Public Service Announcement: The Tsa And Flying With Rolled Coins

Had a similar story. I was shipping a few rolls of 40% and had a flight to catch. My memory said that airports have mailboxes, so in my rush I decided to bring it with me to the airport. TSA made me open the sealed box and remove the rolls. They did help me repack it, and all went fine.
I guess it kind of makes sense, rolls of metal in carry-on luggage....

I was traveling with one of my parrots once in a travel cage with clear views, and they tried to get me to send the bird through the x-ray machine :) Seriously. They were kinda annoyed when I chuckled and asked for the private screening.

It makes sense, really. Going through an x-ray machine, a roll of coins will just look like a metal cylinder, which could be anything from a CO2 cartridge to a pipe bomb. I didn't know they could detect different types of metal so this is very good advice.

Sure, no problem! I figured that there were probably other individuals here who might have this happen to them too, so a little forewarning could prove useful.

Thanks! I did indeed. I was able to obtain 19 40% silver half dollars with very little effort (all of them came from non-box sources), so I was quite happy with the overall results.




Yes, in retrospect, I recognize that it does. I couldn't quite tell if it was the rolls together or the roll of 40% silver that concerned them, but they did initially ask me if I was carrying silver. So, maybe they're actually on the lookout for items made out of silver (since it would be quite the non-standard material for an unscrupulous individual to craft something from).

The necessary repacking was the main reason I asked for a private screening. With the hustle and bustle of the standard security line, I just thought there would be too much pressure to toss everything back in the bags as quickly as possible if I conceded to have the search done in public.




Yes, I certainly understand why it concerned them. It was odd that they referred to it as "heavy metals," though; I thought that traditionally referred to things like the radioactive elements. It was also interesting that they immediately knew I had silver in my carry-ons.

Ha ha, definitely not! Fortunately I just collect U.S. coins. :)




That's definitely funny. One would think that a parrot doesn't have much "room" for someone to potentially stash something inside of its body!




I honestly didn't think it would be a problem, so now I know for next time. I just didn't want everyone to know I was carrying silver and/ or cash. Fortunately, like your experience, the search wasn't too bad overall- just surprising.

Me too!




In retrospect, it certainly does. The overall scenario just didn't occur to me when I tossed the coins in my bag.

Me neither! The very first thing they asked me when they pulled me off to the side was if I was carrying silver (without anyone opening the bag). So, the machine they use can detect both that- and probably the other precious metals too. As I stated above, they were somewhat vague with respect to whether it was the roll of silver that was the issue, and/or the rolls of regular clad half dollars.

I'm happy to help. I thought it would help if others had access to this information, since I don't believe the TSA publishes anything about it.




Ha ha, something tells me that the TSA agents wouldn't have that good of a sense of humor. Those were, at one point, their exact words too; I thought it odd that they referred to silver, copper, and nickel like that.

Thanks! Fortunately it wasn't too much of a hassle (besides the top-to-bottom search), and I did have a little time to spare. I guess that's why they always say to allow extra time for security! I had no idea something like that would happen.

Wow, I can certainly imagine. With respect to my own bag's x-ray, the technician looking at the scans asked me what I had in my bag that was shaped like a heart. For some reason, that specific shape deeply concerned them, but I honestly had no idea what they were talking about. Fortunately they eventually searched both my bags anyway, so I didn't have to stand there and try to figure it out.

I've always found it is best to let them know what you are transporting upfront and to ask for a private screening. It has always worked out ok for me and with minimal inconvenience.

He most likely flipped through your book to make sure it wasn't a hollowed out one. Many places sell books were the majority of the pages (usually save for the last and first few pages) have a large chunk cut out in the middle, the intention being to hide anything from valuables to a whiskey flask to a gun.

YN, I think it was more of a volume thing, he had these rolled up in coin rolls, which are cylindrical, which could have been a few things. if you were to toss some pocket change in the tray to be scanned they are expecting this, and would probably not have had such issues.