Let me tell you, there’s nothing quite like being a professional agent in New Eridu also moonlighting as a obsessive coin collector. I started this journey thinking, “Oh, just a few shiny tokens, how hard can it be?” Fast forward six hours, I’m dumpster diving, photographing strangers, and negotiating with a panda. Yes, a panda. The HIA Commemorative Coin hunt in Zenless Zone Zero is hands down the quirkiest scavenger hunt I’ve ever embarked on, and even in 2026, it remains the most rewarding time-waster in the game. If you want to pimp out your agents with upgrade materials and stack up Dennies without swiping a credit card, you'll want to track down every last one of these elusive tokens. So grab your camera and prepare to talk to every weirdo on the street – we're going coin hunting.

The Trash Can Prophet: How It All Begins

Before you can become a numismatist extraordinaire, you need to happen upon Ellis. He’s the noodle shop sage who first clues you into the ancient art of coin hunting. He’ll ask you to investigate the trash can at the end of the street, near the 141 Store. Do it. That’s where you meet the Sage in the Barrel – a sentient, coin-hungry garbage receptacle that will become your best friend and banker. Ellis gives you your very first HIA Commemorative Coin, and from that moment, you’re hooked. I mean, who wouldn’t want to keep feeding a talking trash can?

The Bizarre Art of Coin Detection

Here’s where my technique goes from “clueless rookie” to “efficiency maniac.” You don’t need to blindly talk to every NPC. Trust me, I tried – my thumb still hates me. The golden rule: check the time of day on your screen. Tap that clock up top. If a message pops up saying the Sage wants more coins, BOOM, someone is waiting to hand over a shiny token right this minute. If not, flip to the next time slot (morning, afternoon, evening, midnight) and try again.

NPCs with coins dangle a gray speech bubble over their heads – it’s like a neon sign saying “I have loot!” Sometimes all they want is a friendly chat. Other times they’ll demand a photo, 300 Dennies, or for you to chase down their terrified colleague because of ghosts. Wait, what? Oh yeah, you’ll understand. Inanimate objects with coins glow with a shiny effect, so you’ll spot them from a mile away. Even the dumpsters sparkle like they’ve just had a spa day.

My Favorite Coin-Snatching Moments (By Time of Day)

Rather than drown you in a listicle, let me regale you with some highlights. This is the stuff that made me laugh out loud while grinding.

🌅 Morning Madness

• Sjal the generous: Found right outside the noodle shop, just handing out flYers and coins like they’re candy. No quest, no begging—she just gives it. Bless her.

• Travis the obvious: Stands right outside the video store. Can’t miss him. His coin is basically a welcome mat.

• Clara the model: Wants a photo in front of the street sign. Snap, get coin. If only all relationships were this transactional.

☀️ Afternoon Antics

• Lupita the casual: Hangs across from the 141 store. Talk, receive, leave. Minimalist coin giving, I love it.

• The panda toy: Sitting at the coffee shop, sipping a drink. Are you kidding me? I checked it because it looked adorable, and it gifted me a coin. Is this real life?

• Record box loot: In front of Bardic Needle, the left record box just glimmers. Looting it feels like stealing, but the game says it’s fine.

• Jonnah the arcade goblin: He trades a HIA coin for Godfinger tokens. You’ll have to find him again inside the arcade to seal the deal. It’s a mini scavenger hunt inside a scavenger hunt. I adored it.

• Roy the haggler: Wants 300 Dennies. Pocket change, honestly. I gave him a tip.

🌆 Evening Eccentricities

• Locker next to the workbench: After collecting a few coins, it lights up like a Christmas tree. Free coin, no questions asked.

• Dumpster behind Officer Mewmew: I literally climbed into trash. What has my life become? But hey, coin secured.

• Luo’s rooftop coin: This guy dropped his coin, so I had to climb onto the Turbo Remodeling roof. Found it in an empty crate. Parkour for pocket change—I’m here for it.

• Gerant the scaredy-cat: He’s petrified of ghosts, so I had to run to Sita behind the newsstand, get two coins, and play messenger. He gave me one as a “protection” blessing. I felt like a paranormal insurance agent.

🌙 Midnight Mysteries

• Skateboard bench: A quick frisk, coin appears. No NPCs, just me and a bench in the dead of night. Unsettling but rewarding.

• Kaede and Cole: Kaede needs info from Cole about pre-Hollow calm-down techniques. I became a gossip courier.

• Becky and Luka the Dennies beggar: Becky tells you about a vending machine perfectionist. Luka just asks for a few Dennies. I love that you can choose how much to give him. (I gave 1 Denny. I’m not proud.)

• Ronnie the paparazzi: She wants a photo of Kousaka. I’m now a professional street photographer.

• Gray the pipe musician: Making ‘music’ with pipes. I chatted; he gave. Easiest concert ticket ever.

• Ironhead’s counterfeit panic: He found a coin and thought it was fake money. Once I explained what it was, he practically threw it at me. Education pays, folks.

• Yang and the Sulking Builderboo: A Builderboo stuck in a pipe! Talking to it triggered a sulking animation, then Yang made it give me a coin. I need a Builderboo therapist on speed dial.

Cashing In and Showing Off

All this collecting isn’t just for bragging rights (though flashing a full page of coins does wonders for my ego). Exchange them with the Sage in the Barrel for upgrade materials and Dennies. And once you nab half the coins in a single district, chat with Officer Mewmew outside Howl’s News Stand to get a shiny medal. It’s like a participation trophy, but way cooler.

You’d think after all this, I’d be tired. But honestly? The HIA Commemorative Coin questline is a masterclass in world-building through absurdity. It forces you to slow down, meet every oddball in New Eridu, and realize that even in a city plagued by Hollows, people will pay you to take their photo, fix their paranoia, and rescue pandas from coffee cups. So set that alarm for midnight, talk to every weird bubble, and never trust a sparkling dumpster until you’ve rummaged through it. Happy hunting, and may your Sage in the Barrel ever be hungry.