ArkieBassMan
Silver Member
I had so much fun with the last one, I decided to do it again. I hit 9 different towns looking for halves and big dollars.
Town 1 (1 bank): Had no halves, and the teller let it be known that she had several "regular" customers that come around often looking for halves. Its not too far from home, so it was a score of sorts...a new dump bank should I need one in the future.
Town 2 (3 banks): #1 - no halves. #2 - $30 in handrolls & $2.50 loose. All skunks. #3 was a branch in a grocery store. $2.50 in loose halves netted 3 40%ers.
Town 3 (4 banks): #1 - $270 in handrolls and $1 loose gave up 3 40%. #2 - $50 handrolls (skunk). #3 - $21 loose (skunk). #4 - $70 handrolls (skunk)
Town 4 (3 banks): #1 - $110 handrolls (2 40%) $6 loose (1 40%). #2 - $3 loose (skunk) $2 Ikes (clad). #3 - $40 handrolls (9 40%, 7 in one roll - my new record) 1 loose half (clad)
Town 5 (1 bank): no halves
Town 6 (4 banks): #1 - none. #2 - none. #3 - $280 in handrolls (skunk) $11 loose (skunk). #4 - $100 handrolls (skunk)
Town 7 (1 bank): $110 handrolls (3 40%) $3.50 loose (skunk)
Town 8 (7 banks): #1 - none. #2 - none. #3 - none. #4 - $20 handrolls (skunk) $6.50 loose (skunk). #5 - $120 handrolls (1 90%, 2 40%) $9.50 loose (skunk) #6 - $200 handrolls (skunk). #7 - $6 loose (ALL 12 were 40%)
Town 9 (2 banks): Finds unknown. *See below.
I made a few mistakes that won't happen again.
Mistake #1: In bank #3 at Town 6 listed above, I asked for the usual "halves and big dollars." The teller informed me that she had $11 in her drawer and $280 in the back, but they no longer give out coin to non-account holders. A few weeks back a man bought every gold dollar they had, sat down in the lobby, went through all of them, and cashed them right back in. Apparently they didn't like that. I assured her that I was from out of town, they would not get them back, and not even another branch of their bank would get them as we don't even have a branch of that bank where I'm from. She says, "Let me go talk to my boss. I'm tired of counting the darn things. I've worked here 18 months and they've been here since I started." While she's gone, I scan her tray. Its some distance away, at a bad angle, and the sun was glaring through a window, but I spotted a quarter that looked silver but I just can't get THAT good of a look. She returns saying that her boss will be with me in a bit. I thought it was nice of her to "go to bat" for me, so I ask her if she collects silver coins - with the intention of pointing it out to her if she does, and buying it if she doesn't. She tells me her boyfriend does, so I point out the quarter saying, "I think that one may be silver." She picks it up, looks at it and says, "Nope. Its just one of the newer state quarters. A really shiny one though." About that time her boss comes out. We chat a bit and I end up walking out with the halves. Turns out they were all clad anyway. After I got home, for some reason I kept thinking about that quarter. I'm now reasonably sure I walked out of there with $291 in clad halves while leaving a silver proof quarter.
Mistake #2: I didn't take enough money. Last week I took a road trip, covering more miles and hitting more banks than I did on this one. On the previous trip I found less than $700 total and $500 of that was where I got extremely lucky and was allowed to buy a partial bag. I took about $1500 thinking that was more than enough. After scoring $129.50 in halves in Town 8, bank #5, I know my funds are getting low. I count up and have $207 including the 2 clad Ikes I found earlier. There are 2 more banks in this town and 2 more in the last town. Its after 4:00 pm and most of these banks close at 5:00. The next bank has an even $200 in halves. I now have $7 left. I almost head home, but my curiosity won't let me. I hit the last bank in that town with a bad feeling. I almost hope they DON'T have any with $7 whole dollars in my pocket. After asking for halves, the teller says I have $11 worth and picks up one of those little bank envelopes. I hear MULTIPLE "clinks" of silver. I tell her, "I'm a collector only looking for certain dates. Is it ok if I look at them and just buy the ones I need for my collection?" I ABSOLUTELY feel like a scumbag for doing this, but don't see where I have much of a choice here. She agrees and dumps them out. Luckily, there were 12 40%ers and the rest were clad. I scoop up the 40s, hand her $4 in bills and the 2 Ikes and I'm out the door.
Mistake #3: I'm only a few miles from the last town and about 50-60 miles from home. I frantically search every inch of my truck looking for change, dropped bills, whatever. I always just throw my change, including bills, in the console of my truck. Naturally, I had just cleaned it out a few days earlier. I count up and I have exactly $1.40. Still I head to the next town. I am hoping to get lucky and that 1 of the 2 banks will be a branch of a bank where I have an account. if they have halves, I'll just pay for it out of my account and/or get a little extra cash in case the other bank has some halves too. But of course, both are banks in which I do not have an account. I head home a bit disappointed. I just know there were rolls and rolls of Bens & Walkers at one or both of those banks! About 10 miles from home, I realize just how dumb I am. All I had to do was hit an ATM machine. For some reason, that thought NEVER crossed my mind.
I ended up traveling 183 miles hitting 9 (well technically 8 ) towns and 24 banks. I found $1473 in halves and $2 in Ikes, scoring 35 40%ers and 1 '64 Ken.
Not bad, but not great either. Considering gas and wear & tear on my vehicle, I figure I came out a little bit ahead. More importantly though, I really enjoyed the journey. Hopefully, I'll do another trip this week. Surely there is a big score out there somewhere!
