Coin counters and sorters could potentially be some of the most time-saving products available. Have you ever tried counting a jar of coins by hand? It is slow, boring and riddled with errors. Coin counters can sort and count coins in just minutes, sometimes seconds. Having used coin counters for years, I have a few suggestions on what you may want to look for in a machine.

To begin with, you’ll want to find a good reliable brand. Coin counter brands that I have found to be reliable include Cassida, Magner, Ribao, Klopp and Semacon. I have used coin counters and sorters from all 5 of these manufacturers and they have always proven to be reliable products.

The next thing you’ll need in a coin counter are some specific features. Here are some of the most common features available.

Coin Sorting – A coin counter should be able to sort coins as well, right? That is true, but different coin counters sort coins in different ways. Some machines are able to sort all coins at once, such as the ABC110, where others sort just one denomination at a time, such as the Ribao CS-10. Machines that only sort one denomination at a time are usually designed that way for bagging and coin rolling purposes.

Batch Counting – Do you need to be able to count a specific number of a specific denomination of coin? This is pretty important for coin rolling purposes. If you need a coin roll of $10 in quarters, you’re going to want to set up the batch counting for 40 coins. Make sense?

Continuous Counting – Continuous counting is nice if you are counting a lot of coins in one fell swoop. An example of this would be counting two jars of coins, but using a machine that can only handle one jar of coins at a time. You would place the first jar in the machine, and once finished, pour the second jar of coins into the machine. With continuous counting, the machine will be able to tell you the total number of coins and dollar value of coins for both jars.

Denominations – Be sure the machine you are using can handle the needed coin denominations. Most of our coin counters and sorters can handle pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters. Some are also able to handle dollar coins, tokens and even Canadian denominations such as Toonies and Loonies. Most machines will state under the specifications what they can handle. Many can be custom built to handle the coins you deal with on a daily basis.

Tubing / Bagging – Many people like to tube or bag coins for storage purposes. This may be a bank, a credit union or even a grocery store. Many of our coin counters have optional coin tubing and bagging attachments.

Speed – If you’re an individual or a small business, speed may not be an issue. If you are a bank or a retail store, counting speeds may be critical. Our coin counters are rated by coins counted per minute. The Semacon S-520, for example, can count and sort up to 450 coins per minute.

Portability – This is a tough call. While you may want your coin counter to be portable, you often loose counting capacity with portability. You’ll need to determine how much counting capacity and portability you need in your machine before making a choice. If your machine will always sit on the same counter or table, portability probably won’t matter.

You can see a video demo of a coin counter in action here:

I hope these tips and suggestions help you in your quest to find a reliable coin counting machine. If you still have questions, and many of you will, please feel free to contact one of our money handling specialists by calling 1-800-658-8788. I work with these people and can attest to the fact that they are knowledgeable, courteous and won’t pressure you into buying something you don’t need.

You can find our entire selection of coin counters and sorters here.

Do you handle or use coin tubes on a daily basis and need an effective way to close the ends shut? This may be in a retail store, bank, school or church environment. If this sounds like a situation you’re in, you may want to consider using the Klopp CR1 or CR4 coin tube crimper. This is my review.

At ABC Office, we offer a wide selection of coin counters and sorters, which is a great way to save time over manually counting and sorting coins. Many people, when counting and sorting coins, like to put these coins in a coin tube (sometimes called shotgun shell style coin rolls). Many counters even include funnels for easy coin tube loading.

So what do you do when the coin tube is filled? I have seen people try and fold the ends shut by themselves, but this often ends up in a mess. This is because if the ends aren’t properly closed or crimped, they can re-open, causing the coins to spill out.

The Klopp CR series of coin tube crimpers (CR1 & CR4) are designed to provide a solid and long-term crimp that will keep the ends of the rolls closed and secure. This is done electronically and takes 2-3 seconds.

Both the CR1 and the CR4 are the same machine, the only difference is the amount of crimping head that they come with them. The CR1 comes with 1 head and the CR4 has 4 different heads.

Before you use the Klopp CR1 or CR4, you will want to be sure you have the correct size crimping head attached to the machine. The crimping head you use will depend entirely on the denomination of coin roll you are closing.

These are the exact operation instructions copied straight from the manual:

Step 1. Insert Crimping Head into black receiver on machine. “Push and Twist” to ensure crimping head is located and locked in place.

Step 2. Turn machine “ON”.

Step 3. For Pre-Crimped “Shotgun Shell” Style Wrappers:
Fill wrapper. Press the pre-filled coin wrapper firmly against crimping head till the wrapper is tight and a rolled seal has been formed.

Step 4. For Flat Style Wrappers:
Fill wrapper. Divide the extra paper evenly on each end. Back one of the open ends with
your finger. Press the pre-filled coin wrapper firmly against the crimping head till wrapper is tight and a rolled seal has been formed. Repeat on opposite end.

The build quality on the CR1 and CR4 is exceptional, which should come as no surprise. Klopp coin sorters, counters and money handling equipment almost always features an excellent build quality.

You can find the Klopp CR1 & CR4 coin tube crimpers here. You can find our entire selection of money handling equipment here.

Do you count a lot of coins per day and don’t have the time to wait for a person or a coin counter to get the job done? One of the quickest and most efficient ways to count coins and tokens is by using a coin scale. One model you may want to look into is the Klopp KCS series of coin scales. This is my review.

Klopp is known for making a wide variety of coin sorters, coin counters and bill counters. Their machines are known for being reliable, efficient and easy to set up. The Klopp KCS series of coin scales follow with this tradition.

The Klopp KCS series of coin counting scales includes the KCS-12, KCS-30 and the KCS-60. The biggest difference between these different versions is the amount of coins they can weigh. The KSC-12 can handle up to 12 pounds of coins, the KCS-30 up to 30 pounds and the KCS-60 up to 60 pounds. It can even be used to count tokens and tickets.

This coin scale is easy to use. Simply set up the scale for the denomination you want to use and place the coins on the weighing surface. Three large LED displays indicate the denomination, weight and value of the coins. Calibration is simple and takes just seconds to do.

This scale includes 10 preset settings for common US denominations. It includes the ability to set up custom settings for other denominations. It can even be set up with password protection for use in the field.

Because this scale is so precise, there is no need to worry about inaccurate results. Many argue that coin scales are even more accurate than coin counters. I personally like both methods of counting coins. The method you use is a matter of preference, time and resources.

As mentioned earlier, the Klopp KCS coin scale can be set up to count tokens, foreign currencies and tickets. These are features that most traditional coin counters cannot support.  It can even be set up for batch counting.

You can get the Klopp KCS coin scales with an optional thermal printing kit, a carrying case and a coin scoop. These options can be requested prior to making a purchase by calling 1-800-658-8788.

I personally like the Klopp KCS coin scale and consider Klopp products to be some of the best on the market. You can find the Klopp KCS series of coin scales here. You can find our entire selection of coin counters here.