Every monday I get a role of halves from the bank to look for silver. Then the rest of the week I spend the common ones on lunch. Nearly every fast food place I go, I watch the child behind the register look like they're trying to figure out Chinese algebra and then they say "Are these dollar coins?" So many times I've wanted to say, "yes they are. I gave you 5 dollar coins for my $2.15 burrito and taco. Please give me my change." Does this happen everywhere or just in Souteast Missouri?
I might be able to top that. I went into a bank and asked for rolls of half dollars. The teenage bank teller looked at me funny and said, "You mean dollars?" I told her no, halves. She clearly wanted to tell me there was no such thing, but instead asked the manager if they had any HALF dollars, speaking very slowly with a lot of emphasis on the half. The manager looked in the vault and gave me all three rolls, the entire half dollar content of the bank. There was one Franklin in them. However, your idea of spending the halves as dollars is probably the best way to profit from collecting coins that I've ever heard.
LOL......I just read your post in the "interesting find from circ." thread. I'm on day 3 of getting it all read. Another thing on spending the halves....I'm surprised how some people take them like they're seeing a penny. They don't give them a second thought, like they get a bunch of halves everyday.
But now I'm thinking back and trying to remember. I'm not sure that I found a Franklin in those rolls or just a 40% halve. Oh well, doesn't change the story.
I been having the same experiences. It is amazing to watch a bank teller have no clue what a 50c is, while the Taco Bell clerk know exactly what it is. Buy the way, my bank just informed me if I want 50c rolls, I have to buy $500 worth!.
Then inform her that there are other banks in town One bank I go to for halves, when I ask for them she says in a put out tone of voice, "I'll have to go to the vault for that." I wanna say, "I don't care if you have to go to the denver mint, just get it! Why become a bank teller if you don't want to deal with money!"
"The Vault" expression is what I normally get plus my bank has caught on and now sorts out the silver for one of the tellers.
If you want to have a little fun with ANY cashier at any location, pay for your purchase with a 2 dollar bill, a kennedy half, and one or two of the new nickels. Its worth at lease 20 minutes while they talk to their manager and other cashiers.
I save them for my brother. He takes 50c and dollar coins to his SCA events and uses them to pay for child labor, like water boys and go-for’s. An 8-year-old knows what a half-dollar is but at BK, I cause 10min delay.
So funny. I get the same thing when I go for halves at a couple of branches I visit irregularly. I went to both of them yesterday and got the "vault" spiel at each. I just raise my eyebrows, nod my head, and say, "Yeah, OK." I don't go into either one of those banks often enought to worry about ticking them off. I don't think they remember who I am from visit to visit.
Maybe less fun than you imagine. A few months ago there was a story about a man who tried to spend a two dollar bill at a Wal-Mart. He was handcuffed and arrested for passing "counterfeit" money. IIRC, he was handcuffed to a vertical pole for hours while customers gawked.
Hey everyone! I have been reading the posts on this forum for the past few months, and finally got around to registering. Don't be too hard on those bank tellers (I am one myself!!) Halves and $2 Bills are something that only we crazy collectors are interested in, so the bank usually doesn't bother to order them! Oh well! I make my boss order 8 boxes of Halves each week. She grumbles and finally says "oh fine". One of the many perks of being a coin collecting banker.
I get a varity of reactions at the bank (mostly ****y) when i ask for halve's,doller coins or 2$ bills. They usually act annoyed, but they other day i got lucky with a friendly teller who sold me 3 silver dollers at face value.