Town 1 (1 bank): Had no halves, and the teller let it be known that she had several "regular" customers that come around often looking for halves. Its not too far from home, so it was a score of sorts...a new dump bank should I need one in the future.
Town 2 (3 banks): #1 - no halves. #2 - $30 in handrolls & $2.50 loose. All skunks. #3 was a branch in a grocery store. $2.50 in loose halves netted 3 40%ers.
Town 3 (4 banks): #1 - $270 in handrolls and $1 loose gave up 3 40%. #2 - $50 handrolls (skunk). #3 - $21 loose (skunk). #4 - $70 handrolls (skunk)
Town 4 (3 banks): #1 - $110 handrolls (2 40%) $6 loose (1 40%). #2 - $3 loose (skunk) $2 Ikes (clad). #3 - $40 handrolls (9 40%, 7 in one roll - my new record) 1 loose half (clad)
Town 5 (1 bank): no halves
Town 6 (4 banks): #1 - none. #2 - none. #3 - $280 in handrolls (skunk) $11 loose (skunk). #4 - $100 handrolls (skunk)
Town 7 (1 bank): $110 handrolls (3 40%) $3.50 loose (skunk)
Town 8 (7 banks): #1 - none. #2 - none. #3 - none. #4 - $20 handrolls (skunk) $6.50 loose (skunk). #5 - $120 handrolls (1 90%, 2 40%) $9.50 loose (skunk) #6 - $200 handrolls (skunk). #7 - $6 loose (ALL 12 were 40%)
Town 9 (2 banks): Finds unknown. *See below.
I made a few mistakes that won't happen again.
Mistake #1: In bank #3 at Town 6 listed above, I asked for the usual "halves and big dollars." The teller informed me that she had $11 in her drawer and $280 in the back, but they no longer give out coin to non-account holders. A few weeks back a man bought every gold dollar they had, sat down in the lobby, went through all of them, and cashed them right back in. Apparently they didn't like that. I assured her that I was from out of town, they would not get them back, and not even another branch of their bank would get them as we don't even have a branch of that bank where I'm from. She says, "Let me go talk to my boss. I'm tired of counting the darn things. I've worked here 18 months and they've been here since I started." While she's gone, I scan her tray. Its some distance away, at a bad angle, and the sun was glaring through a window, but I spotted a quarter that looked silver but I just can't get THAT good of a look. She returns saying that her boss will be with me in a bit. I thought it was nice of her to "go to bat" for me, so I ask her if she collects silver coins - with the intention of pointing it out to her if she does, and buying it if she doesn't. She tells me her boyfriend does, so I point out the quarter saying, "I think that one may be silver." She picks it up, looks at it and says, "Nope. Its just one of the newer state quarters. A really shiny one though." About that time her boss comes out. We chat a bit and I end up walking out with the halves. Turns out they were all clad anyway. After I got home, for some reason I kept thinking about that quarter. I'm now reasonably sure I walked out of there with $291 in clad halves while leaving a silver proof quarter.
Mistake #2: I didn't take enough money. Last week I took a road trip, covering more miles and hitting more banks than I did on this one. On the previous trip I found less than $700 total and $500 of that was where I got extremely lucky and was allowed to buy a partial bag. I took about $1500 thinking that was more than enough. After scoring $129.50 in halves in Town 8, bank #5, I know my funds are getting low. I count up and have $207 including the 2 clad Ikes I found earlier. There are 2 more banks in this town and 2 more in the last town. Its after 4:00 pm and most of these banks close at 5:00. The next bank has an even $200 in halves. I now have $7 left. I almost head home, but my curiosity won't let me. I hit the last bank in that town with a bad feeling. I almost hope they DON'T have any with $7 whole dollars in my pocket. After asking for halves, the teller says I have $11 worth and picks up one of those little bank envelopes. I hear MULTIPLE "clinks" of silver. I tell her, "I'm a collector only looking for certain dates. Is it ok if I look at them and just buy the ones I need for my collection?" I ABSOLUTELY feel like a scumbag for doing this, but don't see where I have much of a choice here. She agrees and dumps them out. Luckily, there were 12 40%ers and the rest were clad. I scoop up the 40s, hand her $4 in bills and the 2 Ikes and I'm out the door.
Mistake #3: I'm only a few miles from the last town and about 50-60 miles from home. I frantically search every inch of my truck looking for change, dropped bills, whatever. I always just throw my change, including bills, in the console of my truck. Naturally, I had just cleaned it out a few days earlier. I count up and I have exactly $1.40. Still I head to the next town. I am hoping to get lucky and that 1 of the 2 banks will be a branch of a bank where I have an account. if they have halves, I'll just pay for it out of my account and/or get a little extra cash in case the other bank has some halves too. But of course, both are banks in which I do not have an account. I head home a bit disappointed. I just know there were rolls and rolls of Bens & Walkers at one or both of those banks! About 10 miles from home, I realize just how dumb I am. All I had to do was hit an ATM machine. For some reason, that thought NEVER crossed my mind.
I ended up traveling 183 miles hitting 9 (well technically 8 ) towns and 24 banks. I found $1473 in halves and $2 in Ikes, scoring 35 40%ers and 1 '64 Ken.
Not bad, but not great either. Considering gas and wear & tear on my vehicle, I figure I came out a little bit ahead. More importantly though, I really enjoyed the journey. Hopefully, I'll do another trip this week. Surely there is a big score out there somewhere!
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