Buying guide for shopping guide for best coin sorters
Whether you’re a coin collector, a retailer, or someone who has a huge jar of coins on a dresser, you’ve probably learned that sorting coins is a labor-intensive task. Sorting by hand takes a lot of time and will become tedious quickly. You can speed up the process with a coin sorter. Coin sorters come in all shapes and sizes to help you with both large and small coin-sorting jobs.
A coin sorter accepts a collection of random coins in a large bin. It then sorts the coins based on size into sub-channels or sub-bins. (Some coin sorters also sort based on the weight of the coins.) The best coin sorters automatically count the coins as they’re sorted, giving you the value of the entire lot.
We’ll primarily discuss coin sorters for American currency here. But you can find coin-sorting machines that handle coins from other countries, too. For everything you need to know before you buy, keep reading our guide. You can find our top five coin sorters in the matrix above.
Key considerations
Two types of coin sorters are available. Some people will prefer an electric coin sorter, while others will want a manual sorter.
Electric coin sorters
Electric coin sorters are ideal if you need fast performance and high-volume sorting. With an electric coin sorter, you add coins to the main bin. The machine then forces the coins into various channels in the machine based on size. Holes inside the machine allow smaller coins through to the proper bin and keep larger coins from falling into the wrong bins.
Electric sorters are constructed primarily of metal with some plastic parts. Electric coin sorters are more expensive than manual sorters.
Manual coin sorters
The majority of manual coin sorters are made of plastic. These are inexpensive units, but they can’t handle large numbers of coins efficiently. They also take significantly more time to sort coins compared to electric sorters.
A manual sorter often consists of funnels of different sizes. The funnel designed for pennies will not let nickels fall through it, for example. Some plastic sorters include trays with holes in them, allowing you to pre-sort the coins before using the funnels to fill wrappers. This saves some time.
Other manual coin sorters look a bit like electric coin sorters. However, instead of plugging the machine into an outlet, you turn a hand crank to force the coins into the channels. This style of machine works faster than the all-plastic funnels, but it’s still slower than an electric coin sorter.
Features
Anti-jamming
Some advanced electric coin sorters have a feature that automatically frees jams in the machine. These anti-jam features aren’t perfect, but they usually work well. Without an anti-jamming feature, you’ll have to free jams manually.
Bin size
You add coins to an electric coin sorter by dumping them into a bin. Large bins can hold several hundred coins. Basic hoppers will hold 100 to 200 coins.
Sorting speed
Electric coin sorters have a maximum speed at which they can sort coins. Basic units can sort 50 to 100 coins per minute. The fastest machines can sort 300 to 500 coins per minute.
Counting
Some coin sorters will count the money as they sort the coins, while others just sort coins. If you need to add up the coins as they’re being sorted, find a unit with this feature.
Wrapping
Some coin sorters insert the coins into wrappers automatically. Others place the loose coins in sorting bins. If you need your coins wrapped to take them to the bank, seek out a machine that inserts them into wrappers. This saves a lot of time versus wrapping coins by hand.
Size
Most electric coin sorters are between eight and 11 inches tall, so they’re fairly large machines. Without coins in the bin, these machines weigh between four and 10 pounds. With coins, they’re much heavier.
Coin sorter prices
Coin sorters vary greatly in price depending on their features. You can pay as little as $5 for a manual coin sorter. Or you can pay several hundred dollars for a high-speed electric coin sorter that’s meant for high-volume use.
Inexpensive
Manual coin sorters cost $5 to $15. These sorters use plastic funnels or trays. They’re not designed for high-volume use and are labor-intensive.
Mid-range
Mid-range coin sorters cost $15 to $50. They are mostly manual sorters with a series of stacked plastic trays that sort coins based on size. Some models in this price range have a hand crank that moves the coins into the sorting bins. Mid-range coin sorters require some time to sort coins, so high-volume users may become frustrated. They tend to jam relatively frequently, too.
Premium
The priciest coin sorters start at $50 and can cost as much as $1,000. Any machine over $250 is aimed at commercial users who have high-volume needs. Coin sorters in this price range are electric. These machines can handle hundreds of coins per minute.
Tips
- Before spending money on a coin sorter, think about what you want from the machine. If you’re just looking to calculate the value of your coins, there are machines that can do that for a much lower price than a sorter.
- The majority of coin sorters only handle pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters. If you need other coins sorted, such as dollar coins, you may need to search a bit to find a machine that can handle them.
- A heavy-duty coin sorter can create two to four rows of wrapped coins as it sorts. All of this happens automatically. This feature allows you to sort the coins much faster than having to stop and change out each wrapper as it’s filled.
- Some machines count the money as they sort. Other coin sorters will even print out a receipt after each sorting session, which is ideal for commercial use.
FAQ
Q. Do I have to use particular coin wrappers with my coin sorter?
A. It depends on your machine. Some coin sorters can use flat coin wrappers, but others need pre-formed round wrappers. Certain models will work with any coin wrapper. And some coin sorters require that you purchase specific coin wrappers from the manufacturer.
Q. Do coin sorters ever make mistakes?
A. Unfortunately, occasional errors do occur. A common error involves pennies being sorted as dimes because these two coins have a similar diameter. However, such errors are rare, especially with a high-quality coin sorter.
Q. Are electric coin sorters noisy?
A. These machines generate some noise, and some models are noisier than others. There is the noise of the coins bumping into each other as they’re sorted, and the gears used for sorting may create a loud ticking or clicking noise.
Q. Do coin sorters jam?
A. Coins can jam inside the machine. If the coin sorter has not been properly lubricated or cleaned, it may jam frequently. Heavily soiled coins or those that are slightly bent or damaged can cause jams. If you’re sorting American coins and a foreign coin is inadvertently in the mix, the non-U.S. currency can cause a jam, too.
