# 12 Years of Change Collecting + Coinstar = $?? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [October 17, 2012, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-years-of-change-collecting-coinstar/638052 "2012-10-17T19:39:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mcgato](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac8455/32.png) [@mcgato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mcgato)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2012, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-years-of-change-collecting-coinstar/638052/1 "2012-10-17T19:39:38Z")
Since I am moving soon, I decided that it is time to turn in the change to Coinstar (for Amazon gift card). How much did I get out of it all, in US dollars? I’ll take guesses through tomorrow or so, then post the answer in a spoiler box. Background on me. I live in New Jersey and I hate to deal with change. Whenever I get it, I toss it in a mug or beer pitcher. I frequently cull the quarters so that I can do the laundry. The current collection started over 12 years ago when I moved here. I rarely use debit cards, so it is usually cash for groceries, fast food, beer, etc. If you feel that you need more details, ask away. There is no prize to this contest. ---
**Author:** ![PandaBear77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@PandaBear77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PandaBear77)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2012, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-years-of-change-collecting-coinstar/638052/2 "2012-10-17T19:40:49Z")
$728.87 ---
**Author:** ![picker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/picker/32/13969_2.png) [@picker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picker)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2012, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-years-of-change-collecting-coinstar/638052/3 "2012-10-17T19:43:08Z")
$728.88 ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2012, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-years-of-change-collecting-coinstar/638052/4 "2012-10-17T19:48:56Z")
$1275.31 ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2012, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-years-of-change-collecting-coinstar/638052/5 "2012-10-17T19:53:57Z")
$1035.13 I know about how much change I generate in a year under similar principles, so I’m thinking I’m close. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2012, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-years-of-change-collecting-coinstar/638052/6 "2012-10-17T19:56:22Z")
I don’t suppose we get some hint as to the volume you had collected? Hm…you must get a lot of change, but not many quarters left. $2098.07 ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2012, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-years-of-change-collecting-coinstar/638052/7 "2012-10-17T20:16:00Z")
$978.27 ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2012, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-years-of-change-collecting-coinstar/638052/8 "2012-10-17T20:21:01Z")
$728.89 ---
**Author:** ![awldune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@awldune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/awldune)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2012, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-years-of-change-collecting-coinstar/638052/9 "2012-10-17T20:39:38Z")
$0.60 a day sounds reasonable, which would be about $2,600 over 12 years. But you have probably halved the value by taking out most of the quarters. So let’s say about $1,300. ---
**Author:** ![Nawth\_Chucka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c57346/32.png) [@Nawth\_Chucka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nawth_Chucka)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2012, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-years-of-change-collecting-coinstar/638052/10 "2012-10-17T20:41:48Z")
$327.77 And a crapload of Canadian from them Quebecers busing down to Atlantic City. ---
**Author:** ![Troppus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a587f6/32.png) [@Troppus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troppus)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2012, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-years-of-change-collecting-coinstar/638052/11 "2012-10-17T20:44:21Z")
One dollar, Bob!! ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2012, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-years-of-change-collecting-coinstar/638052/12 "2012-10-17T20:48:30Z")
$266.58 And you MUST repeat the following line, which I heard last year from a Coinstar user: “This coin says “10 euro cent”. Must be a Mexican coin.” :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2012, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-years-of-change-collecting-coinstar/638052/13 "2012-10-17T20:50:34Z")
Two dollars, Drew! ---
**Author:** ![Apocalypso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Apocalypso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apocalypso)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-years-of-change-collecting-coinstar/638052/14 "2012-10-18T01:48:35Z")
$8,283 I sneaked in and counted it 😛 ---
**Author:** ![mkecane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9e8a1a/32.png) [@mkecane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mkecane)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-years-of-change-collecting-coinstar/638052/15 "2012-10-18T01:59:11Z")
> [@picker](#): > > $728.88 lol, I’m laughing far more at this than I should. $987.65 ---
**Author:** ![harmonicamoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/65b543/32.png) [@harmonicamoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/harmonicamoon)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-years-of-change-collecting-coinstar/638052/16 "2012-10-18T02:14:05Z")
I believe Coin Star wants 10% of the action. I went to my bank and they cashed it in for free! You might look into it. ---
**Author:** ![mcgato](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac8455/32.png) [@mcgato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mcgato)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-years-of-change-collecting-coinstar/638052/17 "2012-10-18T02:34:40Z")
> [@harmonicamoon](#): > > I believe Coin Star wants 10% of the action. I went to my bank and they cashed it in for free! You might look into it. I got it in Amazon gift card credits with 0% taken away. If I had gone for cash, it would have been around a 9 or 10 percent skim for Coinstar. My bank doesn’t do this, so this was my only option outside of rolling them myself. Considering the amount of coins that I would have to roll, that was not an option for me. I think that Amazon is hoping that I won’t redeem all of the value of the gift cards, so that is how they make their skim. I will say that there have been some freakishly close guesses to the amount that I redeemed. As I said earlier, I’ll post the amount inside a spoiler box some time tomorrow. Although considering the response so far, I may just post the total and put the thread to rest. ---
**Author:** ![Nawth\_Chucka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c57346/32.png) [@Nawth\_Chucka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nawth_Chucka)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-years-of-change-collecting-coinstar/638052/18 "2012-10-18T02:35:27Z")
> [@harmonicamoon](#): > > I believe Coin Star wants 10% of the action. I went to my bank and they cashed it in for free! You might look into it. When you get a gift card instead of cashing your receipt you get the full amount from Coinstar. ETA - Oh! He’s going to tell! He’s going to tell! ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-years-of-change-collecting-coinstar/638052/19 "2012-10-18T14:04:48Z")
Given the volume you are apparently cashing in (or have cashed in), were you allowed to do it in one shot, did the machine limit what you can cash in at once, or did you fill the machine’s own hopper? ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-years-of-change-collecting-coinstar/638052/20 "2012-10-18T14:15:49Z")
$1300.02. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-years-of-change-collecting-coinstar/638052.md?page=2)