Where Have All The Nickels Gone ?

exactly whats happened is hard to say with any authority , but it just could be that more people are turning in change and diluting the pool , it may take more rolls searched to find the older coins which are still out there .

I have noticed in my pocket change that I'm getting BU or close to it State Quarters more frequently and older lincolns , they look like small hoards are being cashed in to make ends meet . of course these are just my opinion from my own experiances .

Thanks for the opinions guys. Gee, I'd like to intercept some of people wrapped coins before they get to CoinStar or other sorters. Just think of the unsearched treasures.

Irony: This thread was posted two days ago.

I just got a 1947-D Nickel in my change yesterday, a BU 1954-S not too long ago, and last year I got a 1938-S Nickel in my change.

There are tons of pre-80's Nickels in rolls here in Denver. Literally every roll I've opened this year has had at least one 1964-D in it, some had two or three! 1960-63 are also very common.

I find '40's/'50's regularly, and the 1939-D from a roll is my best find so far this year. (my best roll find last year was a 1935 Buffalo in VF with a full horn, that's pretty hard to beat!)


Me, too. I got some BU Westward Nickels in recent rolls, and some were "P"'s (which are very hard to find in Denver!) I've even been finding some Silver Dimes in my change at a rate I haven't seen since the early 1990's, so you know this is all due to massive numbers of coins being cashed in.


I've done this a few times! I keep a hand-crank coin sorter in my trunk, which is not much slower than the machine. An offer to pay full face beats the CoinStar's 8.9% vig, and the best situation is when the machine is broken (which is happening more often, due to increase in usage). Then I'll save the coin cashers the hassle (and gas money) of going to another place, as well as the 8.9% vig.

DNA you are quite the opportunist aren't you. What a great idea. Where can I get a hand cranked sorter? You're right about the CoinStar (and others) being down quite a bit. Maybe sitting beside some for a while would pay dividends in unsearched coins, as long as it's not the dump location for another searcher.

DNA, now I've got quite a mental image of you out in the parking lot...

To add some clarity to this image, I need some help:

1) Sitting Indian style with coin sorter in front of you.

2) Perhaps on your knees on the groud...like you are about to shoot some marbles.

3) Coin sorter balanced precariously on the bumper of the car.

4) Sorter down inside the trunk, with an occasional visit from a police officer to see what kind of deal might be going down.

5) Maybe you carry a small folding table?

6) Carry back to the entrance of the store, and ask the girl scouts if you can borrow some table space for a couple minutes.

Pickup truck would be ideal for this.

Anyway, thanks for sharing.

I know where all the Nickels are they are in my office......

No no no, it works like this: If I see a person head to the CoinStar, I offer to buy their coins at full face value. I explain that I have a coin sorter in the car, and I will return with it and sort the coins right there on top of the CoinStar machine, as they watch. I also bring a new style plastic 'coffee can' and a calculator. They can see each 'roll amount' as we go, I add them up, put them in the 'can', and pay them when finished.

I explain that I need the coins 'for my business', even though searching through them may be my primary 'business', in this case.

Today, the CoinStar at a grocery store was full. I got a 'customer'!

Saved from the CoinStar: 1927 (P) Cent (VF), 1935 (P) Cent (XF), 1946-S Cent (VG - some blackening), 1957-D Cent (XF) 1974-S Cent (AU - a bit of red left), 1955-D Nickel (VG), 1959-D Nickel (XF), 1970-S Nickel (XF - almost AU), 2008-P Nickel (BU), and the best one: 2009-D Log Cabin Cent (BU)

This is the first Log Cabin I've rescued from the CoinStar, versus getting them in my change

I looked at the 2008 Nickel again just now and saw that it's a "P", my first 2008-P Nickel (very hard to find in Denver, outside of a coin shop!)

There was also a BU 1999 (P) Cent, but it's not a variety (ie: " Wide AM" or RPM). Also a super-nice looking (at least MS-65) Wyoming-D Quarter, but this is CCF and nobody cares about State Quarters....

I talked just tonight to a clerk who is a friend of mine. She works in a convenience store five days a week. She still has never seen a single 2008 nickel!