FormerTeller
Bronze Member
Stopped by the bank today on a Friday morning - unusual for me. Needed to dump a couple thousand in halves in the machine. It's not a problem at this bank; I have the manager's blessing and am very friendly with all the tellers. Was in the middle of my first 1k bag dump when an older gentleman came in with a couple of jars of coins. I told him I'd let him use the machine once it cycled through, as I try not to inconvenience the other customers. He was appreciative, and I stood off to the side while he started trying to work the machine. I could tell he was having trouble with it, so I started to offer to help when he dumped his first jar of coins in. *Tinkle Tinkle Tinkle* I heard the unmistakable sound of silver! Before I could get there one of the loan officers stepped up and asked if he needed help with the machine. The loan officer took one look at his coins, and motioned me over (he knows I collect, and like I said we're all on good terms). The old guy had a hand full of coins, and I could see walking liberty half dollars! I told him he shouldn't put those in the machine, as they were worth considerably more than face value. I asked him if he'd consider selling them to me, to which he replied "sure"!
Like I said, he had already dumped a bunch in the machine, but the loan officer was a trooper! He got a key to unlock the machine (it's the type where you can't access your coins after you put them in even if the machine hasn't started), and told us to use his office. The gentleman and I poured his coins out on the table, and I about had a heart attack! Walkers, mercury dimes, and wheat cents galore!
Even a few Barbers and Indian head cents mixed in, along with a bunch of clad.
I started separating out the good stuff from the bad stuff, explaining why each was worth more than face. When I was done, we ended up with about $21 face value in 90% silver, about 7 or 8 40% Kennedy halves, and probably 40 cents - mostly wheat, with a few Indian heads. Oddly enough, no war nickels. I told him that the silver value was about 10x face value, and said I'd give him $230 for what I had put aside. He said, "SOLD!"
I figure I gave him pretty close to spot; maybe a little less, but not by much. I was too rattled to try to nickel and dime him, though I'm sure I could have gotten them much cheaper. Turned out to be a good decision, I think, because while we were separating and talking, he mentioned how most of these were his late wife's coins, and how she had stored them all in little bags and boxes. He was in the process of moving out of state, and while cleaning out the house just dumped most of the coins into a jar to take to the bank. He asked me if I collected silver dollars, noting that he had a couple dozen still at the house. Then he asked if I collected "funny money". I pulled out a worn silver certificate that I carry around with me, noting that I used it to show tellers what to save for me. He said he had several silver certs and other funny money, which by his description I took to mean they were error dollar bills. Unfortunately, I was using the machine today to raise cash for a vacation tomorrow, so I can't meet with him until after Christmas, but we plan to get together in a few weeks to see what he's got, and hopefully conduct another transaction. He was thrilled to get $200 more than what he had planned, so I'm crossing my fingers!
I haven't had time to go through all of them yet, but have been very hopeful by what I've seen so far. I'll update when I've got the final tally, as well as if we make another deal.
It's still out there!
FT
Like I said, he had already dumped a bunch in the machine, but the loan officer was a trooper! He got a key to unlock the machine (it's the type where you can't access your coins after you put them in even if the machine hasn't started), and told us to use his office. The gentleman and I poured his coins out on the table, and I about had a heart attack! Walkers, mercury dimes, and wheat cents galore!
Even a few Barbers and Indian head cents mixed in, along with a bunch of clad. I started separating out the good stuff from the bad stuff, explaining why each was worth more than face. When I was done, we ended up with about $21 face value in 90% silver, about 7 or 8 40% Kennedy halves, and probably 40 cents - mostly wheat, with a few Indian heads. Oddly enough, no war nickels. I told him that the silver value was about 10x face value, and said I'd give him $230 for what I had put aside. He said, "SOLD!"
I figure I gave him pretty close to spot; maybe a little less, but not by much. I was too rattled to try to nickel and dime him, though I'm sure I could have gotten them much cheaper. Turned out to be a good decision, I think, because while we were separating and talking, he mentioned how most of these were his late wife's coins, and how she had stored them all in little bags and boxes. He was in the process of moving out of state, and while cleaning out the house just dumped most of the coins into a jar to take to the bank. He asked me if I collected silver dollars, noting that he had a couple dozen still at the house. Then he asked if I collected "funny money". I pulled out a worn silver certificate that I carry around with me, noting that I used it to show tellers what to save for me. He said he had several silver certs and other funny money, which by his description I took to mean they were error dollar bills. Unfortunately, I was using the machine today to raise cash for a vacation tomorrow, so I can't meet with him until after Christmas, but we plan to get together in a few weeks to see what he's got, and hopefully conduct another transaction. He was thrilled to get $200 more than what he had planned, so I'm crossing my fingers!
I haven't had time to go through all of them yet, but have been very hopeful by what I've seen so far. I'll update when I've got the final tally, as well as if we make another deal.
It's still out there!
FT
Attachments
Upvote
0
