Coin Operator

Coin operator is a new perk available as part of the Dead Money DLC for Fallout: New Vegas.

It is received from Christine as part of her dialogue: several Medicine, Perception and Intelligence checks are necessary, along with polite responses.

The result is Christine teaching the Courier a Workbench recipe to make "slugs" that the vending machines scattered over the Sierra Madre will accept: 1 Fusion battery plus 1 Scrap metal = 50 Sierra Madre Chips.

It is of limited use in the Sierra Madre proper due to the lack of Fusion Batteries, but it is the absolute most profitable way to gather Sierra Madre chips: a 75-cap Fusion Battery and a 1-cap Scrap Metal result in 50 chips(1.5 caps per chip), while redeeming a Pack of cigarettes worth 10 caps at a vending machine only results in 5 chips(2 caps per chip), and a Carton of cigarettes worth 50 caps only results in 20 chips(2.5 caps per chip). In absolute comparison, the cashier on the Sierra Madre Casino floor will only exchange Pre-War money for chips at a one-for-one basis(10 caps per chip!).