Going on my first road trip today.

[ImpurestStewart]

Any advice from you seasoned road warrior vets? I am going to meridian and hit the banks there. Maybe I'll find that dumped collection and hoop and hollar everywhere. Will post results later.

 

[47thelement]

Take a big bank roll
Don't keep your money in one pocket if you go in am unsavory area
If you plan to go back thru this area again , take notes
If you run across a branch a bank where you have an account take advantage and dump
If you run a string of 3 banks in a row where you hear the tellers saying something like "there is a guy who comes thru here every xday and picks them up" cut your losses and move to the next town
As coolpix would say BBQ BBQ BBQ BBQ
Good luck and let us know how you do

 

[AGBlex]

stop for a burger

 

[ArkieBassMan]

Some good advice so far. Here's a little more: 1. If you're at your last stop or maybe even the next to last or so and have money left, buy some other denomination of coin(s). Absolutely no sense in having money left over. For example, if you've been only buying halves, pick up some dimes (or whatever you like). The gas money is already spent - might as well maximize your potential to score. 2. Enjoy yourself. I have a knack for taking all the fun out of a road trip. Usually I'm at bank #1 as soon as the doors open in the morning (no matter how far away from home it is) and I'm on a dead run all day until either they're all closed or I'm out of money. In my search for silver I have travelled to many places I had never been before. I couldn't tell you a single thing about most of them. I have no doubt missed a lot of neat/interesting things along the way. I usually don't stop to eat and even a necessary bathroom pit stop ticks me off as that probably cost me at least 1 bank that I now cannot reach before closing time.

Best of luck! Let us know how it goes.

 

[The_EE]

Plan out your trip, use google maps and list which banks you want to hit first, second etc.

If you have a bank you are a member of that you can use as a dump bank ( if low on funds ) than sort in the car, dump and hit the next banks on the trip. You can do more volume in a day on less funds.

As 47th Element said, take notes. Write down everything from bank name, time they are open, what vendor they use, do they have a coin machine, will they allow you to buy the full bags etc.

And if you do decide to search in the car, lots of plastic bags for the paper and plastic rolls. I also would suggest bringing multiple cloth coin bags with you to throw the searched coins into. Also dont search in a truck uless its an extra cab or larger so you can throw the empty boxes and full bags of wrappers in the back seat. I bring 6 plastic bags for trash and 3 cloth bags good for $500 searched in halves, $500 in quarters or $750 in dimes each

Bring your drink with you.

Peppermint candies help hold off the hunger pains

Eat before you leave

Walmarts usually have a bank inside, hit them up and check the coin star machine

Buy all the CWR every bank has first.

when searching in a car, lock the doors. I usually search in a parking lot of a store and sometimes the bank itself I plan on dropping off at.

 

[golden silver]

I bet you have a good day. I wish I was searching when I lived down there. Oh well....Good luck and let us know how you did.

Golden Silver

 

[AgentX]

Some good advice so far.

When I get into some of the more populated areas I will usually call ahead to the banks to see if they have any halves so I can maximize my time on the road and make more stops.

* Large Bank Roll
* Dump on the way, hope you have coin sorters available to you.
* Get a burger, best advice so far! Stay away from the burritos on the road!
* When you get down to your last few stops buy up as many dimes as you can with whatever bank roll you have left.
* If you find any silver hoarding tellers make an offer under spot for what they have. I do this when I'm on a road trip because I know chances are I won't be back to that branch anytime soon.

Good Luck and HH

Agent

 

[Laken]

Any advice I would have shared has pretty much been given by the previous posts, but regardless, I wish you all the luck in your road trip! My best score to date has actually been from a road trip =)

But, don't forget to feed yourself! Coins get hard to focus on when your stomach begins growling!

Have fun!

 

[GMan00001]

I would agree with most of what was already said, but add a few things.

1. Bring whatever cash you can afford (or feel comfortable having on you).
2. Plan your trip. i.e., Google your planned route ahead of time so you have some idea where the banks are, how many in each town, etc. If you have a cell phone with GPS/mapping capabilities you may not need to write any of this info down as it is likely available to you as you go....unless of course your route will be taking you into areas where you have no cell coverage. If that's the case, it may make sense to generate a bank list w/addresses and phone numbers.
3. If your bank roll can afford it, don't search at all until you get home. Time spent searching is time lost. That being said, if you are almost out of cash and have a location to dump, then by all means search and dump. Note: Searching while driving can be done, but don't attempt it in heavy traffic and if you do attempt it... be safe about it.
4. If you search denominations other than halves and you have a sufficient bank roll, ask along the way. You've already driven that far and potentially waited in line to get to the teller window. Of course, getting other denominations may require additional time at that bank and minimize your total number of stops....
5. Bring a container to put your finds in.
6. Plan your road trip on a day that banks have longer hours but won't be as busy to minimize time waiting in line to get to a teller. Generally, Fridays are busy as are times around the end of one month and beginning of the next.
7. The more heavily travelled a route is, the more likely that route has also been used more frequently by other CRH'ers (i.e., more competition). That being said, travelling to all tiny "out of the way" towns isn't a guarantee of success either. The only way you'll know is to get out there.
8. Realize that bank/branch policies vary and not all banks (and sometimes it seems teller dependent) will be willing to work with you to give you what you want (sometimes even if you have an account). In other words, be prepared to be turned away. In those instances, stay polite, accept it, and move on.

 

[ImpurestStewart]

Thanks for all the advice guys and gals. Unfortunately for me, A curve ball got thrown my way today and I had to postpone the trip. I had a dr's appt this morning and got some pretty rough news. I am going under the knife in 4 weeks. Thoughts would be appreciated. I still plan on doing that roadtrip soon. Just soaking in that news as of now.

 

[Bigheed]

hope the operation goes well stewart and you recover quickly!

 

[BuffaloBoy]

Impure, I hope everything goes well for you and your surgery, my best wishes to your health during, and after the surgery.
Going under the knife could be tough, but in the end, it's for your own good.

HH,
BuffaloBoy

 

[ImpurestStewart]

Thank you all for the kind words. In short I had a mass removed from my neck 2 thanksgivings ago and now something is trying to fill that void once more. It has humbled me to my core. I will keep Y'all updated as I know something.

 

[Bigheed]

will keep you in my prayers! Hopefully its benign and removable, maybe they can even get you in sooner!

Bigheed

 

[Mentone Grizz]

ImpurestStewart;
Sincere best wishes for a quick and painless procedure with a fast and complete recovery.
-Grizz

 

[Farchaus2k]

Stewart, I hope everything goes well for you. We all are praying for you.

 

[AGBlex]

i'm sure even after your procedure you will have this website up everyday! good luck man

 

[quiksilver]

Thanks for all the advice guys and gals. Unfortunately for me, A curve ball got thrown my way today and I had to postpone the trip. I had a dr's appt this morning and got some pretty rough news. I am going under the knife in 4 weeks. Thoughts would be appreciated. I still plan on doing that roadtrip soon. Just soaking in that news as of now.

Take the marker you use for coins and mark where the doctor needs to cut.

If you have the money take all the coins even if it looks like a dump as sometimes looks are deceiving, some people miss coins and some old ladies bring silver to a bank another has dumped in.

 

[Dok Holliday]

May the silver gods watch over you during your surgery. Blessings be upon you.

 

[GEOFF]

Stewart I hope things go your way and get well soon.