Coin Collection Programme

1. Coin counting machines can count coins of mixed denominations together. Customers do not need to sort their coins by denomination beforehand.
2. To ensure smooth operation of the coin counting machines, customers should first remove all other objects and dirt among the coins. Each customer will be requested to remove any packaging and put all coins into a plastic tray provided by the customer representatives, so that objects and dirt are removed from the coins before they are counted.
3. To maintain a smooth customer flow, each transaction is limited to around 10 kg of coins. Customers with coins in excess of 10kg are requested to have their coins weighed and put in the plastic tray for queuing again. Customers using tools, e.g. trolley, to transport large quantity of coins are required to put the tools outside the queuing area without blocking the other customers waiting for service.
4. All coins will be returned to the customer if he or she does not agree on the counted amount. Upon the customer’s confirmation, a receipt will be issued. Counted and confirmed coins will not be returned to the customer.
5. The customer service representatives will inspect the coins. Any other objects, or rusty, dyed, wet or mouldy coins, or coins that cannot be distinguished will be returned to the customer in order to prevent damage to the coin counting machine (see Note 1).
6. Coins have to be processed by the coin counting machine before they can be accepted. Coins might be rejected by the machine due to normal wear and tear.
7. Customers may choose to receive the equivalent amount of counted coins in cash, or upload all or part of the sum to their stored value facilities*, such as Octopus Cards or e-wallets (including AlipayHK, Octopus Wallet, Tap&Go and WeChat Pay). There is a Community Chest donation box inside each Coin Cart to facilitate donation. (*The maximum balance of each stored value facility varies. The customer is advised to check it with the relevant operator.)
8. The Coin Cart does not accept any coin other than Hong Kong coins. Also, it does not provide notes and coins exchange services.

Note 1: Hong Kong coins not acceptable to the Coin Carts can be exchanged for face value of current Hong Kong circulation currency at branches of The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited (HSBC), which acts as the government's agent bank for coins, subject to fees or conditions set by the bank. If there are large quantity of these coins (i.e. more than 500 pieces) or coins which are no longer legal tender, you should approach HSBC's Hong Kong Office (HSBC Main Building, 1 Queen's Road Central) or Mong Kok Branch (673 Nathan Road, Mong Kok, Kowloon) for the exchange. Please note that HSBC may refuse to give value to coins if their condition is beyond recognition and suspected counterfeit coins. Suspected counterfeit coins will be passed to the Police for authentication.

Coin Collection Programme accepts the following Hong Kong coins

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  10¢ coins of 1982 or after
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  20¢ coins of 1975 or after
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  50¢ coins of 1977 or after
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  $1 coins of 1978 or after
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  $2 coins of 1975 or after
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  $5 coins of 1980 or after
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  All $10 coins

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  Do you know? In 1863 the Hong Kong Government produced Hong Kong’s first legal tender coin, a one-mil “Yi Wen” coin with a design based on the traditional Chinese cosmology of the hemispherical dome (square earth under a round sky).

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  Do you know? The first five-cent silver coin was issued in 1866. It weighed 0.036 taels. At that time, vegetable wholesalers made their bids discreetly by communicating in codes. “Dau” and “Ling” represented “3” and “6” respectively. The coin was therefore commonly known as “Dau Ling”.

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  Do you know? In the past a fifty-cent coin was also known as “half dollar.” In 1910s fifty cents could buy a decent Chinese style dinner.

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  Do you know? For replacement of one-dollar notes, Hong Kong issued one-dollar coins in 1960. It was the highest-value and largest coin at that time, earning itself a nickname “Dai Beng”, meaning “big cake”.

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  Do you know? Since 1993, “Queen’s Head” coins returning to the reserves have not been re-circulated. At the end of 2013, a total of 880 million “Queen’s Head” coins have been retrieved from circulation.

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  Do you know? There are no coins in circulation showing years of minting “1999” to “2011” because there had been no demand for minting new coins during these years.

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  Do you know? At the end of 2013 around 6 billion coins were in circulation in Hong Kong. They weighed 30,000 tons, equivalent to 2,000 double-deck buses.

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  Do you know? Hong Kong coins are mainly made of copper, nickel, zinc or plated steel.

• Coin cart time lapse video

  Coin cart time lapse video