Would you like to start a coin collection but don’t have any money? Sometimes a challenge makes a hobby more fun as it gives you something to work towards. Old or rare coins can be all over the world in different nooks and crannies. They can be found in your friends center console in their car or even in the take a penny at a gas station. If you look for the coins you will likely find eventually as opposed to never checking at all!
Where can I find coins?
As a kid I was pretty good at finding random money. Under drink machines, in coin stars, you name it. Here is my top 10 list of where to find coins for your collection. You might even just find coins to make a quick buck to purchase some coins. It all starts with one coin!
1. A parking lot
People tend to lose coins and other valuable items when getting up to exit their car. When you go from sitting to standing, sometimes it can cause coins to roll around in your pockets and then fall out when you stand up. A big parking lot would be a good place to seek out coins and other valuables.
2.In or around or under vending machines
As a kid, I was always crawling around on the floor like a disgusting little monster. My mom would take me and my brothers to Walmart. We would scrounge around under the crane games and vending machines in the entry way. I found so many coins there as a kid it was crazy. When people deposit coins into vending machines or other game machines, they don’t tend to push the coin all the way in and they drop them! It never ceased to amaze me as a kid how many quarters I could find just getting down and looking under a vending machine. Always be sure to check the change return as well! People forget their change all the time.
3.Car Wash Vaccuum
Change falls out of my pocket when I sit in my car all the time. It’s honestly probably wild how much change is underneath the seat of my car. If you’re able to, checking the vaccuums at a popular local car wash might yeild some free coinage. People absentmindedly will vaccuum up coins that are underneath their seats and in the carpet of their cars. Not worried about a few coins being lost they will likely forget to empty the coins from the vaccuum when they are done and you will have a free prize waiting for you!
4.Thrift Stores (specifically furniture)
Thrift stores could be an excellent place to find spare change. People dontate pursees, wallets, jars, books and all types of different things where money could be stuck or lost for years without anyone finding it. This isn’t technically a lost coin but still is crazy to think about. My mom went to look for a couch at a Salvation Army. She found a couch that she liked and offered $50 for it. When she got home she was cleaning the cushions from the wear and tear from a previous owner. She managed to find $60 worth of gift cards to Amazon and Walmart to pay for the couch! Always be on the lookout, coins or not!
5.Beaches
A great spot you could bring your metal detector or just your eyes would be to a lake or pond where people would get together and swim. The reason you would seek this type of area is because it’s where people change their clothes to their bathing suits and losing change and small items would be very common. I’ve found handfuls of change and a silver bracelet and even an 18k gold bracelet at the beach. People tend to shake off their towels and fling their expensive belongings! Be on the lookout!
6.Vents Indoor and Outdoor
Vents that receive a lot of foot traffic and people walking near will likely end up with all sorts of coins and different things inside of them. If the grates on the vents are wide enough, coins will be able to fall inside and they will get stuck until YOU come along and free them !! Go find those coins!
7. Parks
You can find coins in parks fairly easily. Finding coins near picnic tables and seating areas will not be difficult as people will sit down and lose change from their pocket. You should also check areas like big shaded trees and swings where people would likely drop their change and contents of their pockets from sitting down. If you have a metal detector that’s even better because it will allow you to find coins not only on the surface but under ground.
8.Empty Cigarette Packs
Cigarette packets have been a way to store things for a very long time. Always be sure to check your friends cigarette packet for some free left over cigarettes or some coins or other money and items that may have been stored inside. It has been known to find random pennies and other change not only in cigarette boxes but left over fast food bags as well.
9. Theaters
Always check theater floors when the lights come on. Coins are quickly dropped out of pockets when people sit in chairs that fold down. When walking to their seats they may have change in their hands from the concession stand and sometimes will drop it in the dark for it to never be seen again.. that is, until you find it!
10. Coin Star
Old coins can be found anywhere but the quickest and easiest way to find old coins is usually at a Coin Star coin counting machine. You’re probably asking: why?
Coin Star coin counters have very strong sensors when counting change. Most times, older coins and definitely foreign coins will be rejected from these types of machines. The sensors likely are viewing the coins as old or damaged and will not count them as normal change. At the bottom of the machine there is a coin return slot where the rejected coins are returned. ALWAYS check this when you go to the store! I have found silver quarters, silver dimes, war nickels, wheat cents and more by doing this. Do not miss checking the coin star.
11. Ask a relative *Bonus*
Coins can be found at the bank for face value! You can find rare and valuable coins sitting in circulated bank rolls. Ask a family member or your friends if they would like to coin roll hunt together. This way, your friend or family can front the money to purchase the rolls for you to search. If you searching pennies for example, you might end up finding a handful of wheat pennies! If you found 10 of them you could split the collection and it would have only cost you 10 cents! That’s a cheap way start to any collection!
Where to find old coins?
The other best place to find coins is asking tellers or simply searching through coin rolls from the bank. This is a free hobby called Coin Roll Hunting. You can read more about it in this post!