How do YOU open bank rolled coins?

This is a question that I wanted to post for awhile now. It seems if you aren't careful damage may be done to the end coins when opening HH String or similar rolls of coins. . But being extra careful can slow you down to a crawl when doing bricks of cents. Dime rolls are even smaller and more care is needed or the end coins will take a hit.
My method on opening HH String rolls is to take a fine metal pointer can just get under the
end wrap and lift up to seperate it. Then this can be hand gripped and stripped off leaving the end coin still intact with the rest of the roll.
Everyone must have there own method for not damaging the end coins. What's yours?
Pictures tell a tousand words so I'll try and illustrate my method below. Thanks, this does seem like a silly post.

 

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For halves I just start tearing the paper at the middle of the roll. Once I get it started, I loosen the paper at each end of the roll and tear all of the paper off the coins in one piece. For smaller coins like dimes, I bend the roll back and forth to loosen up the paper a bit to make it easier to peel the paper.

 

Depends... Brinks plastic wrap, I just bend 'em and squeeze them out... paper, I just dump 'em... I don't really take care to not damage coins when I'm searching. The only ends I've found of numismatic value were in plastic wrap, and you can just pop one out and leave the rest in the roll.

 

My illustrated method for what its worth.

 

What he said but I only do halves, they are easy.

 

The only drawback to your method is that you might inadvertently scratch the end coin.

I wear cotton gloves when opening rolls, and I use an X-Acto knife with a fine-pointed blade. I slip the point under the long edge of the wrapper (about 1/4") and slice through it where it meets the rolled end. Repeat the same for the other end. Tear the wrapper along both ends about another 1/2", and with your thumb and forefinger, pull the cut end out from the rolled ends. This loosens the wrapper. Once you've done this, you can hold the coins with your thumb and middle finger on the end coins and slowly open the entire wrapper which will give way from the rolled ends. You will notice that the unwrapped coins will be over the palm of your hand, so, if you aren't as careful as you should be, they will only fall into your hand.

Whenever I'm opening multiple rolls (such as a box), I usually make the small cuts with the X-Acto knife on all of the rolls at the same time. Then, you have no further need of the knife. It's sort of like an assembly line in reverse.

Chris

 

Wow, y'all go some great distances to open your rolls, haha. I admire the dedication and patience.

 

Help, I cant get the soda bottle open !

 

Do like cashiers do with rolls of coins.......smash it against the edge of the counter.

Chris

 

Nah! It just takes longer to explain it in writing. It would have been easier just to say......smash it against the edge of the counter like cashiers do.

Chris

 

I found it works pretty well to use a pointed toothpick and stick it under the jagged end of the paper wraps. Then just push the toothpick underneath until the paper rips, and continue going around the roll and angle it to the end of the roll. When the toothpick gets to the end just kinda do what zekeguzz did to break that fold in the end. After that about half of the roll is easily unwrapped and everything comes out easy. The toothpick is strong enough to tear the paper but still prevents the coins from getting scratched.

 

Hey, I tried and liked both of your ways. The toothpik and Exacto knife did great, I'm switching to them. Thanks, zeke.

 

Great! and its kind of ironic, because I discovered this way after seeing yours. I wanted to try yours but looking around the house all I could find was a bag of toothpicks so I figured why not? and just gave it a go lol

 

I just rip em open. If plastic i tear and push...sometimes with halves if I need to save the rolls and they are crimped, I un-crimp them with my fingers...

 

Well I'll find out. I'm gettin' my first two boxes of halves Monday. I don't expect much but a 90%er would be terrific.

 

Well, I just destroy them!

 

That's okay as long as you don't injure the coins in doing the destroying and I'm positive you don't. Hmmm, plastic huh. I've haven't seen any yet. Course I have only bought bricks of LMC's and customer wrapped rolls. Let's see what my first two half dollar bricks have for rolls.

 

It's called shrink-wrap! If you're just looking for silver, you don't have to open shrink-wrapped rolls.

Chris

 

Ah so, okay. Good to know. Thanks.

 

Interesting to see how everyone does things. I may be a bit cheap/odd but I don't have a bank with a free counting machine or anything like that so I re-roll all of the coins I search, and buying wrappers gets expensive if you search a few hundred dollars of change a week!

I actually just use an old not very sharp pocket knife and simply unroll the ends of the bank rolls then reuse them. Sure you could damage the end coin but lets face it, that coin is usually already f-ed up by the rolling machine etc. I'm an old pro at it now, usually takes me about 3-5 seconds to unroll the end and I can't remember the last time I scratched an end coin with the knife. Then I just take a small sized sharpie and push the coins out from the other side. It takes some practice but once you get it down it works great. I'll be glad to demonstrate with pics/vid if anyone is that interested