....and if ebay prices for a $100 box indicate how much they're being hoarded and how little is hitting the public in general....I'm not suprised either. I've even had bank teller's reply "There's a new nickel?" when I ask if they have any rolls.
I got 2 dunbar rolls at the bank yesterday. I think I'll go back today for some more. Why do they put them 'tail...tail'? I'll assume they are 'p's since I'm in CT. Buffalo's look in excellent condition. How does distribution work? Mint to fed reserve. Fed reserve to Armored car companies? Does dunbar make rolls from mint bags? Just curious.
Distribution goes thusly. Mint sells the coins to the Fed (for face value, I believe. That's when seignorage (sic?) is credited to the government's books). Banks buy the coins from the Fed (I believe the Fed charges a small fee). They're not sold to local branches, however. The bank corporation buys them, and then corporate HQ doles them out to the branches on the basis of need - of commerce, not collectors. Armored car companies only get coins when they're contracted to take the coins from point to point in the sales process.
raxafarian, The mint ships coins to the Federal Reserve Banks in HUGE bags now, one per skid, and does not roll any coins on site. Any coins purchased from the mint in mint rolls have been sent out and rolled by armored car companies or banks and then returned to the mint for sale to collectors. The small money bags the Mint used to use have been retired and are being sold to collectors at this time. Hope this helps with your question.
Not so. Only the very largest banks buy direct from the Fed. Most coins get to the local bank branches through the armored car companies, which buy them in huge quantities, roll and box them, and fill individual branch bank orders.