Educating Bank Tellers

So when I went to the bank this morning to pick up some boxes of change, I began talking to the tellers about coins, and currency because they started to recognize that I collect. They seemed surprised when I told them about 90% and 40% silver coins and they were also interested in the silver certificates. I wanted to see what anyone else does to educate their bank tellers. Do you have them call you when they find something, or just ask weekly? I was thinking of giving them my outdated 1997 red book, because I just got a 2007 for free. Do you think that may open their eyes a little bit?

 

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Most of the tellers I know are well aware of 90% and 40% U.S. silver coinage and keep it for themselves or people they know collect. TC

 

Personally I don't tell the bank tellers what I'm interested in. I know I read here that someone buys the coins at a premium from the tellers but I'm not interested in that. I go to a few banks where the tellers know what they're looking at and will, on occasion, mention the coins that came through there.

Telling the bank tellers that they're giving out coins that they could get ~2-6 dollars each for pretty much ensures that you won't be seeing any of them.

 

It never hurts to take a F or VF Indian head cent or buffalo nickle to the friendliest teller and tell them about it and trade it for an everyday cent or nickel ( since they shouldn't take it without exchanging it ) or foreign coins from far off lands. They will remember you when something interesting pops up. Personal experience.

 

yup!
Just the other day I went to deposit a check and cash in some rolls and the teller said "do you still collect coins?" I told her I did, and she asked if I would be interested in these, and held out some IKE's, a SB, and a Sacagawea.
None were special, but I still took them. Then she thanked me for ridding them from her till, hah.

But I agree with GD, if you give them that book, you may never see a coin from them, lol.

 

Nice ideas, I guess I just don't understand how one can potentially come across almost every piece of coinage the US has minted for circulation since the late 1800s and be so unknowledgeable about it, you know?

 

If you want your friendly tellers to remember you, invite them to lunch or dinner sometime. After all, you are sometimes making money as a result of their favors. On one occasion, I asked a couple of the ladies at my bank to dinner, and one commented, "I don't think my husband would like that." So, I told her to bring him along.

Chris

 

I worked as a teller briefly (summer job while in college). Only mildly interesting thing I found was a bicentennial Ike, which I had never seen before. (This was in 2001.) I wasn't really a collector then, though, so maybe I missed something, though if I had seen a buffalo or something I definitely would have grabbed it! The other thing I remember is when a guy came in to deposit several thousand dollars in cash; I think it was mostly $20s, but they were all from series 1950-something (don't remember exactly) and superficially in very nice condition. I wondered if his grandma had kept them under her mattress or something and he just discovered them. Now that I collect paper stuff, I wish I had withdrawn a couple for myself.

 

I kind of want to apply to be a bank teller purely to see what I could get my hands on...

 

You'll get to handle all of that money that has been sneezed on and coughed on.

Chris

 

Arithmetic lessons... just to make sure they count correctly

 

I've only recently started doing this, but have already been thanked repeatedly by a couple of tellers for taking the halves off their hands. There are 3 US Bank branches here in my town and all 3 of the head tellers have my name and phone number because they asked for it to be able to call me and "get rid of" the halves that come in their bank. It probably helps that I live in a small southern town, though. The Regions I bank at as well as the 4 branches also have my name and phone number just because I called them, explained that I collect, and gave them my contact info. From my experience of hitting up every bank branch in town over the last two weeks, if you live in a smaller town, the tellers are clueless and more than happy to dump unwanted change (halves and dollars) on you. The only educating I will be doing is how to pick up the phone and call me when they gets some halves or dollars in their till!

 

Yea, I live in a small town, a small town that is overpopulated with branches of banks that number in the thousands or more throughout the country.

And Chris, when you put it that way....makes me want to rub hand sanitizer all over all of my money....

 

The problem is that bank tellers are handling cash that has been circulated among who-knows-which customers, and they do it day-in and day-out. How many times a day do you take money out of your wallet? How many bills can you comfortably keep in your wallet? I'll bet the amount is nowhere near what a teller handles every day.

Chris

 

I find bank tellers to be very unfriendly and uncooperative. Back when the state quarters came out regularily and the presidental dollars started, I would ask for them. Therefore they must have known I was interested. Occasionally, I would forget to ask. I would ask the next week. They would say all gone now, but we had them last week. You should have asked last week. Never, ever would they volunteer, they had some.

 

most of the bank tellers i have experienced have been unfriendly to me. i stopped to get change, when i was delivering pizza one time. the customer ordered at 11am and paid with a $50! i didn't have enough change since his order was only around $5 and it was the first one of the day! i was in a hurry to get back to get all the big business lunch orders in on time. the closest bank was a branch of the bank i used. i stopped in and asked for change for the $50. she told me "open an account or leave. we don't just do things here for free." i pulled out my debit card to show her, this was my bank and explained what was going on. she put up a big 20 minute fuss, making sure my account was still "active". i ended up switching banks to were my work banked because most people were nice there. but i made sure to go back to the branch were the lady was ignorant to close out my account. i got the head teller and told him she was my reason for leaving.

i am usually nervous in banks, i feel like if i say the wrong thing, they will think i am robbing them. i just wish the one teller at my old works bank still worked there. i think she liked me, and would probably order me halves. i still can't find a bank to do it!

 

It sounds like you guys need to work on your people skills.

Chris

 

I know how you feel panda, I've been going to one bank for about 10-15 years, and I'm only 21 so thats pretty good, but I had a pretty good relationship with some of the tellers who were there, one event sent me a card for Christmas and my Birthday. Now there are only 2 original people there, and one is the branch manager and she is basically useless. All of the new tellers are not very helpful, and they don't seem to care as much.

 

Wow, I don't know how you guys manage to upset tellers so much. Maybe my attitude is infectious? I just walk in with a big smile and turn on my faux Scottish accent, and they eat it up.

Regarding the original topic, I've only talked to a couple tellers about what I do. Basically told them that silver coins are more valuable than face, and if they find any, I'll give them a bit extra for the coins. I have two tellers looking out for me now.