out to be rolled in the Mint rolls. Also if I am not mistaken, the coins are removed from the bags by hand and inserted into the Mint rolls by hand, so there are very few bag marks, no Counting machine marks and they use special care when rolling up or crimping the ends of the rolls. Because you want and expect the coins in these rolls to be in a fairly high Mint State, the Mints pay an extra premium for this special care in bagging and rolling the coins, that is why they sell for such a premium


    The Other, Other Frank
     
  10. tracy5900

    tracy5900 Coin Hoarder

    coins in a roll

    there is no sure answer to that. sometimes we got foreign coins inside. sometimes missing one or two. sometimes getting additional or even silver content coins. and sometimes one or two different denominations. like a dime with a roll of pennies.
     
  11. GDJMSP

    GDJMSP Numismatist Moderator


    I believe you are mistaken Frank. The mint bags up all coins in the same manner, there is no special care. Each bag is so large and so heavy that it requires a forklift just to lift it. All rolling is done by machine, not by hand. The mint does pay a private company to do this, but there is no extra premium for hand work because there is no hand work done. And the mint charges a premium for these rolls because they pay somebody else to roll them.
     
  12. johndo

    johndo New Member

    This is kind of on the same line of questioning, does anybody know how much a $1000.00 bag of halves weigh, finally found a bank that can order them for me, so I would like to know if I should bring a box and hand truck

    Thanks, John
     
  13. GDJMSP

    GDJMSP Numismatist Moderator

    It'll depend on the mix of the coins since the silver ones are a bit heavier, but it should be around 51 pounds.
     
  14. johndo

    johndo New Member

    Thanks Doug, I was figuring closer to a hundred pounds

    John
     
  15. GDJMSP

    GDJMSP Numismatist Moderator

    Well, in a $1000 bag there are 2000 half dollars at 11.5 grams each = 23,000 grams divided by 28 grams = 821.428 ounces divided by 16 = 51.339 pounds. You can do the same thing with any denomination.
     
  16. johndo

    johndo New Member


    Didn't dought you, just the last time I picked up a $200.00 in halves it seemed like it had a little weight to them, but never actually weighed them so it was just a guess. John
     
  17. karrlot

    karrlot Senior Member

    Hmm. I was just being a smart @$$. I've bought a number of rolls from the mint and I've never noticed a differnece between them and when I get a new roll from the bank. It may be true that they are better, but I've never noticed it. When I get a new roll of quarters from my bank, they are all pretty nice. Of course, I'm not one that is looking for things to have slabbed, so I probably don't have as keen an eye as many others.

    BTW - I can carry two boxes of halves ($1000) out of the bank to my car, and then from my car to my house by myself. I'm not going to try three boxes. Two are heavy!!! If youre worried about it, a rolling suitcase would work.
     
  18. GDJMSP

    GDJMSP Numismatist Moderator


    I didn't think you were doubting me, I was merely showing you how to determine the weight by yourself - without weighing them ;)
     
  19. It's been a while, but i've seen a roll with 100 pennies with it... it was just shrink wrapped in plastic. That's the other thing I hate is the plastic shrink wrap... so annoying. I prefer the flat paper wrappers, thank you very much :goofer:
     
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