Immy's Casino Royale

[Immy]

Sleepy's dime thread was the inspiration for this (with apologies to the James Bond franchise). Now that I'm visiting the El Cortez more often than usual (aka one of the last coin-op casinos in Vegas) it's time to create a thread to post ongoing results. I can't say it'll be as frequently updated as Sleepy's, but count on at least one or two excursions a month with hopefully interesting finds. Only wish I had the stamina and eyesight of my younger years.

In addition, with about 35 years of casino searching in the books, I'll augment my posts with stats and trivia from past casino visits.


Yesterday was a pretty great day amongst the nickels. These two beauties were in my bucket from around $100 searched. And after some Nik-A-Date treatment the year 1916 emerged. 2nd buffalo this year!


I always try to situate myself near the self-serve coin counters since the reject chutes are good sources of stuff. Yesterday was no exception. A guy came in with a large bag of non-casino coins. We got chatting and he said he got them from a storage unit he bought. Told him I'd take any rejects he didn't want and he gave me the 1981 Taiwan 10 dollars pictured above. Checking another machine also got me the 1950 Hong Kong 10 cent-er, my oldest foreign coin this year. Great stuff!

Fun Stats: Last 1916 buffalo I found was on 4/27/04. And, amazingly, the last 45-S war nickel I found on...9/3/11, exactly eight years ago to the day!

This Week in Casino Searching History: In 1999, I completed a roll of 1954-D nickels.

 

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[FormerTeller]

Heading to Vegas this weekend. Think I might have to stop by there myself!

 

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[Immy]

Here are a couple of other suggestions for the transportation side of things.

1) Cargo pants - You could always wear a good pair of cargo pants and fill your pockets with coins to go back and forth to your room. If you try this, just make sure you wear a strong belt and walk slow... Note: I have done this a few times to carry coins into a casino to cash in. As it has been over 10 years since I tried this, I don't remember exactly how much I carried in, but I feel like it was in the $75-$100 range (all in nickels). One downside is it can take awhile to fill/empty your pockets one handful at a time.

2) Wool Socks - You could do what my dad used to to when he would stop by a casino that was half way between my house and his. He brought some extra big wool socks and either filled them directly with coins or put the filled casino cups in the socks and then carried the socks like canvas bags to/from his car. As this isn't a standard practice, however, this may draw undesired attention.

3) Backpack - A strong backpack would likely be able to handle fairly significant weight, would be easy to fill, and wouldn't look to out of place unless you decide to get a skip in your step and the coins start jingling too much.


if you really want to do it in style you could combine 1 and 3. Wear and fill cargo pants as well as a backpack with each trip...

I'm getting visions of Kramer on Seinfeld with his pockets overloaded lol. Thx for the tips.

 

[Immy]

Heading to Vegas this weekend. Think I might have to stop by there myself!

Go for it! Plenty to go around.

 

[Immy]

Staycation is in the books!

I concentrated on nickels mostly ($500-$600 worth) and while I didn't come close to my goals I'm still happy with what I found.
Read on...

Buffalo Nickels


Prediction: 5
Reality: 2

Buffalos restricted themselves to the first day's searching, and I'm glad I brought my Nic-a-Date along. Had a little trouble bringing up both dates so a double dose was in order, and even after that it took a lot of scrutiny, but I'm 99% sure what I've got here is a 1913-D Type 1 & 1925. The mintmark's not fully visible, but it's more roundish like a D. Both have been found before - 12/24/03 & 5/17/09 respectively - so no new additions to the list.

Wartime Nickels [462]

1942-P (11/4/19) [30]

1942-S (11/13/10) [20]

1943-P (11/11/19) [96]

1943-D (9/15/09) [8]

1943-S (11/12/19) [93]

1944-P (9/1/13) [47]

1944-D (9/24/19) [20]

1944-S (8/18/11) [21]

1945-P (11/12/19) [48]

1945-D (8/12/11) [20]

1945-S (9/3/19) [59]

Prediction: 5
Reality: 3

For once silver outnumbered buffies. Behold the 43-P, 43-S & 45-P, with the 43-P inching ever so closer to an overall total of 100. Can the 43-S catch it?

Foreign



A nice assortment as usual: 1988 Aussie 5 cents, 1983 Canada 5 cents, 2002-J German 10 euro cents & a Japanese 1972 1 yen.

