# Formula for estimating change in a jar?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/formula-for-estimating-change-in-a-jar/671751
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [October 20, 2013, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/formula-for-estimating-change-in-a-jar/671751 "2013-10-20T21:16:42Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 3
### Author:  [@Learjeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Learjeff)
#### Post date: [October 22, 2013, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/formula-for-estimating-change-in-a-jar/671751/41 "2013-10-22T19:08:59Z")
Missed the edit window. It’s $20/lb for dimes and quarters, and the whole thing was closer to $1200. Also, the guy whose bottle it was had started tossing only pennies in and then switched at about 5" depth to tossing all the change in.
I believe the water cooler bottle was 5 gal, so that’s $240/gal.
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### Author:  [@Yarster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yarster)
#### Post date: [October 22, 2013, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/formula-for-estimating-change-in-a-jar/671751/42 "2013-10-22T19:46:36Z")
I also use an old glass Vlassic pickle jar I keep in the garage for all my loose change, which I dump from my wallet on my way in from the garage every day. Before the holidays each year, I take it down to the Coinstar machine and convert it into an Amazon gift card (at no cost), which is then used to start my holiday shopping for gifts. Based on my own experience, half a pickle jar nets me around $120. I’m not sure if mine is a gallon. I think it’s more like a half gallon.
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### Author:  [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)
#### Post date: [October 22, 2013, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/formula-for-estimating-change-in-a-jar/671751/43 "2013-10-22T21:01:44Z")
I would find some appropriately sized scoop, say a half-measuring cup, but the size of the scoop doesn’t matter as long as I can use it to reach in there and pull out a representative sample of the jar’s contents. I’d take out two or three scoopfuls, and average the distribution across all of them.
Then I’d weigh the entire lot of coins and assume that the average distribution from the last stop is reasonably close to the total distribution, and calculate the total based on that.
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### Author:  [@SmellMyWort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmellMyWort)
#### Post date: [October 22, 2013, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/formula-for-estimating-change-in-a-jar/671751/44 "2013-10-22T21:37:25Z")
> [@Telemark](#):
>
> All the Coinstar machines I’ve used have an option for getting gift cards that are at face value, no percentage cut for the house.
And sometimes, typically around Christmas, they have promotions where you’ll get an extra $10 gift card if you change in at least $50.
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### Author:  [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)
#### Post date: [October 24, 2013, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/formula-for-estimating-change-in-a-jar/671751/45 "2013-10-24T04:23:33Z")
> [@Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](#):
>
> I do the coffee can thing, fill it to the brim, and it’s remarkable how close it comes to $105 every time. I’ve won prizes from the Coinstar machine for guessing the total value within a certain range. I always guess $105. Last time I was only 16 cents off, which amazed the teller.
I assume you mean filled with only pennies. I’ve never seen a Coinstar with the ‘prize guessing’ option, have to look for it…
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### Author:  [@Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellis_Aponte_Jr)
#### Post date: [October 24, 2013, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/formula-for-estimating-change-in-a-jar/671751/46 "2013-10-24T04:43:22Z")
> [@Hail\_Ants](#):
>
> I assume you mean filled with only pennies. I’ve never seen a Coinstar with the ‘prize guessing’ option, have to look for it…
I should have clarified that… The machine I use is not a Coinstar brand machine, but rather a machine made by another company that works the same basic way as a Coinstar. It’s called a Penny Arcade. And my coffee can is filled with all kinds of coins, in their normal distribution.
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### Author:  [@Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellis_Aponte_Jr)
#### Post date: [October 24, 2013, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/formula-for-estimating-change-in-a-jar/671751/47 "2013-10-24T04:59:26Z")
[This is a good walk-through](http://whitneyhess.com/blog/2009/08/22/td-banks-penny-arcade/) of the Penny Arcade coin guessing process.
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### Author:  [@JBDivmstr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JBDivmstr)
#### Post date: [October 24, 2013, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/formula-for-estimating-change-in-a-jar/671751/48 "2013-10-24T06:53:25Z")
> [@Superhal](#):
>
> …
> _**But, i also separated all the copper pennies 3.1 gram) from the zincs (2.5 grams.)**_
(bolding mine)
> [@turtlescanfly](#):
>
> _ **1.000 Lbs=172 Pennies** _=91 Nickels=210 Dimes=80 Quarters
> (USA coins)
>
> I Only Had Enough Dimes For 1/10 lb, So I Multiplied By 10
> Only Had Enough Quarters For 1/4 Lb So Multiplied By 4.
(bolding mine)
:nitpick: It looks like you must have had some ‘copper’ pennies mixed in with ‘zinc’ pennies if you got 172/lb. All copper pennies would be 145/lb. and all zinc pennies would be 180/lb. (using **Superhal** ’s findings). 😉
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### Author:  [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)
#### Post date: [October 24, 2013, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/formula-for-estimating-change-in-a-jar/671751/49 "2013-10-24T07:10:58Z")
> [@Cugel](#):
>
> Top right (the non-furry top right, that is)
> [Imgur: The magic of the Internet](http://i.imgur.com/Ni2qMKR.jpg)
What country are you in? Those don’t look anything like _our_ $2 coins.
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### Author:  [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)
#### Post date: [October 24, 2013, 7:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/formula-for-estimating-change-in-a-jar/671751/50 "2013-10-24T07:49:17Z")
Quarters and dimes are different weights too, before and after 1965.
Not to mention dollars and halves too but those are much rarer.
