Humble advice from an avid collector amongst you all…. I have seen in a span of different threads that much of our ‘family’ here at Cointalk doesn’t carry cash to make their purchase and only use their debit cards or what-have-you. I personally feel like you are cutting yourself short. I purposely go out of my way to make sure I complete every transaction in cash. I even go so far to pay for $20.01 when putting gas in my car to get the .99 cents back in change. Or I will drive 5 miles to my bank to get cash or hit a local ATM. Why go to such extreme measures? Well, to get coins of course! For instance every time I go to the bank - about twice a week - and pull out the funds needed to complete my transactions, I ask if they have anything brand new or old. Sometimes they hand me crisp uncirculated notes I can check for errors/stars or a handful of half dollar rolls that a customer just left. Sometimes, I even get so lucky as to have them hand me silver, Ikes, or red seal notes for face value! Once they get to know you by name and know what you look for they seem to keep an eye out for you. Of course, sometimes a box of donuts can encourage this for them all the more! So, now that you have your cash, what if you don’t have enough to cover a purchase? Well, I have become a master at this art. Most venues will accept multiple payment methods. So, if your total is $26.67 you can put $20 on your card and pay the rest in cash. Then it’s simple to just hand over a $10 bill to see what they may have in their register! I can make $100 in cash last all week at times with this method. It’s a shame how many coin collectors aren’t even curious to see what’s in people’s registers. To me it’s a whole box of secrets! Sometimes, people will set old stuff in a separate slot and you can see it right when it opens. Then it’s easy to ask if you can buy it or if they are a collector as well. Then you can strike up a conversation and have yourself a trading buddy! Or - if nothing else - you might get handed back a silver dime in change. (Just happened to me a few weeks ago at Dollar General when my wife sent me out for dish soap. My total was $2.17 so essentially my soap was free!) Every time I go into my local grocery store one of the cashiers now complains about her husband’s coin addiction and guess who’s accompanying me to the next coin auction. So I know you’ve read all this and you’re thinking: “ Come on guy, get to the point…Sounds like a lot of work for little reward…. “ But here’s the thing. Whether it’s a silver dime at Dollar General, a 1914 Wheat Cent at Taco Bell, pre-1982 copper cents, pre-1960 nickels, old notes or what-have-you, it all adds up and if you sell your finds then essentially it’s free money! In closing, I leave you with one more experience: I went to that dreaded store called Wal-Mart to pick up diapers and baby wipes. I think my total was in the neighborhood of $82.69 or something like that. I always try to get out of that place as quick as possible, hence my dash toward the self check-out. I have acquired a wheat or two from these blasted machines every now and then (I also figured less hands pilfering for the goodies!) So, I check my cash and I only had four bucks. So I used my debit card for $80 and slapped in $3. Ching Ching Ching! as the coins hit the dispenser. Music to my ears…. I scoop them up, grab the diapers and wipes and fly out of there… And here is what was in the little lovely pile of change: Free Diapers So tell me CoinTalk friends! What are your "Pocket Change" finds?!?
Gees, and I thought I was hot chit on Saturday at Aldi when I used my dosh and got a '35-S cent in change! Earlier in last week I got a '56-D also.
Aldi is almost single-handedly responsible for me starting to carry cash again (since they don't take credit cards). Haven't yet gotten anything good there in change, though. Certainly not a high-grade 31-S.
Here in Germany, both Aldi groups take debit cards but no c/c. (Guess it's a cost issue - credit cards are more expensive for the merchants, and almost everybody has a debit card anyway.) In general, whether I pay cash or not depends on various circumstances; at self-checkout points I usually use the card, with a human cashier I am more inclined to get my notes and coins out. Also, what I sometimes do is use a supermarket's cash service: You pay with plastic (minimum purchase, say, €20) and can get up to €200 cash back. Some of that cash may (if I ask for it) then be coins. But none of that involves a detour of several miles. Christian
To the OP! Claps~ Claps~ Claps~ BRAVOO! Very smart thinking...You NEED to CARRY CASH too! In Coin Show One of the Bourse Dealer Show me a Pack 100! That's TEN Thousand US Dollars that I Ignored.. Not enough my Friend....Sorry! Can not accept your cash.. too small for me...
I carry cash on me all of the time for a different reason. My Dad taught me the value of having a little money on you all of the time on the off chance you run across a deal. He bought a garage full, (I mean full, 12 pickup loads), of oak, cherry and walnut trim one time for 3 $100 bills. Guy just wanted it gone. I have made some similar random finds over time. So I always have some $100 bills tucked away for such occasions, since many times a person just wants cash to be done with it and know he has the money. Most screaming good deals aren't available for a credit card or checks.
I remember that 100$ Bill on my Wallet, when I pass by to MONTGOMERY WARD in ANNAPOLIS Closing Out Sale! Rubber Shoes worth 100$ each is selling 8.95 each. So I Bought TEN of Them. And sell it for 20 $ each. Then I make Money right away!
Btw, not trying to hijack your thread OP. Fantastic find of course! I have never been so lucky. All I ever find anymore is cheap random wheat cents that just get tossed into one of my bank bags along with his 10,000 friends.
I look at it this way - Am I better off paying for everything in cash and maybe getting a wheatie back or a silver coin or for every dollar I spend on a credit card I can accumulate one point toward a free airline ticket. My preference would be an airline ticket.