Halves

Prediction: One 90%, three 40%
Reality: Zilch


My lone catch from $400 in halves was this still-frosty 1991-S. At least a dozen or so 2018's, which is rapidly becoming the "1964 nickel" of NIFC halves.


Room Searching

The rest of my predictions were sadly unrealized, mostly because I did very little searching in the room. It was set up nicely for it - a couple of decent flat surfaces & good light sources - but ultimately I decided against it. The in-room tallies:

$25 in nickels - Nada, not only no 2019-P, hardly any P mints at all. And the new Jefferson design clearly dominates the selection these days.

$100 in quarters - A scattering of 2019's but no W's, and no silver.

$200 in halves - Skunk.


Summing Up

A fun outing that I'd like to try again, but for no more than two days. Early on in Day 2 I was getting a little bleary so I headed out for a walk to Fremont St to clear my head. It's such a relief knowing that when I've reached my saturation point I can simply head up to my room and crash. While room searching was an intriguing idea, I don't think I'll employ that method too much in the future.


Fun Stats: I've tied my all-time record of ten buffalos in one calendar year (set in 2008) and it took less than five months.

This Week in Casino Searching History: Also in 2008, I completed a roll of 1945-P wartime nickels.

 

[Sleepy Holow]

Fun Stats: I've tied my all-time record of ten buffalos in one calendar year (set in 2008) and it took less than five months.

Wow! Two more buffs...that's great. Hope to see that 11th buffalo in the next 6-7 weeks. Overall, sounds like you learned a lot about a new strategy that no one's ventured into yet...trailblazing for sure! Hope the prime rib was good!

 

[CardsNCoins]

Sorry you didn't meet your goals, but the nickels were good to you. Glad you had a good time, and that you are encouraged to do it again.

I'm assuming the non-room searching was all from machine drops, but for the room searching were you able to get rolled coin, or was that from coin cups you carried back to the room?

 

[Immy]

Wow! Two more buffs...that's great. Hope to see that 11th buffalo in the next 6-7 weeks. Overall, sounds like you learned a lot about a new strategy that no one's ventured into yet...trailblazing for sure! Hope the prime rib was good!

Yeah, pretty good shot at an 11th buffie. Got a bunch of 4-day weekends between now and New Years so there'll be ample opportunity to go a few more times.

Saving the prime rib for a future visit, which will prob be Thanksgiving weekend since I'm sure I'll be sick of turkey by then.

I'm assuming the non-room searching was all from machine drops, but for the room searching were you able to get rolled coin, or was that from coin cups you carried back to the room?

Corrct, all the finds were from machines drops. Coin I carried back to the room were both loose (nickels & quarters) and rolled (halves). Decided that I needed the room to be an escape from the noise and smoke, so no future counting there.

 

[GMan00001]

I realize it is tempting to only want to search coins from the slots, but have you ever tested what you find getting coins at the bank instead of the casino?

Although it seems like the machines might give a higher find rate, those coins are "seen" by many more eyeballs than typical coins from a bank and although most people at a casino are not looking for old coins, some will still pull an old coin if they see it. I am sure there are pockets of older coins at the casino, but I'll bet they rarely see the light of day as they are probably buried 50 bags deep on pallets that never get used.

For me personally, I came to the conclusion that the find rate is either the same or slightly better at the bank than the casinos around me (at least when they all still had coins). While the casino might be more fun, my point is that you could save the drive time and gas money if getting coins from the bank was just as good albeit with the hassle of hauling the coins back to the bank to cash in.

If you tried it recently, I would be curious on the results. If you haven't tried it, I would suggest a test run of a few boxes of nickels and halves and the same amount from the casino to see if there is much of a difference in the find rate.

 

[Immy]

Dang it! So I was fully prepared to wait until after Thanksgiving for my next Cortez visit, when I got a strong case of "Why not?" syndrome, and off I went. My trip actually had purpose though, since I accidentally left a phone charger in the room and was curious if they found it (they didn't ). Wasn't disappointed in the finds, meager though they were...

Wartime Nickels [463]

1942-P (11/4/19) [30]

1942-S (11/13/10) [20]

1943-P (11/11/19) [96]

1943-D (9/15/09) [8]

1943-S (11/19/19) [94]

1944-P (9/1/13) [47]

1944-D (9/24/19) [20]

1944-S (8/18/11) [21]

1945-P (11/12/19) [48]

1945-D (8/12/11) [20]

1945-S (9/3/19) [59]

Almost overlooked this goodie amongst roughly $150 searched. Lots of pre-1960, but this was the only keeper.