> **[US Coin Melt Values - Prices of Precious Metal and Bullion in Coins](https://www.usacoinbook.com/coin-melt-values/)**
>
> This page shows how much the intrinsic melt values of coins are worth. Find how much gold, silver, platinum, copper and other precious or base metals are inside various types and denominations of coins. Also view our calculators to find the values of...
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### Author:  [@JBDivmstr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JBDivmstr)
#### Post date: [October 24, 2013, 8:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/formula-for-estimating-change-in-a-jar/671751/51 "2013-10-24T08:18:33Z")
> [@Superhal](#):
>
> Quarters and dimes are different weights too, before and after 1965.
>
> Not to mention dollars and halves too but those are much rarer.
>
> [US Coin Melt Values - Prices of Precious Metal and Bullion in Coins](http://www.usacoinbook.com/coin-melt-values/)
You are correct, sir. 🆒
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### Author:  [@JBDivmstr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JBDivmstr)
#### Post date: [October 24, 2013, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/formula-for-estimating-change-in-a-jar/671751/52 "2013-10-24T08:26:51Z")
ETA: Cool site (coin melt values), **Superhal**! Thanks for sharing! 🆒
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### Author:  [@BambaSaysMamba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BambaSaysMamba)
#### Post date: [October 24, 2013, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/formula-for-estimating-change-in-a-jar/671751/53 "2013-10-24T14:00:57Z")
i have an idea … since the number of each type of coins are almost the same … you can punch a hole somewhere whose size is a tad smaller than the size of the largest coin type … … then drop those coins on that hole… all coins will go through except the largest one type … count them and you got what you want without going to coin machine
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### Author:  [@Bookkeeper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bookkeeper)
#### Post date: [October 24, 2013, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/formula-for-estimating-change-in-a-jar/671751/54 "2013-10-24T19:48:57Z")
> [@Sunspace](#):
>
> What country are you in? Those don’t look anything like _our_ $2 coins.
They appear to be [Australian coins](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coins_of_the_Australian_dollar).
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### Author:  [@turtlescanfly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/turtlescanfly)
#### Post date: [October 24, 2013, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/formula-for-estimating-change-in-a-jar/671751/55 "2013-10-24T23:32:29Z")
> [@JBDivmstr](#):
>
> (bolding mine)
>
> (bolding mine)
>
> :nitpick: It looks like you must have had some ‘copper’ pennies mixed in with ‘zinc’ pennies if you got 172/lb. All copper pennies would be 145/lb. and all zinc pennies would be 180/lb. (using **Superhal** ’s findings). 😉
No doubt, but I’d be willing to bet that the OP’s mix of coins includes some of the older copper coins as well.
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### Author:  [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)
#### Post date: [October 25, 2013, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/formula-for-estimating-change-in-a-jar/671751/56 "2013-10-25T11:52:33Z")
> [@Sunspace](#):
>
> What country are you in? Those don’t look anything like _our_ $2 coins.
Those are [Australian](http://www.ramint.gov.au/designs/ram-designs/2dollars.cfm) $2 coins, aren’t they?
Edit: Huh, sure that post wasn’t there before.
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### Author:  [@Learjeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Learjeff)
#### Post date: [October 25, 2013, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/formula-for-estimating-change-in-a-jar/671751/57 "2013-10-25T20:15:10Z")
> [@Superhal](#):
>
> Quarters and dimes are different weights too, before and after 1965.
The jar I handled started collection in the late 70’s, yet had very few unclad coins. It did have a number of wheat pennies, despite the fact that the guy who filled it usually made a point to separate those out and had a small collection of them.
A wheat penny is worth about 6 cents, and not really worth hunting down. Unless it’s a 1943 S Bronze, which is worth $78K.
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### Author:  [@romusz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romusz)
#### Post date: [October 25, 2013, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/formula-for-estimating-change-in-a-jar/671751/58 "2013-10-25T23:47:22Z")
Answer:
Who cares, youre just going to blow it on booze anyways, after losing 10% to a Coinstar machine.
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### Author:  [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)
#### Post date: [October 27, 2013, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/formula-for-estimating-change-in-a-jar/671751/59 "2013-10-27T00:29:58Z")
> [@septimus](#):
>
> If each coin is an integral multiple of the smaller coins, it would be easy
Aus coins were like that for a couple of decades following decimilation.
Separate all the copper coins from the silver. If you really want to, find any (rare) 50c pieces in the silver (therer never were any to find). Weigh the silver and copper seperately.
20c weighed twice as much as 10c weighed twice as much as 5c.
2c weighed twice as much as 1c.
50c coins are much more common now. $2 coins don’t weigh twice as much as $1 coins. 1c coins aren’t in circulation. But for a while there in the 70s, weighing the coinds was the standard that all the banks here used when you brought your coins in.
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### Author:  [@Hey\_Hey\_Paula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_Hey_Paula)
#### Post date: [October 27, 2013, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/formula-for-estimating-change-in-a-jar/671751/60 "2013-10-27T00:43:53Z")
> [@Telemarked for Death](#):
>
> All the Coinstar machines I’ve used have an option for getting gift cards that are at face value, no percentage cut for the house.
This is exactly what I do. I either get Starbucks gift cards or a gift card for the grocery store where I’m using the Coinstar. Grocery money always comes in handy.
When my stepkids were young, I’d pay them a percentage (I think it was 20%) to roll the coins for me. Coinstar is a bargain compared to that!
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