Notice of Closure

I really can't keep up this hobby blog, as it's going to consume time that I need elsewhere. Also, I have this sense that it was little more than a vanity blog, without any reach. If you're one of the few who stopped by, I would like to thank you for doing so.

In lieu of a continuation, a word from the wised-up: if the C$ falls back down, it would be tempting to scoop up "free money" through sifting American coinage out of Canadian change. This plan is much harder than it seems, though, because of the huge amount of time needed to do so. Hand work takes about 4-6 hours per box, if you're good at it. Unless you live in or near a border town, you'll need about a four-figure amount of American-only coinage in order to make the trip recoup its costs. Doing so would, likely, require going through a five-figure dollar amount of coinage, and possibly a six-figure amount. This implies tens, if not hundreds, of boxes needed to make a profit. Obviously, to do so by hand isn't at all practical.

(If you haven't checked - I have - no Canadian bank I know of takes American coins for deposit into a US$ account. As far as I know, you have to hoof them down to an American bank, which may accept them for deposit only.)

As far as machine help is concerned, no machine that I know of differentiates between American and Canadian coinage. That's because they differ only in thickness. To have a sieve manufactured requires a laser cut, and would cost close to $500 for each denomination. A reconditioned, high-speed automatic coin-rolling machine could be had for less than $1000 including delivery. You can figure out the capital costs from here.

When it comes down to it, scooping up American change, if the C$ has fallen back down, only makes sense if you're going to the border anyway (unless a way can be found to swing an automatic operation.) As far as "street currency speculation" is concerned, a US$ account filled with converted Canadian funds is much easier and a lot more convenient. Still, the thought was intriguing...

Nickel Sifting #2: A Finite Supply

The workhorse of statistical analysis is the normal distribution curve, which is derived from a set of events in a fixed 50/50 ratio. To be more specific, a set of events of infinite size which exhibit that ratio.

Since this concept provides a convenient approximation to real statistical data, it's easy to fall into the habit of assuming that it does describe an existent set of events - that there is actually something approximating an infinite-sized cornucopia from which samples can be taken, ad infinitum and world without end.

Of course, in the real world, finitude intrudes: we need not imagine a poker game with a single deck, eleven players and no Texas-hold-'em option to imagine it. Myself, I don't need to imagine it at all: I bumped into it during this round.

Like all of the other coin boxes I've gotten, I obtained the latest batch of nickels at the Royal Bank of Canada, Yonge & Cranbrooke branch. This box of 2,000 nickels yielded only 23 American nickels, for a ratio of 1.15%. The last one yielded 59, for a ratio of 2.95% I actually got more pre-1965 "scarcities," including one 1964 nickel that looks like it left the Mint presses a few months ago, than Americans on this round.

It looks like I need to hit another branch, as the cornucopia seems to be a'emptyin'.