Not sure if you were playing along, but last Thursday I decided to make a bit of a guessing game over on L.A. Metblogs out a half-gallon glass jug full of coins collected over the years that I’d decided to take to the nearest Coinstar kiosk this weekend.
With readers’ answers ranging from $12 – $163.11, Susan and I drove the treasure trove over to its destiny Sunday afternoon, which revealed the final tally to be $87.84 in the form of 2,262 coins in the following denominations:
- 1 Susan B. Anthony dollar
- 1 half-dollar
- 106 quarters
- 290 dimes
- 305 nickels
- 1,559 pennies
Five coins were rightfully rejected, including three from Mexico totaling 650 centavos, and one MTA bus token ($1.25 value, FTW!). Lastly was this badly beat-up and scarred fellow:

This unfortunate coin was the sole member of its large tribe that Coinstar threw back despite repeated submissions. Oh well, one’s rejected cent is another’s lucky penny.
Published by
Will
Will Campbell arrived in town via the maternity ward at Good Sam Hospital way back in OneNineSixFour and has never stopped calling Los Angeles home. Presently he lives in Silver Lake with his wife Susan, their cat Rocky, dogs Terra and Hazel, and a red-eared slider turtle named Mater. Blogging since 2001, Will's web endeavors extend back to 1995 with laonstage.com, a comprehensive theater site that was well received but ever-short on capital (or a business model). The pinnacle of his online success (which speaks volumes) arrived in 1997, when much to his surprise, a hobby site he'd built called VisuaL.A. was named "best website" in Los Angeles magazine's annual "Best of L.A." issue. He enjoys experiencing (and writing about) pretty much anything creative, explorational and/or adventurous, loves his ebike, is a better tennis player than he is horr golfer, and a lover of all creatures great and small -- emphasis on "all."
View all posts by Will