Can you just walk into a bank and ask for a particular year of coin?

[peruban]

I'm asking because I was born in 1976 and there was a special bicentennial quarter minted that year:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_bicentennial_coinage

I want to give one of those to my grandmother as a gift for sentimental reasons since I was the first generation of my family born in the U.S. Can you ask for something like that in a bank? If so I'd get her a coin from my deceased father's birth year as well, since he was the only family member to leave the country and settle down to the "american dream".

[RoyGBiv]

1. Not exactly ...

You can order Mint sets at banks that provide that service, but not at face value. You can sometimes get rolls of the state quarters, i.e. more recent coins, if you ask. It's all based on what they have at the moment, and they tend only to stockpile for these purposes more recent offerings.

That said, I have been able to get certain years of coins from friendly tellers, but not generally anything that would be considered a collector's item unless they just happened to have it in their drawer and I knew them. The bicentennial quarters were produced in such quantity that you can still find them in abundance in general circulation (bicentennial quarters were minted in both 1975 and 1976 and dated 1976), so it never hurts to ask.

Personally, for something like that, I'd suggest a Mint or Proof set from 1976. They're not all that expensive, 10-15 dollars. OnEdit: Clarification. Mint sets are around 10-15 dollars, Proof sets more.

[peruban]

2. Thanks

I had a couple put aside but I can't find them for the life of me, and I always run across them so I thought of going to the bank early tomorrow morning.

[RoyGBiv]

3. If you just want the quarter ...

I'd just go ask. They don't keep 'em locked away or anything and so might have them around.

I deal with money on a daily basis, and I still have people ask me to save them bicentennial quarters I get. When I worked at a convenience store awhile back, I had a few people that had standing orders for me to save them for them.

I don't get as many as I used to, but they're not uncommon either.

[petronius]

4. You can ask, sure. The tellers might be nice and dig through the drawers for you,

but you should make sure not to go at a busy hour.

[peruban]

5. Don't waste the teller's time, got it.

[peruban]

6. News update.

I managed to get to the bank early this morning and some generous teller went through her drawer and found me a bicentennial quarter AND a bicentennial dollar coin to boot. Thanks for the ideas!!!

[pitohui]

7. yes they can order it for you

they don't keep them sitting around, but our banks in louisiana anyway will put in an order and get them delivered

you can ask for $2 bills, susan b. anthony coins, "all new" type twenty bills (which is something i actually ordered for travel to a country that is paranoid about old usa bills) etc

just ask for what you want, they can arrange to have it delivered

i was not charged a fee but for the bicentennial coin it's possible there is, just ask