‘Money Launderer’ Ready for Change
- Share via
SAN FRANCISCO — In 31 years of handling more than $17 million, coin-washer extraordinaire Arnold Batliner insists that he was never tempted to slip a few extras into his pocket.
Not once. Not even a quarter.
The claim is believable coming from Batliner, the St. Francis Hotel’s 88-year-old official “money launderer.” Batliner is retiring after three decades of cleaning and polishing an estimated 1 million pounds of coins so the change would not soil the hands of hotel guests.
“He’s a legend in this hotel and in this city,” said reservations agent Jill Horne, 45, who has worked with him for 11 years. The job itself is simple. Batliner dumps the coins into a rotating drum with a handful of soap and 20 pounds of buckshot to polish them. He soaks pennies in Tidy Bowl toilet cleaner.
His plans for retirement: “Nothing. I got no hobbies. I’m a great man for sitting and doing nothing.”
Inside the business of entertainment
The Wide Shot brings you news, analysis and insights on everything from streaming wars to production — and what it all means for the future.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
