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I started on this interesting hobby about 3 weeks ago. Surprisingly, the toughest part has been getting the unsorted pennies. I have tried 6 banks. At first I started small not to bite off too much you know. My first 2 banks I got $6 worth with just a little funny look at one place. Next, I brought the zinc from the first $12 plus some other coins from around the house to the only bank I know with a coinstar and it is also my home bank. I grab $8 worth there with out any trouble, but I also dumped there so I am not sure how long I need to wait to hit it again.
Then Monday, I decided it was time to take a shot. I stopped by a little bank on my way home an asked for a $25 box of pennies. The teller looked at me like I had 2 heads then said " I don't know... Do you have an account here?" I told her no and she said she could only give change to account holders. So I decided maybe I should stick with low amounts. At the next bank, I asked for $5 worth and teller told me that they had no pennies! I finally went back to the only bank that had a nice teller and got $6 more. How do you manage to get all those pennies?

Welcome to the forum. One thing that you will find is that it is almost essential to have accounts with multiple banks. Second, don't be afraid to ask for the pennies. Be bold and smile. Be up front with them about what you are doing. Good luck.

Don't ask if you can have a box of pennies, tell them you need a box. No need to be rude or bossy, but if you choose your words carefully it will help. And yeah, open some accounts. Better yet, before opening an account ask them if they can order a couple boxes a week for you if you open an account. If they won't, just go to another bank. They should not mind a small weekly order. Don't give up!

i would always ask banks to order me a box/boxes of pennies

most of the small banks i dealt with never seemed to have $25 they could spare that day - but were always glad to add to next weeks order for me

definately have accounts at multiple banks - and never return where you picked up

I get alot of my co-workers' penny banks to go through. There are pennies everywhere!

Just a thought!

How much does it normally run to keep an account open at most banks. Do you do checking or savings?

How many bank accounts do you guys have open?

Coinage wrote:How many bank accounts do you guys have open?

I have accounts at 10 banks

Most of your problem obtaining coins is in your mind. Don't be afraid to ask for $100 or more in pennies in a single trip. Most banks will have at most four boxes in the vault. They are often happy to get rid of them. They will ask you what you are doing with them out of curiosity, and you can simply truthfully tell them that you are looking for old coins.

Just keep smilin'. Some of my largest penny orders were at banks where I don't even have an account, but I have stopped in often enough to be a familiar face. I regularly get two boxes from other banks where I have no account, and have purchased as many as four--it depends on how many they have on hand.

I have a somewhat regular route that I traverse every week. There are other banks I hit every two to three weeks. I generally ask if they have a box or two of pennies I can buy. There are a few banks where I know they're kinda stingy with the boxes (like those branches in grocery stores), so I just ask if they have any extra pennies I can buy. (I'll often get customer wrapped rolls from them.) Six bucks? Okay! Thirty bucks? Awesome! I never really know how many CWRs they've been hit with, and they seemed relieved to get rid of them. I've bought as much as $60 in CWRs on a "cold call".

Now this is for when I haven't ordered pennies, or I have extra cash I can spend on coin. When you're more organized, and when you've established some rapport, you'll be ordering boxes a week in advance.

I have accounts at several banks, and I'll be opening more. I sign up for free checking accounts with debit cards. When I dump coins I usually fill out a deposit slip while the machine is churning, and then hit the ATM as I depart. (One account requires me to use my debit card once a month to avoid a monthly fee.) I don't buy any checks.

when i was running good i had accounts at 5 banks - all savings with an atm card

i never kept more than the minimum required in them

only had standing orders at 3 - hit the others up when i could

it helped to go in and deposit a couple hundred bucks - then ask for whatever pennies they could spare

seemed they were kinder if they thought you were a top customer

then pennies or no pennies hit the atm later and take it right back out

By asking my primary bank they order 6 boxes at a time with no issue. When I dump at the credit union I always ask to buy what they can sell me from their drawer. I have about 4 banks that will not sell to me at all and a couple that I have bought from that have now said only if I pay extra which I politely decline. Others where I can score a box or two every 3 weeks or so. As others have said don't be afraid to ask and be nice about it. Tomorrow I am going to see if a bank I also dump at will order me a couple of boxes and then off to a credit union that I am not familiar with to see if they have bags they will sell me. Persistance will pay off, good luck, and yes I have multiple accounts.

Regarding the subject line...

