# Coffee Can full of coins how much $ is it??



## Pheasant283

I have a coffe can alomost full of a mix of quarters, dimes, and nickles, guessing about a 1/3 of each (no pennys). Just looking for a rough idea of how much $ is in the can.


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## jwal10

Ah, how big is the can? Roll them or count them. Are any old? Banks have counters too....James


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## fordy

Pheasant283 said:


> I have a coffe can alomost full of a mix of quarters, dimes, and nickles, guessing about a 1/3 of each (no pennys). Just looking for a rough idea of how much $ is in the can.


 
..........Depends upon the size of the can........1lb. or 3lb.? If a 3lb. could be from $50 to $200 or so depending upon ratio of quarters to nickles and dimes ! I'd save quarters and take the remainder to a store with A coin counter , they'll charge you ~10% but save you time on rolling them in paper . You should really INspect all coins for dates for possible collectability ! , fordy


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## Shoden

All of the following is based off numbers I just found using Google, so it could be wrong 

A standard coffee (3 lbs) can has a volume of 169.56 cubic inches, while a U.S. gallon has a volume of 231 cubic inches, so the coffee can is .734 U.S. gallons.

1 gallon of quarters has a value of about $1170 (results I found ranged from $1169.4155 to $1170.50). 1 gallon of dimes would have the same value, but that's figured off the exact volume of the coins, not accounting for the space between them. And one gallon of nickels with no spacing is around $1300 *(Corrected: $216)*.

After figuring the space lost due to packaging (27% is one number I found that accounts for the air between the coins) you get:

1 gallon of quarters = $800 +/- $20.
1 gallon of dimes = $780 +/- $20
1 gallon of nickels = $950 +/- $? *(Corrected: $157.68)*

I just used the base amounts, ignoring the +/- for the next calculations.

Since you're guessing it's about 1/3 of each, I divided each of the above amounts by 3, resulting in:

value of 1/3 gallon
quarters = $266
dimes = $260
nickels = $316 *(Corrected: $52.56)*

Total value of 1 gallon of mixed coins = $842 *(Corrected: $578.56)*

But the coffee can is just under 3/4 of a gallon, so $842/.734 *(Corrected: 578.56 * .734)*gives a final value of around $618. *(Corrected: $424) For a difference of $194*

Edited to point out that all of the original numbers for the nickels are incorrect, based on bad info from my Google search, just like I warned in my first sentence. I've put corrected numbers in *bold* next to them.


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## Cheryl in SD

First, check the dates on all coins, any quarter, dime, half dollar or dollar before 1965 is 90% silver and worth a lot more than face value!

Second, sort out pre-1982 pennies, they are mostly copper.

Then start making piles of coins by the $. It is fun once you get started.


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## Evons hubby

We save a lot of our coins in a quart fruit jar, then pass them out to a niece and nephew for Christmas gifts. The jars average somewhere around 50 to 60 bucks per quart!


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## mamakatinmd

I took 3 one quart size mason jars full of mixed coin recently to a coinstar machine. It was $650 roughly and they took 10% fee. I was surprised at how much it added up to. Hope this helps your estimating some. Oh and I did have pennies. This was U.S. money not Canadian.


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## Tiempo

When I take a pint canning jar of mixed coins to the machine it usually comes out to about $35 if that's any help.


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## Tiempo

mamakatinmd said:


> I took 3 one quart size mason jars full of mixed coin recently to a coinstar machine. It was $650 roughly and they took 10% fee. I was surprised at how much it added up to. Hope this helps your estimating some. Oh and I did have pennies. This was U.S. money not Canadian.


If your bank has a coin machine it'll be free for bank customers.


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## Pheasant283

Thanks!! Some interesting figures!. 


Shoden said:


> All of the following is based off numbers I just found using Google, so it could be wrong
> 
> A standard coffee (3 lbs) can has a volume of 169.56 cubic inches, while a U.S. gallon has a volume of 231 cubic inches, so the coffee can is .734 U.S. gallons.
> 
> 1 gallon of quarters has a value of about $1170 (results I found ranged from $1169.4155 to $1170.50). 1 gallon of dimes would have the same value, but that's figured off the exact volume of the coins, not accounting for the space between them. And one gallon of nickels with no spacing is around $1300.
> 
> After figuring the space lost due to packaging (27% is one number I found that accounts for the air between the coins) you get:
> 
> 1 gallon of quarters = $800 +/- $20.
> 1 gallon of dimes = $780 +/- $20
> 1 gallon of nickels = $950 +/- $?
> 
> I just used the base amounts, ignoring the +/- for the next calculations.
> 
> Since you're guessing it's about 1/3 of each, I divided each of the above amounts by 3, resulting in:
> 
> value of 1/3 gallon
> quarters = $266
> dimes = $260
> nickels = $316
> 
> Total value of 1 gallon of mixed coins = $842
> 
> But the coffee can is just under 3/4 of a gallon, so $842/.734 gives a final value of around $618.


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## Pheasant283

Cheryl, yes I allready do save and seperate my pre 1965 quarters, dimes and nickles. As for pennies, that I do not that is an interesting fact that I did not know. Thanks! 



