Do any of you roll searchers out there run into "teller hatred" from any of the tellers at your banks. I have three local banks I deal with, and for the most part, they are very nice. However, some tellers look like they want to strangle me when I ask for medium-large amounts of rolls. I usually never ask for more than 40-60 in nickels, and 20-40 in pennies. (I don't search quarters or dimes). Am I being inconsiderate by asking for too many rolls at a time? How much do you fellow roll searchers ask for at a time? And, do tellers ever give you dirty looks??
I am happy to have found a bank that loves to support my quirky requests for rolls. I hope I am able to support their bank in some way that makes this small independent survive. You know a good group when you meet them and they are it! If your are ever in Pittsburgh and make it out to Robinson stop into IRON AND GLASS BANK out in Robinson. I've never met a nicer group of people in a populated area bank. The larger banking powerhouses in the area have lost the home town banking feel. That's OK, I understand - business is business but if I ever really make it I want a bank that treats everyone in a friendly manner.
I live in Jacksonville, FL, and I have had a hard time getting rolls at a few banks. However, I have now found a bank that will get whatever I want; $1000 in halves, dollars, anything. Last time I was there I picked up two boxes of GW $'s and ordered 5 more=) Perhaps I'll get lucky and get a box with errors in them...I've already gotten boxes from the 12th of February and the 6th of January....Hopefully I'll get more Feb. 12th boxes...they're supposedly the ones with the errors in them, although I didn't find any looking through half of the one I bought....
I go through this with sometimes a HUNDRED dollars in pennies. After awhile you kind of get used to who will serve you and who will not. The best thing though is to have a current account with the bank and the bigger the bank chain the better. Wells Fargo up north here has tons of branches with good counting machines. Great bank to return stuff to. The local credit union has a crummy machine - however, it throws a lot of dimes into the penny portion of it - plus they go through less money so you get better odds on your searches because it's straight from the people, not processed. So it's a good bank to buy from. A lot of times if you simply tell the teller what you are up to and simply ask in a polite manner what the limits are before you even buy anything at all - a lot of times you will get polite cooperation. However, sometimes you do need to threaten to take your money out of that particular branch. I have had teller hatred, but if you do have a problem and there is nowhere else to go, then you need to talk to the branch manager or president. I had $30,000 in this one particular bank and when the teller refused to do my pennies, I asked for the president (whom I knew) and asked to withdraw my funds immediately because I couldn't do pennies there and I was going next door who would do my pennies. GUESS WHAT - The teller did my pennies and there was NEVER another word about it again. Now granted I don't have tons of money to do that to every bank - but remember banks are there to serve their patrons as well as their customers Casinos are another place that is very good to cash in your pennies. You should gamble a little bit of the money though or they WILL say something to you. What I do is go to the casino with $100 in pennies, then I ask to change that into $100 in nickels. I search the nickels and play 1 five cent spin at a time. I can't tell you how many times I've walked out with $5 in old nickels (Even a 1939 Doubled Monticello once!) and actually had like $102 dollars cash to cash back in (One time I hit a jackpot even! Only paid $50 but still!). Sometimes they have old bags of pennies ready to go to their bank - and you can buy those and then you're back to square one with new pennies, old nickels, a profit and well a heck of a good time if you like to search like I do! (Drink their free pop and coffee too!) I love searching actually. It's like mining and fishing combined! hehehe I also recommend not returning pennies to the same bank you buy them. Buy from one - sell back to the other. That way you don't risk re-checking your own pennies again. Also - if you find something big - buy the tellers a dozen doughnuts! I did that when I found my first 1999 Wide AM ... After that they were rooting for me! hehe and I had ZERO problems getting pennies in the future. Esky
I have a great time with my banks. They even let me search their paper money, and I asked if they would keep an eye out for silver or anything interesting, and they said that they would. So my bank is pretty nice. They even ask to see parts of my collection, and get impressed over little things like, silver coins, morgan dollars, silver cert., etc. Glad to hear you have a nice bank! Phoenix
I wouldn't take it personally, Ugaman. These rolls are for business customers. When they see a hobbyist with a habit he can't quit, that crowds them. They don't want you there. Again, nothing personal. They're just not there to supply your habit. All that means is, you have to cultivate these people. If you look in the archives, you'll notice, that's what a lot of the regulars have done, in one way, or the other. The banks that comply are doing you a big favor. Drop them a C-note, every now and then, to show your appreciation.
This makes a good point, the last thing you want is your own rerolled coins. I am very careful to buy from only certain bank branches and return only to others. Within, say, a one to two week period.
The only time I get looked at like I am crazy is when I ask for halves. I often get the "Are you here to rob us" look from the teller.
Ugaman72, I'm in my 3rd year of searching rolls. I've cut back considerably since I started in 2005, but I remember with clarity the "looks" I initially got whenever I went into my bank and asked for rolls of coins. One time a teller refused to sell any to me. She said she needed them for her commercial customers. I asked to speak with a manager, explained to the manager that I was a collector, and asked how many rolls I could search weekly without being "hassled." We agreed on a comfortable number and I never had another problem. This year I cut back on the amount I was searching because I live in a small town and I began seeing the same coins over and over again. I still find a few keepers every now and then, but my success has definitely slowed. The tellers have noticed that I'm not asking for as many rolls as I once did, and now they practically trip over themselves trying to get me to take boxes of coins off their hands. Be patient, be pleasent, but be persistent- in a nice way. Good luck!
