A coin wrapper, sometimes known as a bank roll or roll, is a paper or plastic container for a number of coins.
In the United States, empty rolls are available free at most banks in every denomination (though it is becoming increasingly difficult for half dollar and dollar to be readily made available). The rolls come flat and one side will have to be folded to allow for coins to be placed inside. When the roll is full, the top side will need to be folded. Typically, the full rolls are brought back to the banks in exchange for currency or to be deposited.
In the Eurozone, empty plastic rolls are used at banks in every denomination, with five-coin staggered rows. Their main advantages are:
In Japan, machine-wrapped, plastic coin rolls are circulated almost exclusively, as handmade coin rolls are rare. Each roll holds 50 coins. Customers can change bills into coin rolls easily using automatic money changers at Japanese banks.
In the United Kingdom, coin rolls are not used. Instead, small plastic bags are provided free of charge at banks which are filled by the customer with the appropriate number of the same value coin as printed on the bag. When depositing or changing, the bags are weighed at the bank to check they contain the right number.
Often, coin collectors will ask for full rolls from the bank to search the contents in hopes of finding an interesting piece. Some collectors also save coins of bullion value, such as copper cents and silver half-dollars. This practice is called coin roll hunting. Full rolls are also requested by vendors to make change.
Bank rolls are vulnerable to a variety of scams, such as rolling slugs of no value or coins of a lesser value. See also coin rolling scams.
Australian coins used to have different ink colors, but now they all have black ink.
The Bahamas has two different kinds of rolls with the same number of coins. One kind is distinguished by color, while the other is adorned with a light blue background with the Flag of the Bahamas. The rolls here are the ones distinguished by color.