What to Do With the Coins You Don’t Want

You went through the rolls. You found the keepers and the almost-keepers. The rest is a pile of copper and false hope. Now what? Do you hunt for a bank that takes loose coins, dump them through a machine that eats a percentage, or roll everything yourself and call it a night?

There are two real paths. One is for people who live near banks that still have coin counters. The other is for people like me, who roll every last cent. Rolling is calm, almost meditative. The clink and stack become their own rhythm. It’s a quiet part of the hobby where you can think, organize, and trust that the work’s already done.

That trust matters. If you start second-guessing yourself and rechecking everything, you’ll waste hours chasing coins you already searched. The discipline isn’t just in the hunt. It’s in knowing when to stop.

This post walks through both approaches and how to keep the workflow clean. Whether you dump, roll, or split the difference, the goal’s the same. Keep your coins moving and your focus sharp.

Finding a Dump Bank

If you live near a bank that still takes coins, count yourself lucky. Most of us don’t. Many banks have pulled their coin machines or limit deposits to business accounts. But if you can find one that still handles change, it can save hours of rolling.

Call around before you show up with a box. Some branches accept loose coins in a counter, others want them in clear bags with your name and account number, and a few will reject them outright. Credit unions are usually more flexible, especially if you already keep an account there.

If you strike gold and find a branch with a working counter, don’t abuse it. Drop off small batches, stay polite, and don’t clog their lobby with buckets. A good dump bank is a relationship worth keeping. Treat the tellers well and they might even tip you off when fresh boxes come in.

Rolling Coins Yourself

If you don’t have a dump bank nearby, rolling is the way to go. It takes time, but it’s quiet, steady work. You’ve already done the hard part when you searched the rolls. Now it’s just sorting, stacking, and sealing. There’s a rhythm to it that feels good after a long session. The sound of coins hitting paper, the sense of finishing something by hand.

Use trays that sort and count coins by denomination. They save time and make the process cleaner. You can fill the tubes straight from the tray, tap them even, and slide the paper roll over without spilling a thing. It turns what could be tedious work into something smooth and mechanical.

Keep your process simple. Separate by denomination before you start, fill each roll evenly, and label it with value and date. It sounds obsessive, but it keeps your returns clean and the tellers happy when you bring them in.

Rolling Coins Yourself

If you don’t have a dump bank nearby, rolling is the move. It takes time, but it’s calm, methodical work. You’ve already done the hard part when you searched the rolls. Now it’s just stacking and wrapping what’s left.

Use a sorting tray like the one bank tellers use. You pour the coins into each slot by denomination, level them out, and once they hit the line marked for a full roll, you know exactly when to stop. It keeps the process fast and eliminates the guesswork. A quick lift, slide them into the paper wrapper, and you’re done.

Most banks hand out empty rolls for free, just ask at the counter.

Rolling might not be glamorous, but it’s satisfying. You know every coin has been searched and every wrapper represents one more batch cleared out of your workspace.

Dumping Etiquette: Don’t Bring It Back Where You Got It

If you’re ordering boxes or rolls from a bank, don’t bring your searched coins back to that same branch. It’s one of the quickest ways to wear out your welcome. Tellers talk, and once they realize you’re returning the same stuff they handed out, they’ll start limiting your orders or quietly dodging your requests.

Find a separate branch or a different bank for your dumps. Credit unions are great for this since they’re often friendlier about coin deposits. If you have two banks within a few miles of each other, use one for pickups and the other for returns. That small bit of separation keeps everyone happy and keeps your access to fresh rolls wide open.

Be respectful with volume too. Don’t walk in with thousands of dollars in rolled change unless you’ve cleared it with them first. A polite heads-up goes a long way. Over time, the tellers will remember you as the collector who’s organized and easy to deal with, not the one who dropped off a week’s worth of copper and disappeared.

When Your Bank Stops Taking Pennies

A few banks have started refusing penny deposits, and it’s not because tellers are tired of counting them. The U.S. Mint has stopped producing new cents, which has caused some of the armored carriers and cash-handling services to stop picking them up. If a bank’s coin pickup company won’t deal with pennies, the branch is stuck holding them. So they just stop taking them altogether.

It’s not universal yet, but it’s spreading. Before rolling up your extra cents, call ahead and ask if they still accept them. Smaller banks and credit unions are usually more flexible, especially if you already have an account there. If you find one that still takes them, stick with it and keep your relationship solid.

If no one nearby will take them, the best move is to hold onto them. Keep a tub labeled “To Roll” and let it fill over time. Copper cents have a small melt value (though it’s still technically illegal to melt them), and if the Mint’s phase-out continues, those coins might become more desirable later.

What’s not worth it is opening a new account just to dump a few rolls. Until there’s a clearer national policy, patience wins. Keep your system organized and adapt as things change.

Wrapping It Up

Once you’ve searched your change, the goal is to keep it moving without turning the hobby into a chore. Whether you roll or dump, having a consistent system makes it easier to stay organized and actually enjoy the process. Stay on top of it, because rolled coins pile up fast and get heavy before you realize it. The longer they sit, the less you’ll want to deal with them. Whether you roll or dump, having a consistent system makes it easier to stay organized and actually enjoy the process.

You don’t need fancy equipment or a big setup, just a plan that fits your routine. Label your containers, separate your dumps from your keepers, and don’t overthink it. The longer you collect, the more your workflow will naturally evolve into something efficient and comfortable.

The key is staying steady. Each roll, each bank visit, each little adjustment adds up over time. That’s how small habits turn into long-term momentum in this hobby.