Cheryl in SD said:


> First, check the dates on all coins, any quarter, dime, half dollar or dollar before 1965 is 90% silver and worth a lot more than face value!
> 
> Second, sort out pre-1982 pennies, they are mostly copper.
> 
> Then start making piles of coins by the $. It is fun once you get started.


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## fantasymaker

Since its a mixed jar the percents of coins by volume will add up to more than 100%
For instance 100 cubic inches of each type of coin when mixed togather wont be 300 cubic inches more like 298.


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## thesedays

When I waitressed, I had a gallon jug that I kept my change in, and always cashed it in when it was about half full. I usually got about $150 from this, but it did include pennies.


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## ldc

Welcome to Shoden above, and thanks for searching and sharing the numbers with us!!!


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## Caitedid

We keep a Tupperware pasta storage container for change and a cookie tin for one dollar bills. It is a GREAT way to save money!


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## MidwestGal

Will you give half to whoever guesses the closest? :happy:


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## Trixie

I hope you will let us know - 

I would try the bank as they don't charge. 

Unless you want to roll them and I do enjoy that. In fact, I usually count mine before I go to the bank anyway - just cause I like to know.


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## Cabin Fever

Shoden said:


> .....
> 
> 1 gallon of quarters = $800 +/- $20.
> 1 gallon of dimes = $780 +/- $20
> 1 gallon of nickels = $950 +/- $?


I'm not buying it. Nickels are larger and worth less than dimes. So, why would a gallon of nickels be worth more than a gallon of dimes? :shrug:


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## Nomad

Tiempo said:


> If your bank has a coin machine it'll be free for bank customers.


The bank we used to go to would not accept coins unless they were already rolled. Not sure about my current bank.

Nomad


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## MidwestGal

I just figure that I would rather have a handful of dimes, than a handful of nickles.


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## MidwestGal

And, a roll of dimes, though smaller, is worth more than a roll of nickles.


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## Sawmill Jim

Cabin Fever said:


> I'm not buying it. Nickels are larger and worth less than dimes. So, why would a gallon of nickels be worth more than a gallon of dimes? :shrug:


Government accounting practices kicked in the further down the list they went


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## frogmammy

Used to save my change in a one pound can....usually worth $40.

Mon


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## Shoden

Cabin Fever said:


> I'm not buying it. Nickels are larger and worth less than dimes. So, why would a gallon of nickels be worth more than a gallon of dimes? :shrug:


You know, after I posted that and got back to work, I was looking at the paper where I'd written down my research and thinking about the $100 box of rolled nickels in my closet, and I wondered the same thing. Didn't make sense, but that's what Google said: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_dimes_in_a_gallon_milk_jug

A bit more research (from the same excellent site that provided my previous incorrect info :nana, http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_nickles_would_fit_in_a_5_gallon_jug, shows that 5 gallons would contain 21600 nickels, or 4320 per gallon. That works out to $216/gallon when assuming that they're perfectly stacked squares. Dropping the amount by the previous 27% gives $157 for one gallon of loose nickels, so about $52 for 1/3 gallon.

So corrected:
value of 1/3 gallon
quarters = $266
dimes = $260
nickels = $52

Total value of 1 gallon of mixed coins = $578

But the coffee can is just under 3/4 of a gallon, so $578 * .734 gives a final value of around $424. Which is $418 less than my earlier number. :smack

And even worse, looking again for where I got the info on Google earlier, now my incorrect post is #7 in the results.


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## Fire-Man

Nomad said:


> The bank we used to go to would not accept coins unless they were already rolled. Not sure about my current bank.
> 
> Nomad


If you walk into my Bank with rolls of coins they will not cash them in till all the rolls are dumped and counted. My bank wants them loose.


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## Shoden

Cabin Fever said:


> I'm not buying it. Nickels are larger and worth less than dimes. So, why would a gallon of nickels be worth more than a gallon of dimes? :shrug:


I had a nice post all typed up correcting my error (which was based on bad information from my Google search, just like I warned :nana but I tried to submit it and it vanished.

Anyway, further research indicates that a gallon of nickels with no empty space would be $216.

Accounting for loose stacking (loss of 27% if that can be trusted, since it's from the same source that gave me the $1300 number), gives $157.68.

1/3 of $157.68 is $52.56.

So the total value of 1 gallon of 1/3 quarters, 1/3 dimes, and 1/3 nickels is $266 + $260 + $52.56 = 578.56

Multiple that times .734 to account for the coffee can not being a full gallon gives $578.56 * .734 = *$424 *and change. Which is $194 less than my incorrect earlier number. Which is now #7 is the Google search results. :smack


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## nostawmama

Nomad said:


> The bank we used to go to would not accept coins unless they were already rolled. Not sure about my current bank.
> 
> Nomad


Thats funny be our bank doesn't accept rolled coins anymore. I was pretty floored when I took my money to the bank and they told me they don't accept rolled coins- I thought they meant bulk coins.:smack


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## salmonslayer

You have exactly $283.65 and two washers.


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## Tracy Rimmer

I'd put odds on Shoden being an engineer...


