"Bank Teller Cheat Sheet" Project

@All: Thanks for the feedback.

I guess I don't have the same concern for handing over a piece of paper to a teller. I do it all the time for work deposits in the form of deposit/bank slips, or even typed up letters/instructions from my boss to the bank. I think if you are friendly and speak your intent before showing the paper, they won't over react. Simply saying "Hi, I'm a coin collector, and I was wondering if you have this coin/these coins in your drawer I can exchange for paper money?" and wait for a confirmation/answer from the teller before shoving the list in their face.

I also should clarify: a few replies seemed to imply that I was going to attempt to leave the paper with the banker, which wasn't my intention. I'd leave with the paper, either after the teller looked at it, or after the banker refused to help. I wouldn't ask the teller to hold on to the paper. That would just be rude.

It also isn't super realistic for me to carry an example of a coin with me every time I go to the bank. I see that as a bigger hassle.


I did a test run of this today: at work I printed onto a 3x5 card a front and back picture of a Franklin and I brought that with me to a bank on my lunch break, and a bank on the way home from work. I exchanged rolls of dimes at one, and pennies at another. After getting my coins, I simply said I was looking for a particular coin, and if I showed them a picture of it, could they check their drawer for it. Both said yes, both took a look in their drawer. No luck, but I didn't have any negative vibes from them.

Will try it a few more times and let you know how it goes.

Yeah, I think the way you are doing it with the 3x5 card is a great idea, but I think you should have a picture of a WL half too. They are still found at banks. Or asking for any half dollars without Kennedy on them might be even better?

@Wquinn: Thats a good idea, I'll be adding that to to the card, or maybe the back.

@Conder: I don't really agree with the idea that I am asking them to do the searching for me. I've never had a teller assume I was asking them to open up rolls of coins looking for coins, but am only referring to any loose coins and hopefully only coins they may only have a small handful of. Its why I wouldn't ask if they had anything like Mercury dimes, Buffalo nickles, or LWC (LOL), because those are probably not just sitting in the drawer but mixed in with the other coins or in a roll.

Or that I expect them to just "give it" to me, because I think we all know that if the teller has two Franklin half dollars, I'm giving the teller a dollar bill for them, even money exchange. Or are you saying that someone at the bank can't say which coins they want to get in exchange (ie: Someone can't ask if a teller has "Franklin" half dollars, they can only ask if there are any "Half Dollars" in the drawer, and if the response is yes, they can only hope they are Franklins when they get them?).

And while I've never had a teller refuse to look at all, I do have tellers that don't look and say: "No, I haven't seen any of those coins in my drawer today." Most of them are friendly and I believe them. I know of 3 tellers at different banks that are just saying no because they don't want to look. I don't go to their windows when they are working, either for coin hunting business, work business, or personal business, because I don't think they are very good at customer service.

Went to three banks today to exchange rolls:

Bank 1 had a friendly teller who took the card to look through their drawer and came up empty.
Bank 2 I had never been to before, the teller took one look at the card, and recognized the image, and had a 62 Franklin.
Bank 3 took a look at the card and said he didn't have any.

1 out of 3? I'll take it!

Yes, it is surprising they don't know they are silver, but then again, most people don't know anything about the money in the US that they use. Like something like Ben Franklin said, if you think education is expensive, try ignorance.

Center Pin, I have a similar strategy for skittish or unfriendly/clueless tellers. My collection is intended as an heirloom for my nieces (ages 3 and T-minus 3mos), and when tellers get nervous (I had one lady at my bank branch start acting like she thought I was going to stick up the place), I just tell them I'm a collector looking for cool stuff to pass on to the kids in my family. Instant melt.

I am going to steal this...