Call ahead or just stop in

[jd750707]

For a long time now, I usually drove around and stopped in each bank to ask for Rolls... I recently started calling banks ahead time and have found it to save time and actually make it easier knowing I already talked to someone when I go in...

What do you guys do mostly?

 

[rckymtn]

I'm a big fan of calling ahead. Usually, the person who answers is either the merchant teller, or someone in the branch who talks to the merchant teller and so you get much better information than if you show up. However, I've also noticed that google maps or mapquest doesn't always have up to date information on banks, and some banks (BOA, Key Bank, others), are a pain to wait through the voice mail system, so I usually just stop in on these.

 

[maverick]

It's hit and miss, but, I started just pulling up to some of the Commercial drive throughs and asking instead wearing the door hinges off of my driver side door of my truck getting out at every bank. Plus I have my 3 yr old daughter with me and don't like to keep taking her in and out of the vehicle, saves time and I ask if someone else has some inside I"ll go in and get them. So far has workked pretty good and you can cover alot of banks in short time. HH, Maverick.

 

[CoinFetcher]

Calling ahead is an advanced technique, only available for those who buy my book.

Seriously thought, calling ahead on banks further away is a good idea. Most banks perfer it.

 

[AdDicted2Ag]

What if you call ahead and by doing so, give tellers a chance to snag silver that they didn't know was there? The only times I score CWR silver anymore, is when the sniping tellers simply didn't know that other tellers at the branch had half dollars available.. By calling ahead I think you are giving them a chance to pull silver before you get there..

 

[jd750707]

Good Point!

By calling ahead I think you are giving them a chance to pull silver before you get there..

 

[Weaselbrott]

I am not a fan of calling ahead. I like to show up and ask. Calling ahead, you might get a lazy or mean bank rep who doesn't want to get off their fat rear to check with all tellers and the vault for the coins requested. That could be silver missed. Often, when I show up to a bank and ask for halves, they have to think for a moment and then they are like... "oh.. actually... I have these, nobody wants them.. thanks for taking them!" On the phone, I don't feel like much thought is put into verifying if coin is there... My personal opinion.

 

[TheMastermind]

As I do most of my dumping and picking up on my lunch break each day, and I only have an hour to do it in, I have to plan my route precisely so as not to waste any time. So, therefore, I call ahead the banks I plan on picking up at. Especially if it's CWR or loose.

But sometimes that backfires. Take today, for instance: I called a Wells Fargo branch to see if they had any halves. Customer service guy said, "Yeah, we have a bunch of loose halves. Old ones." I go there, and the teller's look at me like I'm nuts. They said they haven't had any halves, rolls or otherwise, come in for a little while. So, either the guy didn't know what he was talking about or he wanted them for himself and told the tellers to play dumb.

 

[OtlFrutiger]

I think most of the tellers are getting smarter and smarter about Ag. It's probably best just to show up and catch 'em off guard, but still play super nice. If you ask them when you are right there in front of them and can see the coin in their teller tray, it's a lot harder for them to say no. Another trick I use is to say: "Do you have any weird or old coins?" This usually makes them dig into their own little secret stash of weird stuff that they keep off to the side or deep in their drawer. They will also be more likely to ask around to the other tellers when you phrase it like that.

 

[baddbluff]

There are hundreds of banks in my town. I always call ahead. I spend an hour or so finding the halves then map out the most efficient way to pick them up. It just takes too much time to go bank to bank, waiting in lines and not even knowing if they have anything. As for tipping tellers off - they either search them or they don't. I really don't think someone is going to run to the back & search everything really quick before I get there.

 

[rckymtn]

Calling ahead means having a follow up when you get there. "I called earlier and they said you had $60 dollars of halves" Oh yea... then can still check teller trays, etc. I've always found more silver when I do that. True story - I called one bank where I had done some major scores, and it was the last teller left who answered. Said he had about $80 in CWR. Be right there. Got there and he pulled them out. While he was doing so, I noticed the silver in the top of the teller tray. I'll take all the ones in your tray too. He tries to give me the bottom half of the column. I said no, I'll take them all. Then he finally gives up the silver. Opened the rolls in the car, and still had silver even though it was obvious the teller also knew what silver was and was trying to set it aside for himself. The only major dud was planning a tight 4 hour trip of bank stops before heading to the airport, and the last bank couldn't give me the halves as the vault teller had stepped out for lunch. Pissed me off to drive all that way to be shunned like that. But, that happens.

 

[50cent]

What if you call ahead and by doing so, give tellers a chance to snag silver that they didn't know was there? The only times I score CWR silver anymore, is when the sniping tellers simply didn't know that other tellers at the branch had half dollars available.. By calling ahead I think you are giving them a chance to pull silver before you get there..

couldn't of said it better myself

 

[CW3(ret) US Army]

For a long time now, I usually drove around and stopped in each bank to ask for Rolls... I recently started calling banks ahead time and have found it to save time and actually make it easier knowing I already talked to someone when I go in...

What do you guys do mostly?

I'm with the group that doesn't call ahead. I just stop at the banks I pass & ask for half dollar coins rolled or loose. You catch them by surprise & they don't have the chance to check them while you are on your way. It works well for me that way.

HH
Gary

 

[Bigheed]

I would just stop in and as you develop a relationship, then leave them a business card. Calling in is annoying for banks, especially if you are not someone they know, trust me, i hear it all the time from the tellers who save me coin. "we do it because we know you"

 

[sagittarius98]

It's hit and miss, but, I started just pulling up to some of the Commercial drive throughs and asking instead wearing the door hinges off of my driver side door of my truck getting out at every bank. Plus I have my 3 yr old daughter with me and don't like to keep taking her in and out of the vehicle, saves time and I ask if someone else has some inside I"ll go in and get them. So far has workked pretty good and you can cover alot of banks in short time. HH, Maverick.

You should take your daughter and say that halves are for her, you can gain more banks this way.

 

[jd750707]

I'll always tell them my son and I collect and he loves to go thru them... its not really a lie, he did like to collect 6 years ago, now he is a teen and it's uncool..

 

[sagittarius98]

I really don't think someone is going to run to the back & search everything really quick before I get there.

Someone may not know there are halves in the vault, and will then proceed to check them.