Why marking coins for tracking purposes makes no sense

[Wilmingtonsilver]

I have been watching the discussions on marking or painting coins on this board. Sometimes they have become a bit heated. The reason often giving for marking a coin is to track to see if they are getting the same batch back. Here is the flaw in that idea. At best you can only be sure that you are getting that exact coin back. You can't be sure that the rest of the roll and really can't be sure that the rest of the box comes from the same batch. The reason for this is in the way the bank has to sell back the coins to the rolling companies, and that is loose in a bag. The banks do not return wrapped rolls to the companies. They have to break those rolls open and fill up coin bags themselves, before they turn them into the rolling companies. I actually saw this with my own eyes last week at my dump bank. The only reason your bank would want you to roll the coins before you bring them in, is for easy counting. So once the coins leave the bank, loose in a bag, I am sure that once they get to the plant at the rolling company they are dumped into a large hopper to be re-wrapped. At best you could only track 1 coin for a region. So even if you get the same coin back, there is just as good of a chance of having the rest of the box be completely un-searched before.

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

A Handbook of Civil War Bullets and Cartridges - Grab it through Amazon!

[$nack-Money]

It is, however, the only way to prove that you are getting some of your previously searched coins back. I only dump into loomis (they service all the banks with coin machines in my area). Out of 5 different dump banks, I know that only 2 recycle my previously dumped halves back to me. I have never found my marked coins that are dumped at the other 3 banks (I color code halves dependent on which bank they are getting dumped at). This, as stated above, is rock-solid rationale for marking coins. The point is, that I increase the chance of getting halves other than the ones I have searched before, therefore increasing my likelihood for finding silver. You can easily apply statistics here too, whereas on average if you only mark 20 coins per box, you can be positive that you are getting 50 other coins from that same batch in your new box (1:50 ratio of marked to non-marked halves dumped per box).

 

[sheepdog_tx]

<watches Wilmingtom kick the dead horse>
...
<shrugs>
...
<joins in on kicking said horse>

it makes no sense but people do it anyway. Marking the rolls might help see if that rolls is not broken up and keep in the value, till, resold, etc as does marking to box so its clear its been searched. In fact painting a coin is asking not only to annoy the banks, it puts distaste in the mouth of those that collect, and worth of all can jam and damage machines such as coin stars.

the only way to prove that you are getting some of your previously searched coins back.

So heres why you're wrong. First theres no proof your coins arent rerolled and you get a marked coin as an ender. The more you put out there <cough timzim> the more likely you are for this to happen. More people do this more likely it is someones elses mark is enough to discourage you from searching. i just had a box with $35 in silver in it with several rolls marked on enders. This doesn't even account for tellers taking a few halves out for customers then putting some back from others that might be silver. Using your example I could go buy your dumps, search them, dump at another bank and bam! you now think that bank is a bad bank to buy from.

Point is it proves nothing and it harms alot. Its a dumb practice for those too dumb to think up a better way.