What did you do with your change before you were a sorter

[TXBullion]

What did you do with your change before you sorted? Some of you have probably always sorted so this might not work for you.

I used to keep all my change and then cash it when I got a whole bunch 200-500. Doesnt sound like much now

[Oakair]

Throw it in a bowl or leave it lying around...

Have always looked for 'old' coins though...started back at 8 or 9

[doug]

I kept it in a milk can but I searched it before cashing it in. I have been saving copper since the 80's from change.

Doug

[bman]

I use to save mine all year and cash it in right before going on vacation. I usually had $200 or $300 and you're right..it doesn't seem like much any more.

[Hawkeye]

I honestly don't remember. I didn't start sorting that long ago, but I have no idea what I did with my change before. It must have just somehow disappeared. Very weird.

[cesariojpn]

I can't only recall saving nickels and turning them in.

[hirbonzig]

Used a large Tupperware bowl to store my change when I was single. I cashed it in about once a month for extra beer and gas money--2 of lifes essential liquids. I did check for silver, but not one copper cent was saved --until I found RC about 4 years ago.

[ember]

Went to a coffee can, and then... coinstar >< Ouch!

[Gamecock]

i never had much change due to using a card for all transactions. what little change i did have went into an empty butter tub to be rolled and cashed in once i had about $50 or so

[BlackOut]

I had been saving my change for the last 15 years, but less and less each year due to the frequent use of cards. now I try to buy everything with cash so I can sort thru what I get back in hopes of getting some good wild coins. I used to throw all my coins in a 5 gallon glass jug and I recently sorted through it and pulled a couple pounds of copper and a 1942 non war nickle which has a bit of value. other than that, I didn't find anything else, no silver or anything. When I was a kid, my mom taught me how to look for silver dimes and I had already pulled a few out of circulation from when I worked at a bowling alley when I was 15 so I guess that is why I didn't find anything in my change jug. Looking back, I wish I had sorted all the change we had there when I used to close down the register, 15 years ago I bet I missed a lot of great coins.

[avidbrandy]

What? Coins used to be made out of silver. That's ridiculous! You lie!

Surprisingly it seems the majority of people still don't know this.

[mflugher]

I always used to check for silver and for wheat pennies, thought about the 1982 pennies but never really did it. got a few bucks over the years but never activly searched for it. My friend works at a gas station and buys silver coins out of the register about once a week. its a nice little bonus for him...

[TheJonasCollegeFund]

Back in the day when I first started working in the steelmill they would give you a voucher when you worked at least 4 hours overtime. The change machine would take it and give you like around $6 in change. This went into a jar in my work locker. I worked alot of overtime when I first started out. All of these funds ended up going into the hot soup machine, the coffee machine for hot chocalate, and then the occasional pop machine!

All the change brought home at this time went into a big jug and this was taken to the bank once a year.

[HoardCopperByTheTon]

I used to roll it.. but I didn't have machines to roll it for me then.

[realfoot]

i too sorted for oldies and spent the rest.i now will stop to pickup a penny off the ground.you got a 50/50 chance it will be a copper.

[Gipper1985]

I rolled all of my change from when i was 16 or so until I became interested in collecting at a couple of years ago at 33. Since then have sorted the cents and returned most of the zincs. I have sorted and returned the dimes (no silver) because I am not a fan of FDR. I still have the nickles and quarters to go through but I have been so busy hand sorting cents I just have not made time for them yet. I don't expect any silver quarters, but there may be some war nickles. I try not to think of all the currency that flowed through my hands from the age of about 10 to 21 while I was working in retail family business. I was completely ignorant of what was out there. I did save all the wheats for my grandfather and eventually inherited his collection when he passed away several years ago.

[creshka46]

I always liked to check for wheat pennies but besides that I just put it all in a jar and cashed in when it got full. Another thing I did, which is still do now is to never pay exact change, then I would always have to break a dollar and my change pile would grow. My thinking is that I won't miss those few cents, but every couple months then I'll have $50 that I wasn't expecting.

[Know Common Cents]

Honestly, I've been sorting through rolls for over 50 years. I'm talking about the times when the Memorials were new and (somewhat) interesting. That faded pretty quickly after the big deal made about the '60 P and D small dates.

College years and heavy work years were not those in a collection or hoarding mode. More interested in women, beer and getting my college diploma. (Those three components tended to vary from time to time.) I always have checked my change. Like others, I rarely spend the change I receive and will pay for purchases with bills just to get the coin back.

The rejects get tossed into a big jug and taken to the bank once each year. I've been averaging about $600/yr in accumulated coin. I don't keep track of the cents and nickels that I divert into my own treasure trove, but happy there are still some "savers" available.

There were times in the early 1960s when I rode my bike to the bank and purchased silver dollars for face value. I was frequently disappointed since 1896 Morgans and 1922 Peace dollars seemed to be the only thing the banks ever had. I ended up spending the ones that were well worn or damaged, but still have some in my collection today.

I can't imagine a time when I'll be disinterested in looking through rolls and the change handed back to me from transactions. Likely it'll be when I'm in a nursing home running naked through the halls (still pursuing women). Guess some things never change, eh?

[Rob72830]

I have collected coins off and on since my teens. I would go thru my change for any keepers and then roll the rest and use for gas money. When times were rough, I sold my coins and when times got better, I started collecting again. I liked the story about the silver dollars. I was too young to be able to get them at the bank, but when I was 13 I bought my first Morgan thru an ad in Coins magazine. Paid $6.95 for an 1878 in XF condition. Wish I could do that again. I would buy a boatload of them.

[MikeyPooh]

I honestly don't remember what I used to do with my change... I'm guessing a combination of not using a lot of cash combined with occasionally rolling up whatever I had laying around.

Paid $6.95 for an 1878 in XF condition. Wish I could do that again. I would buy a boatload of them.

Man, you're telling me! I have the February 1999 issue of Coins and it half breaks my heart looking at the ads these days! SAE's for $7.70.... 1/10th GAE's for $36.75! (or ten for $359 lol) The real funny part is... I remember looking through ads like that and just thinking "ehh I'm sure they're overcharging" What I wouldn't give for a time machine!

[ScottyTX]

Umm I've always been very fond of my change and used to fight my older brothers off to get all the pennies. Who the heck wants a quarter when you can have 10 pennies Anywho always saved all my change and every once and a while I would cash it in at the bank a deposit it into a savings account. I still do this today with both of my kiddos puts a smile on my face to see them get so excited to drop some more change in their bank. My daughter is up to 1100.00+ starting to feel like my pants pockets are getting robbed .............