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## City Bound

sit down and count it and you will know. I would say $80 to $100 if you are lucky.


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## City Bound

back when I was kid the store clerks would weigh rolled coins that we brought in to them to check there correctness, but you cant really do that with pennies these days because the newer pennies weight less then the older ones. Older pennies weigh 1 ounce and the newer coins are less then an ounce, so how can you judge the correctness of a roll of pennies if the old and new pennies are mixed.


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## How Do I

Exactly $214.32 if my 6th cents is still working.


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## Pheasant283

Wow!! thanks for all the imput everyone! I am looking at buying a gun with the coins, but since my can is not quite full yet I am not going to cash it in yet, I just wanted to get a guesstamate of what I might have.


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## Sawmill Jim

Pheasant283 said:


> Wow!! thanks for all the imput everyone! I am looking at buying a gun with the coins, but since my can is not quite full yet I am not going to cash it in yet, I just wanted to get a guesstamate of what I might have.


 You going leave us up in the air that long :smack


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## thesedays

Fire-Man said:


> If you walk into my Bank with rolls of coins they will not cash them in till all the rolls are dumped and counted. My bank wants them loose.


That makes sense, because it wouldn't be hard to short each roll by a coin or two.

When I was in college, I worked at a hotel where some people stayed for several days, and also ordered room service which included at least one bottle of Dom Perignon, which with the tip was something like $170 a bottle. They paid for their stay in quarters - brought in a canvas bag full of them, and counted them out on the counter. This was a moderately high end place, too.


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## arabian knight

Nomad said:


> The bank we used to go to would not accept coins unless they were already rolled. Not sure about my current bank.
> 
> Nomad


Already rolled. I had them rolled at my bank and they said it was a Waste Of Time. As they Has to then Break them open and put them ALL through their counting machine. LOL


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## oth47

I'd say you have about $3.50,but out of the goodness of my heart,I'll give you $5.00....seriously,I save my coins,sans pennies,in a can of less than 4" inside diameter and a couple of inches of coins in the can usually brings me 35 to 50 bux depending on denomination of the coins.You have a nice chunk of change there.And my offer still stands..


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## Cabin Fever

One thing I can say with certainty is that a .30 caliber ammo box can hold more than $500 worth of quarters.


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## soulsurvivor

Friends had a safe in their home and loaded it down with the weight of rolled coins to deter anyone moving it. It looked like an end table for the couch. While visiting with them DH dropped a drink that fell behind the end table and was going to move the table to better clean up his mess. Watching that reminded me of the pranks they pull on tv where the itty bitty girl lifts the suitcase that the wrestler guy cannot budge.


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## Sturedman

I used to have a 5-gallon water jug that I kept half-dollars in. Every week when I got paid, what ever the odd dollar amount was, I would get in halves. So one week 1 might get $236.00 check, and I would get 4 halves. Each was somewhere between 1 and 9. A friend came over and helped me dump it out one time. I had 1,765 halves in it. It took 2 of us to tip it over lol. About a month later, I have a party at my house with about 60 people form work. Some I didn't want to invite, but when you invite the whole company you kind of have to. The next day, that jug was missing from my bedroom. It had to take 2 people handing it out the window to 2 people on the ground. I was really bummed, but a great way to save a lot of money, a little at a time. Now with direct deposit, I don't get to do that lol.


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## Fire-Man

Cabin Fever said:


> One thing I can say with certainty is that a .30 caliber ammo box can hold more than $500 worth of quarters.


I do not know what Caliber my ammo box is but when I carried it to the bank to cash in-----it was about 3/4 full and the teller tried to pick it up, then asked me to take it and follow her. It was almost $900 of mixed change but more quarters. Time before that I had 2 1 gal pickle jars with mixed change and it was $1172---had to carry them for the teller too.


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## fellini123

Shoden said:


> I had a nice post all typed up correcting my error (which was based on bad information from my Google search, just like I warned :nana but I tried to submit it and it vanished.
> 
> Anyway, further research indicates that a gallon of nickels with no empty space would be $216.
> 
> Accounting for loose stacking (loss of 27% if that can be trusted, since it's from the same source that gave me the $1300 number), gives $157.68.
> 
> *1/3 of $157.68 is $52.56.*
> 
> So the total value of 1 gallon of 1/3 quarters, 1/3 dimes, and 1/3 nickels is $266 + $260 + $52.56 = 578.56
> 
> Multiple that times .734 to account for the coffee can not being a full gallon gives $578.56 * .734 = *$424 *and change. Which is $194 less than my incorrect earlier number. Which is now #7 is the Google search results. :smack


 
How do you get .56 worth of nickles?????
Just wondering

Alice in Virginia


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## tallpines

City Bound said:


> back when I was kid the store clerks would weigh rolled coins that we brought in to them to check there correctness, but you cant really do that with pennies these days because the newer pennies weight less then the older ones. Older pennies weigh 1 ounce and the newer coins are less then an ounce, so how can you judge the correctness of a roll of pennies if the old and new pennies are mixed.


So ------- 16 pennies (old ones) weigh one pound ?

Doesn't sound right ~~~~


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