# National Shortage of Coins?! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 1, 2020, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-shortage-of-coins/913982 "2020-07-01T19:15:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2020, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-shortage-of-coins/913982/41 "2020-07-03T22:28:28Z")
> [@River\_Hippie](#): > > My bank no longer takes loose change. It has to be rolled. The teller told me none of the banks around here do it anymore but he thought maybe some credit unions still do. This is my problem with the $80 or so of change I have. I have to count and roll it, and I don’t have enough of the roll sleeves. Until I do that, the bank won’t take it. ---
**Author:** ![LLCoolL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/llcooll/32/3596_2.png) [@LLCoolL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LLCoolL)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2020, 9:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-shortage-of-coins/913982/42 "2020-07-04T09:34:41Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > This is my problem with the $80 or so of change I have. I have to count and roll it, and I don’t have enough of the roll sleeves. Until I do that, the bank won’t take it. Gonna have to wait for Coinstar to get back in the game… ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2020, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-shortage-of-coins/913982/43 "2020-07-04T18:19:57Z")
Bring back Shinplasters! > **[Shinplaster](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinplaster)** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > Shinplaster was paper money of low denomination, typically less than one dollar, circulating widely in the economies of the 19th century where there was a shortage of circulating coinage.\[clarification needed\] The shortage of circulating coins was primarily due to the intrinsic value of metal rising above the value of the coin itself. People became incentivized to take coins out of circulation and melt them for the true intrinsic value. This left n... ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2020, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-shortage-of-coins/913982/44 "2020-07-04T19:39:23Z")
I’d go for that maybe to have a Half Dollar note and then get rid of all other coinage, and that’s only to ease the transition. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2020, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-shortage-of-coins/913982/45 "2020-07-04T19:51:31Z")
Meanwhile, one of the friends I use Facebook to keep in contact with is posting about how the coin shortage is actually a fiendish plot to do away with ALL non-electronic currency to control everyone. 🙄 She also posted a screed last week about masks being the same thing - a fiendish plot to control everyone and rob Americans of their rights. _\>sigh\<_ No, sometimes things really are as they are stated to be. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2020, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-shortage-of-coins/913982/46 "2020-07-04T21:31:24Z")
I’ve seen some of that too. As for my coin jar, whenever I go out, I toss a handful of coins into my wallet and use them as called for. ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2020, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-shortage-of-coins/913982/47 "2020-07-05T01:35:17Z")
\< checks pocket \> Four pennies, three nickels, two dimes, eleven quarters, two dollars. Most of the quarters will go to the bagger next time I’m at the commissary. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2020, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-shortage-of-coins/913982/48 "2020-07-05T01:42:24Z")
That’s why I love my credit union. Punch in your account number, dump in your coins and the machine in the lobby counts them, deposits the money in your account and spits out your receipt. Any coins too bunged up to count gets taken across the parking lot to McDonalds. They take anything they can identify. Since the shortage, I’ve been getting donuts and coffee with change at the local drive-thru place. They love it and ask for more every time. I think I have enough in the jar to last until September. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2020, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-shortage-of-coins/913982/49 "2020-07-05T01:46:47Z")
I’ve bought and sold dozens of kayaks over the years, but the first brand new kayak I ever bought was a bit over $800, and I took coins to CoinStar to pay for it. A polar water jug partway filled with random coins. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2020, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-shortage-of-coins/913982/50 "2020-07-05T02:06:30Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Wow. I’ve always had a container of some sort that I’ve tossed any coins into at the end of the day. I bought my first kayak with $800 worth of those coins. > [@kayaker](#): > > I’ve bought and sold dozens of kayaks over the years, but the first brand new kayak I ever bought was a bit over $800, and I took coins to CoinStar to pay for it. A polar water jug partway filled with random coins. They say memory is the second thing to go… ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2020, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-shortage-of-coins/913982/51 "2020-07-05T11:41:51Z")
My evil twin like to get old nickels, mainly Buffalo nickels, occasionally Liberty nickels, with no date (ie, very worn), from the “cull coin” box for kids at the coin shop, where they cost six or seven cents, and then spend them. The looks on people’s faces are worth the few extra pennies. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2020, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-shortage-of-coins/913982/52 "2020-07-05T19:02:34Z")
