TOY CRANE / Planning your coins
Planning Your Coins: Refills, Piggy Bank and What to Buy First
Before earning more coins, stop them leaking. Once you know every way coins come in and go out, the same amount of play gets you your next claw much sooner.
Where coins come from and where they go
| Income | Notes |
|---|---|
| Wallet refill | +5 every 10 minutes, only up to the cap (50, or 100 with the Big Wallet) |
| Free-coin ads | 10 coins each; charges refill over time |
| Level-clear bonus | Every clear; an ad doubles it |
| Piggy bank | +2 per hour and +2 per level clear; break it when full |
| Selling prizes | 1–3 coins by size, more for golden prizes |
Coins go out on play (one coin = one credit = one round), claws and upgrades, and items. Coin planning is really deciding how to split “coins to play with” and “coins to invest”. The basics of each source are in Coins and the piggy bank; this article is about combining them into a plan.
The wallet cap: the most common leak
Five coins every ten minutes is 30 coins an hour, so an empty 50-coin wallet fills in about 100 minutes and then stops. After a night’s sleep, your wallet has been full for hours.
So the rule is simple: don’t leave the wallet sitting full. If you can check in several times a day, empty it each time. If you only play once or twice a day, the Big Wallet (cap 100) makes a real difference: double the cap means double the time before refills stop. Refill rates may be tuned, so go by the next-refill timer shown in the game.
Ads, level bonuses and the piggy bank
Free-coin ads
Each ad from the lobby’s Free coins button pays 10 coins, with a limited number of charges that refill over time. Ad coins can go past the wallet cap, so when your wallet is full, spend wallet coins first and top up with ads later. Full ad charges also stop accumulating, so use them now and then.
Level-clear bonus
The bonus grows with level, and an ad on the clear screen doubles it. The higher you go, the more that one ad is worth. Don’t forget the milestone bonus every 50 levels.
Piggy bank
The piggy bank fills separately: 2 coins per hour and 2 per level clear. When full, watch an ad to break it and collect everything. It ignores the wallet cap, so treat it as your savings account. It fills faster when you’re clearing levels quickly, and a full piggy bank stops filling, so break it as soon as it glows gold.
Sell or keep?
Prizes sell for 1–3 coins by size, and golden prizes for much more. The key fact: your collection record stays after you sell.
- Duplicates already in the collection: sell freely. Let them pile up and sell each type in one go.
- First copies: the record stays either way, so keep one if you enjoy seeing it in your bag. It’s only 1–3 coins.
- Golden prizes: their high price makes them a handy emergency fund when you’re just short of a claw.
Small amounts add up as you clear levels; a weekly bag clean-out is surprisingly worthwhile. Track your progress in the collection.
What to buy first
1. A new claw that suits your current band
Claws differ a lot in arm length, span, grip, slip resistance and closing speed, while each upgrade level adds 1% grip. So in most cases a new claw changes more than several upgrade levels. Mini Pinch (150) for small plushies, Long Reach (220) for big ones, Rubber Grip (420) for balls and slippery prizes; Golden Titan (950) is the long-term goal.
2. Upgrades for your main claw
Once you have a claw you use most, upgrades start to make sense, especially after buying Golden Titan. Go deep on one claw rather than spreading upgrades thin.
3. Items
Shake and No-Open also come from level clears. Buy them when needed, for example when a boss stage is coming and you have none. An item is still cheaper than burning credits on a board that won’t budge.
Compare claws in the Claw guide and Choosing a claw.
A sample week
For a player who checks in about three times a day, aiming to buy one new claw:
| Day | Plan |
|---|---|
| Mon | Pick the target claw and work out how many coins you need. Empty the wallet each session and double every level bonus. |
| Tue | Same routine. Use ad charges if they’re full. On a stuck board, try a different order before reaching for items. |
| Wed | Bag day: sell duplicates that are already in the collection. |
| Thu | Check the piggy bank and break it if full. |
| Fri | If a boss stage is near, check your items. Keep emptying the wallet. |
| Sat | More time to play: clear several levels; bonuses and the piggy bank grow together. |
| Sun | Buy the claw. If you’re short, sell a golden prize. Set next week’s goal. |
The days don’t matter; three rules do: never let the wallet sit full, always double level bonuses, break the piggy bank as soon as it’s full.
Two pockets: play coins and invest coins
Split your coins mentally. Wallet coins are for playing: they stop at the cap anyway, so use them. Piggy bank and level bonuses are for investing in lasting things like claws. That split removes the guilt of “if I play, I’ll never afford the claw”.
Coin packs and time-limited passes exist, but these rules alone are enough to collect every claw. Play for fun and take breaks; see Playing in a healthy way.