"Found Change" totals to date.

[twistidd]

"Found Change" totals to date.

I've always picked up coins on the ground as I noticed them. Penny by penny, they usually accumulate in my coin jars that also hold the coins I receive in change. This year, I began a project to see just how much I found in one year's time. These coins are found only by eyeball, not detector, and do not include any coins I received in change. Sources of these coins include, but are not limited to, the ground, CoinStars, and vending machine coin returns. In many instances, there were coins I noticed but couldn't get to because I was in a hurry, etc. Had I gathered those ones too, the figures would have been much higher. I was surprised at the figures, regardless.

Pennies: 294 (including 1958 and 1944 wheats)
Nickels: 12
Dimes: 58
Quarters: 13
Dollar bills: 3
Twenty-dollar bills: 1

Total in US currency found, if my crude calculations are accurate: A penny short of $35.00!

I also found foreign coins at the CoinStar: Too many to count

Two tokens, several peices of play money (plastic coins), keys, a watch band, an "Irish" charm, and a 14K white gold earring found at Blockbuster.

I know this is nothing compared to a year of detecting, but this was all accomplished by doing nothing more than I would have done: shopping, walking around, etc. $35.00 will buy dinner for two at my favorite Thai restaurant, so that sounds good to me!

I'm going to get past the $35 mark, as the year isn't over yet.

Joe

 

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[Brett]

Re: "Found Change" totals to date.

Really cool project Joe!

I know what you mean about not being able to get to some finds... I was strapped into the Superman ride at Great America and saw countless coins and earrings laying on the grating below as we were coming back into the gates.

Looks like someone wiped their butt with one of those dollars... eww.

 

[Lowbatts]

Re: "Found Change" totals to date.

Good eye balling Joe!
Get out and drive around the busy grocery store/supremarket parking lots right now as the plowed snow is melting. Might double your year's totals in one or two passes.

Me and the group I used to work with at Mot in L'ville would go out on a break or lunch once or twice a week to the plowed snow pile as it melted away and recover huge amounts. Most in the form of the debit cards used in the vending machines there. Many name badge holders with 2, 5, 10 or more dollars cash also. It was very common for us to have a large pizza party on Friday each week with our finds. Tools, jewelry, pagers and phones also came out of those snow banks. It beat every other parkiing lot I'd ever hunted and I've done a lot of them in that manner.

 

[treasurefiend]

Re: "Found Change" totals to date.

Awesome job spyin that loot!!!!

 

[watercolor]

Re: "Found Change" totals to date.

If I had to guess, I think my total would only be around the $12.00 My oldest son however, blew this total out of the water yesterday shoveling grampa's sidewalk. . . he found an envelope under the snow that said "santa" and it had a $100 bill inside. I told him that he should leave it by the fireplace next Christmas but he wasn't buying it

 

[twistidd]

Re: "Found Change" totals to date.

Thanks for the replies! The most productive spots for dropped/abandonded coins have been:

-CoinStars
-The floor near cash registers at any store (more often at groceries).
-CVS Pharmacy (they are all carpeted and patrons don't here the "clang" of the coins falling!)
-At the pick-up window of any fast-food joint (always coins here, but not always easy to get due to the space restraints).

The dollar bill that looks like it has poo on it was found on the front lawn of an 1880's apartment building that was slated for demolition the very next day, in Lakeview. Ironically, when I got to the backyard, it became apparent that the tenants had one or more large dogs and never picked up after them. To make matters worse, it had rained very heavily the night before, so I ended up digging pulltabs and about two zinc Lincolns in the mud/dog crap slurry. Quite possibly the worst detecting excursion I've had all year. Maybe I'll keep that dollar, it will always remind me of the ridiculous things I do for some old coins!

Joe

 

[Brett]

Re: "Found Change" totals to date.

That's nasty Joe! You really want it badly don't you!

If a $10 bill was under a pile of dog crap, I would leave it! Now if I had a ziplock baggie with me, I MIGHT grab it... but it sure would suck to clean it off. And it would always smell like crap. I'd wash it off and spend it ASAP!

Ever get silver in the CoinStars?

 

[twistidd]

Re: "Found Change" totals to date.

That's nasty Joe! You really want it badly don't you!

If a $10 bill was under a pile of dog crap, I would leave it! Now if I had a ziplock baggie with me, I MIGHT grab it... but it sure would suck to clean it off. And it would always smell like crap. I'd wash it off and spend it ASAP!

Ever get silver in the CoinStars?

No silver yet, though I have gotten some wheaties. Mostly, I find tokens or coins from other countries.

 

[Lowbatts]

Re: "Found Change" totals to date.

Doggy doo doo dollar, icky.
One night after work at a bar I found a $10 spot in the urinal. Grabbed a paper towel and lifted it carefully, ran it under the hot water in the sink for a few minutes. It had been whizzed on and spit on. Go figure. After rinsing it I tamped it dry with a couple paper towels then went to the bar and bought a soda pop with it. Told the folks at the table and one of my buds from work said he saw it to and just went on it, no way would he pick it up with anything.

Several minutes later he went to the toilet, came back and told me, "Hey, I saw some quarters in there too! You gonna get them?"

"No small change tonight." I said. Then let it pass for a while and while throwing some darts, I went to the toilet and it looked like he (or someone) had tossed three quarters in there. Remembering his taunt, I wetted three quarters that were in my pocket and came out with them in my hand. Walked over to him and casually held out my hand as if to give him something and caught him unaware. Dropped the three wet quarters in his hand and said, "Got 'em, now load up the cricket game."

Yeah, he got, how would you say? Very urinated.

 

[Brett]

Re: "Found Change" totals to date.

Dude, that's an awexome story Tim. I'm all smiles.