News & Events

Most of us make a wish when we toss a coin into a fountain, but the people and organizations responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of those fountains may be wishing for a coin counting machine to deal with all that change. It turns out wishing wells are a big business. Millions of coins are tossed into thousands of fountains around the world every year, which begs the question: What happens to all those coins?

The maintenance workers at Manhattan's Bryant Park can tell you. According to a New York Times story, the park's fountain is periodically drained and cleaned, with park employees literally scooping loads of coins into buckets. During busy times for wishes, such as Christmas, it can take days to clean, dry, and count all that coinage. The dollar amounts are not insignificant either: after the 2011 Christmas season, Bryant Park workers pulled more than $3,400 from the fountain. 

So, what happens after the coins have been hauled, dried, and counted? In the case of Bryant Park, they go right back into the fountain, so to speak: the Times story notes that the cash collected is used to pay for cleaning the fountain. "The coins pay for the collection of the coins," said Jerome Barth, the director of operations for the Bryant Park Corporation. 

Wishes turn into coins to count for charities

Many fountains around the world are a source of well wishes for charitable organizations. Perhaps the most famous one, Rome's storied Trevi Fountain, is literally a wellspring of charitable contributions. The BBC found that so much change is going into the fountain, approximately $4,000 per day, that it has to be removed every night. The proceeds are given to a local charity, Caritas, which subsidizes a grocery market for the needy. According to The Independent, that added up to 1.4 million Euros (a little over $1.6 million) in 2016. Imagine counting all those coins. 

While not quite as significant as the Eternal City's signature wishing well, several fountains on this side of the Atlantic are reaping big rewards for charities, as well (no pun intended). The Atlantic Monthly did an in-depth study of what happens to coins thrown in fountains and found that the fountain at the Mall of America is collecting approximately $24,000 each year, which is distributed to various charitable organizations that apply to be the recipients. 

Disney, with its many parks and fountains, takes a similar approach. In 2014, according to a story in Attractions Magazine, a theme park industry trade publication, Disney World surprised a Central Florida charity, Community Based Care, with $18,000 fished from the park's fountains. Even better, the employees got to vote to choose the recipient.

Coin sorters and counters are a fast, accurate solution

No matter what the reason you find yourself with buckets full of change – whether it's from wishes accumulating in a fountain, a local charity drive, or just a really full piggy bank – coin sorters and counters are a fast, accurate, and reliable alternative to counting all those coins by hand. The Cummins Allison Money Machine 2 is a self-service coin counter that can get the job done efficiently and accurately. No matter the size of your fountain or piggy bank, they're the most effortless way to count your blessings.