• Discounts and special offers
  • Subscriber-only articles and interviews
  • Breaking news and trending topics

Already a subscriber?

By signing up, you accept Moneywise's Terms of Use, Subscription Agreement, and Privacy Policy.

Not interested ?

Coins in a standard roll

A standard roll will hold either 40 or 50 coins, depending on the coin’s value.

How many quarters are in a roll?

40 quarters per roll / $10

How many dimes are in a roll?

50 dimes per roll / $5

How many nickels are in a roll?

40 nickels per roll / $2

How many pennies are in a roll?

50 pennies per roll / $0.50

The different coin denominations will each have different wrappers, so make sure you’ve stocked up on an assortment to roll all your coins.

Ready to boost your savings?

Click here for the best savings accounts! Discover top rates and no-fee options to grow your money effortlessly.

Start saving smarter today!

How to roll coins

Rolling your coins before bringing them to the bank will make it easier for the teller to count and deposit your money. You can find coin wrappers at most discount or big-box stores. Your bank might even have some wrappers available for free.

1. Sort the coins

If you don’t have a coin sorting machine, it’s helpful to clear a space on a flat surface so you can spread out your coins. Start to organize them in piles based on value.

You might want to keep an eye out for any valuable coins hiding in your change. Once you’ve got all your pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters separated, start to count them.

2. Count the coins

The best way to get started counting your coins by hand is to start sorting them into small piles of five or 10. Organizing them this way will help you move your coins into the rolls.

It will also help you get a good idea of how many rolls you’re going to end up with when you’re done.

3. Roll the coins

How tricky this next step is depends on what kind of wrappers you’ve got on hand.

Preformed wrappers are the easiest to work with. What you’ll want to do is take the wrapper in one hand and place one of your fingers at the end of the wrapper. As you drop your piles of coins in with the other hand, it will keep the coins level.

Now this is when you’ll be grateful you pre-stacked your coins — you’ll just have to add as many piles as it takes to get to the number of coins the roll holds.

Don’t just fill the wrapper to the top, and make sure you count how many coins are going into each wrapper. A filled wrapper has a set value, and you don’t want to give away any of your coins for free.

4. Seal the wrappers

Once you’ve filled your wrapper with the correct number of coins, your next step is to seal it. How you do this will vary, based on the type of wrapper you’re using. But, generally, with paper wrappers, you’ll just have to hold the roll steady and upright while you tightly fold or crimp the top to seal it.

When you’re done, you shouldn’t be able to see the top coin anymore.

Don’t worry too much about your roll looking perfect. It just needs to get the job done and ensure your coins don’t come spilling out when you put the roll down to transport it to the bank.

5. Cash in your coins

Whenever you feel you have enough coins rolled, you can bring them to your local bank branch. Most banks will only accept change to deposit if it’s already been rolled.

The teller should have a special coin box to quickly count and sort your rolls before depositing the funds into your bank account.

Should you buy a coin sorting machine?

If you have a small business that deals in cash, you might benefit from buying a coin sorter.

How it works is you drop your coins through the machine’s hopper, and the machine will then sort the change and drop it into tubes. Once the correct amount and denomination has filled one tube, the machine will move on to the next.

All you’ll have to do is put your wrappers in the tubes before you run the machine and seal them when it’s done.

But unless you’re dealing with a lot of change fairly often, it might not make sense to invest in one of these machines, which could run you about $100 for a good model.

The machine might save you time — but you’ll need at least a few rolls of coins to make back the cost.

Sponsored

This 2 minute move could knock $500/year off your car insurance in 2024

OfficialCarInsurance.com lets you compare quotes from trusted brands, such as Progressive, Allstate and GEICO to make sure you're getting the best deal.

You can switch to a more affordable auto insurance option in 2 minutes by providing some information about yourself and your vehicle and choosing from their tailor-made results. Find offers as low as $29 a month.

Sigrid Forberg Senior Associate Editor

Sigrid is a senior associate editor on the Moneywise team, where she has also worked as a reporter and staff writer.

Disclaimer

The content provided on Moneywise is information to help users become financially literate. It is neither tax nor legal advice, is not intended to be relied upon as a forecast, research or investment advice, and is not a recommendation, offer or solicitation to buy or sell any securities or to adopt any investment strategy. Tax, investment and all other decisions should be made, as appropriate, only with guidance from a qualified professional. We make no representation or warranty of any kind, either express or implied, with respect to the data provided, the timeliness thereof, the results to be obtained by the use thereof or any other matter. Advertisers are not responsible for the content of this site, including any editorials or reviews that may appear on this site. For complete and current information on any advertiser product, please visit their website.

†Terms and Conditions apply.