100 Gallons of Coins Recovered from Waterfall at North Carolina Aquarium Closed Amid Pandemic

The national coin shortage caused by the COVID-19 crisis isn't a concern for the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores.

In fact, the outer banks aquarium—now entering its sixth month of mandated closure due to the coronavirus pandemic—recently found itself with a bit of a surplus on its hands.

With the facility's 30-foot water fixture known as the Smoky Mountain waterfall turned off for cleaning last week, staff were able to collect the staggering amount of coins thrown in by tourists who mistook it for a wishing well over the years.

"About 100 gallons of coins were cleaned and sorted and will go toward the general care of the aquarium and animals during this time," the aquarium wrote alongside photos of the recovery effort on Facebook.

As for how much money 100 gallons of coins adds up to, we'll have to wait and see. Aquarium staff are reportedly still working on counting all the pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters. The total will be released later this week, officials said.

In the meantime, the aquarium is asking fans to share their best guesses. "Can you guess how much money was in the waterfall?" the Facebook post asks.

We know social media can't resist a challenge, and more than 2,100 commenters have chimed in since the post went up over the weekend.

What do you think? Be sure to visit the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores page on Facebook and share your best guess!