These Rare In-N-Out collectors item are selling for big money: Here’s how to get one

There is a rare In-N-Out Burger souvenir that you can get for free and sell for nearly $1,000 online. Yes, seriously.

The item in question is none other than the coveted In-N-Out coin, which is often sold on second-hand shopping sites such as eBay for up to $800.

The coins were first introduced over 70 years ago, when In-N-Out co-founder Harry Snyder, created his first burger coin in 1958. This was way back when the fast-food giant only had three stores to its name.

Worth Point

Rumors have circulated for decades about how you can get your hands on one of these rare collector’s items, but the answer is actually very simple.

To receive an In-N-Out coin, customers need simply to be the first customer at a new restaurant. 

“We don’t really celebrate or advertise new store openings, however, it’s our tradition to welcome our first customer with a special In-N-Out Burger coin as well as a T-shirt, and the meal that day is on us,” In-N-Out chief operating officer Denny Warnick explained to Eureka Times-Standard in 2020, ahead of the opening of an In-N-Out in California.

In Lynsi Snyder’s book “The Ins-n-Outs of In-N-Out Burger,” the brand owner explained why they chose a coin as a collectible item. “A large coin doesn’t go away, it doesn’t fade, it serves as a constant reminder that you haven’t spent it yet, and it reminds you of where, when, and how you acquired it.

“And potential customers were inclined to make that first visit to the store to spend that coin. From that point on, Harry hoped they’d be a customer for life.”

According to the book, each burger coin can be used to purchase In-N-Out menu items and have no expiration date. 

As of 2024, twelve variations of the burger coin exist, including an incredibly rare addition. This is the $20 solid silver coin that is given to employees who are promoted to store manager. 

Today, there are 275 In-N-Out locations in California, 43 in Texas, and 34 in Arizona. Nevada, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Colorado, and Texas also have at least one store.

Last month, In-N-Out made headlines when they announced they’d be opening several stores in Tennessee by 2026. In addition to this, another is set to open in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

We saw how much of a demand new In-N-Out stores created when a location in Idaho had an 8-hour drive-thru wait on its opening day.