So far at work we’ve managed to juggle the coin issue. Our supply is being slowly depleted but we’re good for at least another week and are able to make change for our customers. A few customers have heard about the shortage and have paid for purchases using coins, like $3 in quarters or something of the sort we can count out pretty fast on the lane. That has helped, too. Your local grocery store or big box won’t be willing to take a huge jar of random coins, but sending a couple bucks of coin their way during your transactions might be a win-win. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2020, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-shortage-of-coins/913982/53 "2020-07-05T21:08:47Z")
Many people not in the US legally avoid banks because they are afraid that will lead to being deported. Crooks know this and they will rob houses with illegals assuming they have a lot of cash, ---
**Author:** ![leswax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@leswax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leswax)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2020, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-shortage-of-coins/913982/54 "2020-07-06T00:09:17Z")
This may be true but seems to be a non sequitur for this thread. Would you connect the dots for me here? ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2020, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-shortage-of-coins/913982/55 "2020-07-06T12:21:06Z")
I very rarely use cash except for summer festival season which obviously isn’t happening this year. Usually once a year I take the loose coins to a coinstar for an Amazon gift card, I haven’t in a while since I’ve got about $10 or so in loose change, mostly quarters. The Coinstar has had a sign on it since March or so. I do wonder if some people took out cash in March as the panic set in and are now spending it, thus causing some of the shortage. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2020, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-shortage-of-coins/913982/56 "2020-07-06T13:28:44Z")
I bank at Chase and although the branches don’t have a coin counter the main branch downtown does so they send them there. You have to wait 3-5 days for the amount to be tallied and put into your account. Plus they charge a service fee. Anymore I just use CoinStar and get the Amazon gift card so that I can get 100% back on the spot. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2020, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-shortage-of-coins/913982/57 "2020-07-06T14:12:06Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > They say memory is the second thing to go… 🤪 ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2020, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-shortage-of-coins/913982/58 "2020-07-06T19:16:06Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > I do wonder if some people took out cash in March as the panic set in and are now spending it, thus causing some of the shortage. If they’re spending it they’re not part of the shortage. If they’re hoarding it in giant pickle jars at home (or whatever container they’re using) then they’re part of the shortage. One of our self-serve attendants got yelled at today by some goon that’s bought the bullshit going around Facebook that there’s no shortage, it’s all part of some conspiracy to control people/do away with cash/whatever. I mean he was really, really yelling at her, blaming our company for being in on the whole scheme, and DEMANDING that he be able to pay/get cash from the self-serve machine. No, he would NOT go to any of the lanes with humans running the registers (there were 8 open at the time). He wanted what he wanted and wanted it NOW and if he couldn’t get it he was going to verbally abuse the nearest employee. God, I hate assholes like that. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2020, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-shortage-of-coins/913982/59 "2020-07-06T19:25:56Z")
Ah ok, I was referring to someone like me who spends cash but never coins. Just realized that coin operated devices also aren’t being used. No idea how much they contribute to the economy but a lot of bars have coin operated pool tables for example. No idea about laundromats but there’s got to be some that still run on coins. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2020, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-shortage-of-coins/913982/60 "2020-07-06T19:57:39Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > Just realized that coin operated devices also aren’t being used. No idea how much they contribute to the economy but a lot of bars have coin operated pool tables for example Yep, the “coin operated devices” are a key piece of this puzzle. The coins collected from those machines go back to the bank and then the bank turns around and sends them out to places like my store, which, due to how much change we give to cash-paying customers, always have a net loss of coinage. In March that stream of coins returning to the bank… stopped. All those bars with the coin-operated pool tables shut down and those coins in the pool table have just sat there ever since. Rinse and repeat for every vending machine, every gum/candy machine, etc., etc. None of those coins have gone back to the bank but my store (and others) continues to send coinage out. I guess it’s a little amazing it actually took about 5 months to get to this point… > [@dalej42](#): > > No idea about laundromats but there’s got to be some that still run on coins. I’ve yet to see a laundromat that _doesn_’t run on coins. I’m told they exist, but I’ve never seen one. On the other hand, laundromats were considered “essential services” (they are, for people who don’t own their own laundry facilities) so they were probably one of the few places that actually were sending coinage back to the bank. Which might have something to do with why getting more quarters has been less troublesome than some of the other denominations… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-shortage-of-coins/913982.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-shortage-of-coins/913982.md?page=4)