...That's what she said!

Somebody had to say it. ^_^

So some things you will need.

a vehicle, a bank that has more than one location (the more banks the better) and a steady cash flow to float the hobby.

Everyone has been where you are now. It's all about feeling out those friendly tellers/vault managers. Each branch is different and will tell you different stories about what you can and cannot get away with. Hopefully you live in an area where there are a lot of banks, with friendly staff, and these banks have coin counters.

If you are hand sorting, i'd simply ask if you could start a standing order of 4 boxes a week. Standing order means they will order you a previously agreed amount each week and you will be expected to collect them at a set time that is also agreed upon before this is established. As orders get larger you may opt to simply call in and place orders as needed. Most banks place orders with armor transports once a week. So you could also just call in before they order each week. Some order twice a week but that was a rarity in my area.

reJinx just curious where are you from?

To me it seemed easier to order pennies from a small branch, I only do three boxs a week but they have no problem ordering me three boxs a week. They only have three or four bank employess so now they all know me and as soon as I walk in they go get my pennies and when I leave they say "see you next week, have a good weekend". There are almost never any other customers in the bank so I think that makes it easier since they don't have to go into the vault while a bunch of people wait in line.

The pennies get dumped at a much larger branch that has a coin counter in the lobby, they seem to always have different tellers and a rarely get the same teller in a month. I still don't think anyone has noticed that the same person walks in with a bucket of pennies every week.

Another thing you should try out is finding alternative sources of pennies. If you see a donation jar somewhere, ask the local representative if they'll be keen on having someone count the jars for them or offer to buy the entire lot to save them the back trouble of hauling the coins to the bank when needed (with an extra few bucks topped on. Good Karma points!!).

Talk your brother into marrying a bank manager. Endless supply of any denomination you want...That's what i did anyway...

I seem to have good luck going in to branches and asking to buy $5 in pennies. You'll eventually develop a route where you can hit multiple banks/CUs in a row all in one trip.

the hardest part for most is returning (dumping) the zinc pennies.

if you go to a bank and they won't give you pennies, ask them if they have half dollars.

If you go to a bank and they say they don't have any pennies, ask if they want any

NHsorter wrote:If you go to a bank and they say they don't have any pennies, ask if they want any

Hahaha! I did that once--one of my regular contacts had messed up her coin order for the week. I happened to have a couple boxes of zincs, and she was happy to take them off my hands.

JobIII wrote:reJinx just curious where are you from?

South Louisiana, Cajun country

bookshelf wrote:I seem to have good luck going in to branches and asking to buy $5 in pennies. You'll eventually develop a route where you can hit multiple banks/CUs in a row all in one trip.

I started out this way. I would go to the drive-thrus and just say, "I need $5 in pennies please." I would stop at several banks in a day if I was out driving for work and have never been denied at the drive-thru. That started to get silly and I was surprised at how easily the banks would sell boxes, or order them for me, when I finally decided to ask. All branches of my bank will order boxes and I've had other banks say they would order them if I was a customer. Now, I really need to find a place to dump ... I've got quite a few zincs now I need to get rid of. I'm thinking of just calling banks to ask if I can bring in significant amounts of cents. Can't hurt.

Just make the jump! Order one box, then 2, then 4, then 20. Enjoy the addiction.

Boxes are okay. So are CWR's (Customer Wrapped Rolls if you didn't know). I take them all don't get me wrong. But I do not even open the boxes. Save them for later. The real gold mine is getting the bags off the banks that you DO NOT dump at. No rolls to crack and usually some dimes or other goodies in them. I've found gold jewelry, silver dimes (Roosevelts and a few Merc's as well), cool foreign coins, and tons of other oddities. I've had several bags with large amounts of wheats and Indians. You never know what you'll find.

Check for a coin counter in the lobbies of the branches you visit. Ask a bank that you belong to if they accept loose change if they don't have a lobby machine. If so they have a machine in back. Just ask if you can buy the penny bags off their machine. Never hurts to ask. Don't dump and pickup at the same place. It works for some, but it can be the end of a friendly branch.

Most important thing, if you have a standing order ALWAYS pick them up. Don't stick the bank with coin it doesn't want. If they say they have extra, take them. You'll soon be the penny guy, hehe. Bribe the tellers of friendly branches with candy, drinks, whatever. Goes a long way trust me.

Oh yeah, welcome, hehe.

Deal