Banks, Large Or Small?

I'm starting out this way bc it's what I mostly can afford & bacon hoping to find a gem or two (ok more like a few more than that) to sell to jump start the purchasing aspect of coin collecting bc my budget is kind of tight atm. Like $20/mo tight.

I did find a gem yesterday. I still need to take better pics but I will be posting it over the next few days, as I have a very busy Thurs-Monday ahead of me.

I found a 1998 Wide AM in what looks like to me, at the very least an MS60. I SOOOO cannot wait to get opinions!!

I have found that waiting till the the end of the month presents better results from roll hunting. I came to the conclusion that the masses were getting low on money, and not knowing what they have roll up the old coin collections. I have only roll searched from the small local banks in my area, so I can't contribute to your original question,sorry.

Hi, My strategy is as follows: I own several accounts with the same national chain (savings, checking, etc.). The local branches know me from my normal banking transactions, so asking for rolls is never a problem, and just showing my bank card at any other branches is not a problem either. I am fortunate that there are no less than 10 branches between my home and work (a 50 mile commute). I have obtained rolls from all of these at various times and have indeed found that a few of these produce some better coins than others.

One branch in particular usually has mostly customer wrapped rolls, but the others have mostly machine wrapped rolls which do still produce, but not as frequently as the CWRs. Recently, I got a roll of entirely wheats (CWR) from this branch, along with some older wheats and nickels. One of the other branches seems to produce quite a few Canadian coins, although I live ~600 miles from Canada.

I also live only a few miles from a neighboring state which also has many local branches. These seem to have about the same results as my state, but no one branch seems to produce better than the others. However, it is fun to try branches when I am on vacation to other states, also. That's the advantage of a nationwide bank.

I am thinking of now starting a small savings account at another national bank (with many branches), just to have access to an andless supply.

I usually use my Credit Union as my "dump bank".

Jo,
Bank branch results often differ, even with national banks. Telling you my experience with national/regional/local institutions would likely be misleading. You either have to 'put in the time' or know another CRHer in your area that is willing to give you the information.

I would suggest sticking with your 4 local institutions. You need to search 25 boxes of coin to draw any real conclusions. Based on you CRHing budget, I'm guessing you haven't looked through enough coin at your local 4. Also, I think you'd be better off adding the gas money to your CRHing budget than driving to another county.

That said, I do have a suggestion based on your situation. If you find yourself in a bigger town, you could do some bank hopping. Take the $20 and go bank to bank asking for halves or customer wrapped rolls. Search, save the keepers, exchange the remaining coin for cash, then repeat the process at another bank. This is fun and gives you the best chance at finding valuables on a small budget.

Good luck and I hope you hit it big!

@accordselux - see pics of my 1998 Wide AM.

Are you right in that it's in AU condition or am I right in that it's in MS condition?













Crappy lighting but I've uploaded several for you to get an idea. I also have more.

I look forward to hearing back from you soon!