Foreign



The coin counters are steadily giving up good foreign stuff, as shown by these two Canadian quarters (2005-P, 2006-P), British 10p (1992) and a teeny, tiny Spanish euro cent (1999).

Fun Stats: With a total of 94 found so far, the 1943-S is my 2nd most common wartime, despite being the 4th highest in mintage. More proof that S mint coins tend to stay on the west side of the country.

This Week in Casino Searching History: In 1999, a 1915 Buffalo nickel came home with me from the slots, destined for a meeting with Nic-a-Date.

 

[Immy]

I realize it is tempting to only want to search coins from the slots, but have you ever tested what you find getting coins at the bank instead of the casino?

Although it seems like the machines might give a higher find rate, those coins are "seen" by many more eyeballs than typical coins from a bank and although most people at a casino are not looking for old coins, some will still pull an old coin if they see it. I am sure there are pockets of older coins at the casino, but I'll bet they rarely see the light of day as they are probably buried 50 bags deep on pallets that never get used.

For me personally, I came to the conclusion that the find rate is either the same or slightly better at the bank than the casinos around me (at least when they all still had coins). While the casino might be more fun, my point is that you could save the drive time and gas money if getting coins from the bank was just as good albeit with the hassle of hauling the coins back to the bank to cash in.

If you tried it recently, I would be curious on the results. If you haven't tried it, I would suggest a test run of a few boxes of nickels and halves and the same amount from the casino to see if there is much of a difference in the find rate.

I've thought of this lately and what I came up with - in theory - was a strategy where I pick up (for example) a box of nickels per week, and then dump them at the casino, which I've discovered is fairly easy. The plusses are 1) I can search in the comfort of home and 2) no hunting for a dump bank. But there are minuses, 1) the ever present prospect of solid 2019 boxes, 2) finding a bank that can accommodate regular orders. I'm honestly not up to the hassle of cajoling tellers/bank managers to keep supplying me. I guess what it boils down to is I don't want to rely on more people than myself to feed my hobby.

For me, the casino is the perfect casual searching outlet. Just today I saw a bank of eight nickels machines that I never noticed before. The supply of coin is so endless that I could have dozens more people searching like me and I'd still find stuff. And really, most people in the casino are more concerned about getting their cocktails than finding anything of value. I'll admit the environment gets to me after awhile but it's also a throwback to the glory days.

One thing I've never mentioned: if I didn't live in a coin-op casino city, I wouldn't CRH. Dumping is the absolute worst part, which is a no-brainer. I simply don't want to have to deal with it. I did it briefly several years ago using my boss's B of A business acct and hated every box of halves I trudged back the bank. It's a deal breaker, no matter what dream box may be lurking out there. Guess I've been spoiled by the Vegas way of doing it.

 

[GMan00001]

I've thought of this lately and what I came up with - in theory - was a strategy where I pick up (for example) a box of nickels per week, and then dump them at the casino, which I've discovered is fairly easy. The plusses are 1) I can search in the comfort of home and 2) no hunting for a dump bank. But there are minuses, 1) the ever present prospect of solid 2019 boxes, 2) finding a bank that can accommodate regular orders. I'm honestly not up to the hassle of cajoling tellers/bank managers to keep supplying me. I guess what it boils down to is I don't want to rely on more people than myself to feed my hobby.

For me, the casino is the perfect casual searching outlet. Just today I saw a bank of eight nickels machines that I never noticed before. The supply of coin is so endless that I could have dozens more people searching like me and I'd still find stuff. And really, most people in the casino are more concerned about getting their cocktails than finding anything of value. I'll admit the environment gets to me after awhile but it's also a throwback to the glory days.

One thing I've never mentioned: if I didn't live in a coin-op casino city, I wouldn't CRH. Dumping is the absolute worst part, which is a no-brainer. I simply don't want to have to deal with it. I did it briefly several years ago using my boss's B of A business acct and hated every box of halves I trudged back the bank. It's a deal breaker, no matter what dream box may be lurking out there. Guess I've been spoiled by the Vegas way of doing it.

