Is This Odd That My Bank Does This?

I worked in a credit union and we used to do this. If someone came in with loose halves, we would go through them and buy out the silver at face value. I think they mean they go through it as individuals, not that the bank is explicitly asking its employees to search for silver halves/dimes/quarters.

i think you ran into a fellow coin collector..he was keeping you from checking out his personal stash
he lieing,,he is not unwrapping the coins and looking at each one..

A Teller at my bank said she took a half hour explaining to an old guy that he would get more money taking his Morgan's and Peace's to the coin shop, she could only give him a buck a piece.

It's not at all unusual. Some banks will not allow employees to purchase any kind of koin off the line, and policy dictates they educate customers on collectibles, and refuse deposit.

Otoh, only heaven knows why one would volunteer that they were "looking for silver".

Usually, the only time ethics are involved is when bank policy prevents tellers from sniping silver for themselves.

As a roll hunter for many years, I have learned to never give any education to tellers regarding my silver hunting exploits, especially new tellers. It's the fastest way to see your finds dry up.

When I ordered a box of halves from my bank I was totally upfront with them. I told them I was a coin collector (not a silver hoarder) and just wanted to try and build a set of Kennedy halves for my collection. They were more than happy to help, though of course I was just interested in one box and don't plan on doing it every week (I'll probably order a box every couple of months to ferret out additional circulated proofs and NIFC I still need). I actually went to the bank manager first and she took me to the teller. Both were very pleasant and the teller said she could order for me any time I wanted.

When my wife worked at a particular bank branch, a manager competed with her for silver. The manager trained new tellers to save her silver. I always thought that was a sketchy move.

"Not only do I not find it weird, I find it refreshing."

I agree. Even though we all often get our best finds from ignorance, imagine being on the opposite end! If you had something that was worth 14x what you were selling it for, wouldn't it be nice if someone along the way was honest with you?