Bank Teller Wanting To Start Collecting Coins

I would love to work at a bank, but I wouldn't get anything done. You would find me sitting in the vault all day.

First of all,. Wheat Cents are a great place to start. Start assembling different dates and mint marks and before you know it, you will be well on your way. The Lincoln Wheat cent was minted from 1909-1958. 1959-present is the current Memorial reverse. Also, keep an eye out for any silver dimes(1964 & earlier)quarters(1964 & earlier)half dollars(1970 & earlier). Since you work as a teller, these would be the most common coin types. Have fun and good luck!

My advice to you comes with a story. lol
Last year I went to the bank to get rolls of change. This time for laundry not collecting. As the teller put the coins on the counter (in rolls) another teller came rushing over, opened my rolls and began picking through for the collectibles..... right there in front of me!! Needless to say, don't do this! I was so offended at having to stand there until she was done so I could get the rest of my rolls obviously irritated me enough to switch branches.

My best advice to you is watch for people bringing in rolls of change that are obviously older or from canada :) maybe keep a spare roll or 2 aside or in your bag to be able to trade out when you see a roll you'd like to sort through.

there, I talked your ear off. Happy hunting and good luck with your new hobby.

malissa

Which banks have counting machines for the customers to use in the lobby? I've only seen them in credit unions, and they wanted 4% to use them. Forget that!

My wife has worked in the banking field for about 15 years and I wish this was something she would have been involved in, it took until a few months ago for me to help and then she just recently quit her job. What she would do for me was get any new rolls that came in from customers and set them aside in her drawer then at the end of the day she would sell them to another teller and purchase them for herself (like comment above). I would then hurry and go through them for the main dated I did not have, older coins and errors and then re-wrap them up and turn them back in for rolls in the vault that had been sitting there for awhile. Since I mainly collect LMC's that is what I focused on and was able to go through every roll in the vault.

The difficult part I see in the process is collecting and not looking like you are stealing or not enough attention in your job. But, there are certain things that will always pop out at you during the day and it is easy enough to set that aside. I would also suggest looking through your bills now and then as well. The things you are looking for there are: 1. star notes, any bill that has a star next to the serial number. These always give you a little premium especially if they are older. 2. radar notes, a note that has the same number forwards and backwards. 3. A low serial number, the closer to zero the better. 4. A birthday note, where the serial number is the same 4 digits, ex: 19121912 and of course 5. any $500 or bigger denomination, even in bad condition you can most likely double your money on these.

A couple last rambling thoughts...collect what YOU want and what YOU like. Everyone has their opinion on what to collect but you are the one that keeps it and enjoys it, so find something in those lines. You also have a unique opportunity of where you work and the idea of collecting entire rolls may be of interest as well. Depending on what part of the country you are on you can easily trade these with others that may have the other mint and allowing you a complete set.

Welcome to the forum!

I suggest you purchase a Red Book (A Guide Book of United States coins by R. S. Yeoman). It's not a great price guide (though it can give you a general idea), but it is a wealth of great information about U. S. coins. I think this book will give you a lot of useful info and will help a lot with your collecting decisions.

Saving anything that looks weird or coins that are dated 1964 and earlier because those are silver (except the nickels and the pennies).