The only boxes I've ever "ordered" were half dollars and even then only rarely. All others, I just ask to buy a box (or two) as most banks have them on hand. I was careful not to constantly go to the same branch over and over though. As such, I have never done any cajoling of tellers/bank managers. I also never gave out any bribes (or as some people call them "treats") as I didn't feel it was necessary for them just doing their job. If the boxes you get are the ones with holes in them, you can see in advance if the box is all 2019 and just refuse it or ask for one that has older coins. Although there may be a slight hassle for the teller, I doubt the bank would care.

I understand the allure of the searching at the casino as I enjoy it too and sometimes the scenery can be interesting/entertaining too. It also provides 24/7 access to CRH.

I agree that dumping coin is the worst part and can be a big hassle depending on if you have access to coin counters or have to re-roll, but how much of a hassle depends on the amount you have to dump.

The one downside of hunting at the casino is sometimes the lighting isn't very good, so it can be easy to miss some older coins that you have to date search.

 

[Sleepy Holow]

Like I said, I've lived in four states since I started hunting in 2013. The Las Vegas banks were BY FAR the worst, but I think there's a reason for that. Vegas was one of the hardest hit areas in the nation by the 2008/09 housing bubble financial crisis. I personally believe it caused a lot more people than usual to pull silver and the banks were like screw this, we're pulling our coin counters. By the time I got there in 2014, BOA was the only place that I could find that was willing to take coin...in a bag...deposited into your account...a week later. I guess I coulda CRH'd, but I couldn't do it my way...and that really bothered me. The amount of effort to drive to multiple banks, go through coins, and dump is already a good amount of effort. Having to open a BOA account and have my money be a lot less liquid was not a good option. I did like 6-7 boxes there before saying no thank you. Rerolling dimes is where I draw the line. Did find several dimes in the Coinstar machines while we lived there. That's what I resorted to.

 

[baddbluff]

I, too, live in Vegas. I started CRHing in Idaho as a teen, but this is where I did all my high volume, years later in my late 30s & 40s. I’ve found about 500 ounces of silver here, mostly from half boxes from BofA & Chase. My most productive searching was a few years ago when BofA allowed me to dump with bags & get instant credit. I could dump $2000 in halves in a few minutes in one stop, and go down the street & pick up more boxes that I had ordered a couple days before. I could do 14-16 boxes a week with little effort. The finds were decent too. Once BofA stopped accepting bags, I decided I was done. I was ready to retire for good. Then the Mint announced they’d be releasing W-Mint quarters....
I only search quarters now (who’da thought they’d ever be worthwhile).
I’ve found 84 Ws so far. I will probably stop once I hit 100. Depends on what the Mint decides to throw out there next year.
As for casino searching, I’ve done it a few times - a few hundred in halves- no silver- and a few hundred in nicks. I found 1 war and some early Jeff’s but no Buffs. My experience has been very limited with it to decide if it’s worth my time - and the casinos all charge for parking now = drawback.
My Vegas CHRing has been rewarding. Sold all my finds and bought lots of nice PCGS Morgans - all the keys including a nice VF 93S. Cannot complain a bit!!

 

[Immy]

At last the yoke of work has lifted off my shoulders. It's time for some turkey & Cortez-ing! I braved rainy weather to try out the slots and was modestly rewarded.

Wartime Nickels [464]

1942-P (11/4/19) [30]

1942-S (11/13/10) [20]

1943-P (11/11/19) [96]

1943-D (9/15/09) [8]

1943-S (11/28/19) [95]

1944-P (9/1/13) [47]

1944-D (9/24/19) [20]

1944-S (8/18/11) [21]

1945-P (11/12/19) [48]

1945-D (8/12/11) [20]

1945-S (9/3/19) [59]

Yet another 1943-S wartime, my fourth this year. Nothing exciting beyond that and a 1939-P (not pictured).

One thing about being knowledgable about a specific topic is you can spot phony, supposed know-it-alls, and I encountered one today. While playing, the guy near me was going on about a coin he found in the slots that he sold for $1500 on eBay "because it was stamped wrong." My BS meter went off big time. First of all, it's not "stamped", it's "struck". A coin guy would know that. 2nd, he said "coin" and did not say which denom it was. You find a $1500 nickel, you're calling it that. Lastly, I can't think of any mint error you'd find in a slot that would fetch that much, unless you found a real sucker bidder. If this guy is my competition, I'm not all that worried.

