Carrying boxes on a plane

[jack584]

I've been trying to fill up a few holes in my quarter albums for a long time now, I have no problem finding Denver mint quarters because I'm from California, but there's a a few pesky Philadelphia quarters that I have not been able to find despite going through about 20 boxes (yes I'm that obsessed with filling up these books).

I'm taking a trip to the east cost and I thought it would be a great opportunity to pick up a box of quarters, bring it back home, and hopefully fill up these holes. My one concern is getting it though security at the airport. I'm sure a box of basically solid metal would look very suspicious on the x-ray, so I'm sure they would search my bag, which is fine by me, but I was thinking that they could consider the full box a "weapon" in the sense that hitting someone on the head with it could do some serious damage because a box weighs about 25 pounds. Unfortunately I'll be leaving on a Sunday, so banks won't be open to redeposit it if they decline to let me through with it, and post offices will not be open for me to mail it back home. I won't be having a checked bag, but even if I was I wouldn't consider risking $500 in it.

The other option would be to mail it home in a flat rate box for about 12 bucks, which I would consider less risky then the checked bag, but I would rather not go that route.

 

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[GlenDronach]

Can you not sort them in your hotel room and bring some rolls to put them in and dump them at a bank?

I did that once.

 

[jack584]

Can you not sort them in your hotel room and bring some rolls to put them in and dump them at a bank?

I did that once.

Its Washington DC, I'll be there for 5 nights but there's so much to do that I'd rather not waste time while on vacation sorting through coins.

I guess I could stay up like 10-15 mins later each night so I could get it done without losing much time. I'll think about it, but I'd rather go the route of taking the whole box home.

 

[Liu21]

the worst thing they'll do is have you open the box. in the end you'll still be able to carry the box on the plane....

 

[GlenDronach]

Do you have carry ons only?

I took about 20 rolls of pennies in my checked bag last time after sorting some.

I don't know if I'd want to risk it with TSA either way; carry on or having to go "missing" in the checked.

 

[Numismaniac]

I've carried on 3-4 hundred in halves several times. TSA could have cared less.... it's just heavy!

 

[LooseChange]

...My one concern is getting it though security at the airport...

Call ahead for a ruling.

...I'd rather not waste time while on vacation sorting through coins...

Sorting through coins is not a waste of time!
j/k - I get that vacation is for doing things that you cannot do at home.

 

[Twitch]

I've both carried on and checked boxes on halves on several occasions, no problem either way. If you carry them on just tell the TSA screeners what they are before they go through the machine and you won't have any issues.

 

[jack584]

Do you have carry ons only?

I took about 20 rolls of pennies in my checked bag last time after sorting some.

I don't know if I'd want to risk it with TSA either way; carry on or having to go "missing" in the checked.

Yeah I decided all I'm gonna need is a carry on so I'll save $25 in bag fees each way...total of $50 savings.

I've both carried on and checked boxes on halves on several occasions, no problem either way. If you carry them on just tell the TSA screeners what they are before they go through the machine and you won't have any issues.

Sounds good, I guess I'll go ahead and give it a try. If in the off chance they don't let it through, I found a FedEx Office location one subway stop away from the airport that's open early enough on Sunday and it would only cost $14 to send it back home, so that will be my backup plan.

Also, you think I should remove them from my bag like you're supposed to do with laptops? I'll have the box wrapped in a canvas bag so that I don't advertise to everyone else that I'm carrying around $500.

I'll report back what ends up happening for anyone that's interested, the trip is about two months away though.

 

[Liu21]

Yeah I decided all I'm gonna need is a carry on so I'll save $25 in bag fees each way...total of $50 savings.



Sounds good, I guess I'll go ahead and give it a try. If in the off chance they don't let it through, I found a FedEx Office location one subway stop away from the airport that's open early enough on Sunday and it would only cost $14 to send it back home, so that will be my backup plan.

Also, you think I should remove them from my bag like you're supposed to do with laptops? I'll have the box wrapped in a canvas bag so that I don't advertise to everyone else that I'm carrying around $500.

I'll report back what ends up happening for anyone that's interested, the trip is about two months away though.

long as you dont make it look suspicious, and inform the agents. You'll be ok, if they ask why are you carrying so many coins and what not. Tell them, you are a coin collector from the west coast and dont get many Philadelphia Mint Coins. Any reasonable person wouldnt give you any problems.

 

[Yinzi50]

I have done that all the time. But I always get a box of pennies or a few hundred of halves. Tell them that you have a box of coins before hand. They will either take a look or wiping with a piece of cloth and scan the cloth for explosives. Good luck!

 

[Argentium]

You must be joking ! you are so busy that you can't go through one single box of quarters in 5 days - Please ! If I sound
pissed it's because I am.

 

[FormerTeller]

I've carried on 3-4 hundred in halves several times. TSA could have cared less.... it's just heavy!

This. I've done the same, but don't plan to again, only because of the weight.

 

[jack584]

You must be joking ! you are so busy that you can't go through one single box of quarters in 5 days - Please ! If I sound
pissed it's because I am.

I don't fly thousands of miles and spend over $1000 to go somewhere so I can sit in a hotel room searching though a box of coins.

Unless you can can suggest me a way to search the entire box in the same amount of time I'll spend at the bank (less than 5 mins), I won't be wasting my time. Remember this isn't as simple as looking at the edges for silver, you have to look at the face of each quarter.