Hacker News Reader

Couldn't they just get new coins (which would be shiny) from the mint? Would that be more expensive than washing them?

I would imagine a lot more time consuming. Driving to the bank and waiting in line takes time

They're currently spending 10 hours per week on this. I can't imagine that 2-3 trips per week would take longer than that.

It's only what, 4 blocks?

I think (don't quote me on this) that you have to pay extra (on top of the value of the coins) to get them 'fresh', because handling, packaging, etc.