Fun Stats: The El Cortez is the 8th different casino where I've found Buffalo nickels.

This Week in Casino Searching History: On Thanksgiving Day 2005 I found a 1943-P war nickel, and two days later a 43-S. Based on this historic luck, another visit will happen this weekend.

 

[Immy]

Turkey Day festivities curtailed my 2nd planned Cortez visit, but today's results more than made up for it.

Wartime Nickels [467]

1942-P (11/4/19) [30]

1942-S (11/13/10) [20]

1943-P (12/3/19) [97]

1943-D (9/15/09) [8]

1943-S (11/28/19) [95]

1944-P (12/3/19) [48]

1944-D (9/24/19) [20]

1944-S (8/18/11) [21]

1945-P (12/3/19) [49]

1945-D (8/12/11) [20]

1945-S (9/3/19) [59]

It's a Philly silver trio! 43-P, 44-P, 45-P, missing only the 42-P for the grand slam, but I'm quite happy with these guys. Off-camera finds included a 1951-S (my 49th) and a 1939, completing what I believe is my 13th roll.

Foreign


Always amused by which foreigns pass easily thru Vegas slots. This 1986 Singapore 20 cents stood out as it dropped from the nickel machine.

Fun Stats: First 44-P wartime in over six years (9/1/13). It's also the 7th different one this year of the 11-coin set.

This Week in Casino Searching History: In 2009 I also scored a triple header in wartime, but all three were San Fran's - 43-S (x2) and a 45-S.

 

[CardsNCoins]

Nice triplets Immy!! Keep up the fun work, and continued success to you.

 

[Immy]

Home stretch of 2019! Let's see how many Cortez visits I can squeeze in before the decade ends.

Wartime Nickels [469]

1942-P (11/4/19) [30]

1942-S (12/10/19) [21]

1943-P (12/3/19) [97]

1943-D (9/15/09) [8]

1943-S (11/28/19) [95]

1944-P (12/10/19) [49]

1944-D (9/24/19) [20]

1944-S (8/18/11) [21]

1945-P (12/3/19) [49]

1945-D (8/12/11) [20]

1945-S (9/3/19) [59]

A duet's almost as good as a trio. Today's finds - 42-S & 44-P. And check out that 44! Can make out a couple of steps too. It's going right into the regular collection. Another 1939 made its presence known, along with a 1994 Canadian nickel, an oddity for the slots.

Been almost a month since the last Buffalo and I'm starting to wonder if last month's finds were just a small herd that's now extinct. Need only one more for a banner buffalo year.

Fun Stats: First 42-S wartime in over nine years (11/13/10). It's also the 8th different one this year of the 11-coin set.

This Week in Casino Searching History: In 1996 I had a once in a lifetime wheat penny score. I shared highlights on TNet back in 2006 ---> http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/coin-roll-hunting/17141-roll-searching-collecting-stories.html

 

[Sleepy Holow]

Don't know if I've seen a war nickel with that amount of luster posted before.

As far as your linked story...I initially was like "WHAAAATTT?!?!", then I thought "well, I guess that's one answer to the question 'how do some of these coins get back into circulation?'"

 

[Immy]

Christmas comes early, courtesy of the Cortez!

Wartime Nickels [470]

1942-P (11/4/19) [30]

1942-S (12/10/19) [21]

1943-P (12/3/19) [97]

1943-D (9/15/09) [8]

1943-S (11/28/19) [95]

1944-P (12/17/19) [50]

1944-D (9/24/19) [20]

1944-S (8/18/11) [21]

1945-P (12/3/19) [49]

1945-D (8/12/11) [20]

1945-S (9/3/19) [59]

This will go into the books as a record setting year thanks to this nice 1936-D, my 11th buffalo for 2019 and a new personal high. Ecstatic that this li'l guy found its way into my casino cup, and he brought a friend! A 1944-P, which is my 16th wartime for the year, and when I say "year", I only started searching again in late August. Should be a snap to top this total in 2020.

Fun Stats: My notes on Buffalo finds only go back to 1997, so I can't pinpoint the exact date of my last 36-D discovery. Safe to say it's been decades!

This Week in Casino Searching History: In 2003 I found my 60th and final war nickel for that year, the most ever.

 

[Dozer D]

Immy: nice finds, but how was the payouts on the slots. Hope the Xmas silver runs until Valentines Day.