Help! My coins are stuck in a tube!

Discussion in 'Coin Chat' started by bonbonbelly, Feb 6, 2012.

  1. Kevin Baker

    Kevin Baker Active Member

    I'm new not sure what to do
     
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  3. Collecting Nut

    Collecting Nut Borderline Hoarder

    Go to forums and pick the correct one, then hit Post A New Thread. Type a thread title. Scroll down and type your message. Welcome to CT.
     
  4. GDJMSP

    GDJMSP Numismatist Moderator

    So what ? The answers he needs are found in this thread. That's the beauty of using the old threads on the forum. That is the very reason the old threads are kept available !

    This exact question has been being asked on this forum for as long as this forum has existed - 20 years ! I'd bet you could a couple dozen threads asking this same exact question. And in all that time the answers have never changed !
     
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  5. Mac McDonald

    Mac McDonald Well-Known Member

    Yes...damage (break/sacrifice) the tube...not the coins. Seriously, sometimes just tapping/banging it on a hard surface a few times will loosen some or all, and you can pour them out. If enough come out you can take pliers and crack/break the rest of the tube...use a clean cloth for the coins to come out on. Have heard of freezing them to constrict and loosen, but never tried...figured that may hurt the coins worse, but don't know. Nothing is without risk so you may scratch one or two, but probably not. As a last resort, with the lid off and tube turned upside-down (opening on the bottom) you can try thrusting it straight downward on a clean cutting board or old table, and see how many come out when you lift the tube...maybe try a few times this way...and keep your hand around the tube, maybe with a clean glove or a clean towel. If some/all are left and didn't come out, crack the tube on the edge of a counter, sort of like an egg, being careful to hold something directly underneath the tube in case it splits and spills the coins. I've done it both ways...no harm to coins. On the tubes I've used (not many, and for this reason), only the last coin or two at the bottom gets stuck...usually banging/thrusting the tube gets them loose...but sometimes breaks the tube.
     
  6. Peter M Black

    Peter M Black Active Member

    Not only will the coins glow, but you may also. That means coming home late at night and trying to sneak in without your wife knowing will be difficult.
     
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  7. JimsOkay

    JimsOkay Active Member

    I asked the same question earlier this year and the answer that worked was to use a heat gun to soften the plastic and peal the plastic back with needle nose pliers a little at a time.

    Mine were not BU, but circulated 1937 wheats.
     
  8. juris klavins

    juris klavins Well-Known Member

    And if all else fails...

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  9. terky

    terky Active Member

    it is far more likely that the coins will expand more since they conduct heat far more than plastic.

    I like the freezer idea much more.
     
  10. whopper64

    whopper64 Well-Known Member

    Freezer idea seems to be about your best option, or place the coin roll (minus the top) on a towel and use a rubber mallet on the bottom. Hopefully that will dislodge several on the top, which will then lead to more dislodged with further taps by the rubber mallet.
     
  11. Collecting Nut

    Collecting Nut Borderline Hoarder

    Just break the tube
     
  12. whopper64

    whopper64 Well-Known Member

    That could cause damage to the coins.
     
  13. masterswimmer

    masterswimmer A Caretaker, can't take it with me

    -Leave the uncapped roll in the freezer overnight. The coins will contract as much as they possibly will in that time.
    -Set a towel on the counter.
    -Heat up a cup full of water.
    -Remove the roll from the freezer.
    -Submerse the roll into the hot water without submerging the coins. Only do this for a few seconds. The plastic will expand before the heat has a chance to expand the copper coins.
    -Remove the roll from the hot water and invert the roll onto the laid out towel.

    Hopefully the expanded plastic and the contracted coins will provide enough clearance for the coins to just freely slide out of the tube.

    DISCARD THAT CONFOUNDED TUBE ;)
     
  14. GDJMSP

    GDJMSP Numismatist Moderator

    Yes they do but it takes longer. The hot water idea and the freezer idea both work. The hot water works because the plastic heats up and expands faster than the coins - it only takes a few minutes. The freezer idea works because the coins contract more than the plastic - but it takes longer. It's the same basic principle in both cases, but in reverse.
     
  15. Treashunt

    Treashunt The Other Frank

    Help! My coins are stuck in a tube!

    AND they can't get out.
     
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