A friend of mine has a similar coin bank but made in the 1960's of plastic. It also belonged to her father.
The idea was for the bank customer to fill the coin bank with change, take it to the bank where the banker, using his special key, unlocked it and deposited the money.
My dad did the same, except without the cool box. You probably won't find anything that is deemed numismatically valuable, but it is what the box and coins evoke that is the most valuable IMO. I would pay more for the metal box than all the coins inside.
When silver was coinage, you could be your own bank! This is from an era when putting away a dime, meant a full dime to spend in the future.
Many of you have reminded me not to clean my coins in any way. Generally I understand that. But the Metal Detecting people mention soaking coins in olive oil, so there seems to be exceptions to that advice.looking at my picture of the best Mercury dimes, the upper left ‘45 has some dirt in his hair, but is otherwise near perfect. Can I remove that?
@MrTea said:
Many of you have reminded me not to clean my coins in any way. Generally I understand that. But the Metal Detecting people mention soaking coins in olive oil, so there seems to be exceptions to that advice.looking at my picture of the best Mercury dimes, the upper left ‘45 has some dirt in his hair, but is otherwise near perfect. Can I remove that?
You could soak it in acetone if you want to. (Use a well-ventilated area and no nearby flames).
The key is that you do not want to rub the surface in any way - it will create patches of small scratches that reduce the value greatly. And it would be wise to try it first on a less nice coin.
Comments
What a nice discovery! The advice has all been good. I would simply add, take your time and enjoy what you learn along the way.
Was 1944 the most recent date?
I knew it would happen.
A friend of mine has a similar coin bank but made in the 1960's of plastic. It also belonged to her father.
The idea was for the bank customer to fill the coin bank with change, take it to the bank where the banker, using his special key, unlocked it and deposited the money.
Posted here with pictures for anyone interested:
https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/1002414/an-interesting-little-plastic-coin-bank-from-the-cleveland-trust-company
The Mysterious Egyptian Magic Coin
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I like the apiary on the front of the bank 🐝
He who knows he has enough is rich.
A photo midway in the thread shows 3 1945 Mercury dimes.
My dad did the same, except without the cool box. You probably won't find anything that is deemed numismatically valuable, but it is what the box and coins evoke that is the most valuable IMO. I would pay more for the metal box than all the coins inside.
When silver was coinage, you could be your own bank! This is from an era when putting away a dime, meant a full dime to spend in the future.
**Look for full bands on the 1945 P dimes.
**Any mintmarks on the back of the 1899 and 1909 barbers?
Very cool post.
siliconvalleycoins.com
There were a few ‘45s and a single Roosevelt ‘46.
The 1909 Barber has a Denver mint mark
Many of you have reminded me not to clean my coins in any way. Generally I understand that. But the Metal Detecting people mention soaking coins in olive oil, so there seems to be exceptions to that advice.looking at my picture of the best Mercury dimes, the upper left ‘45 has some dirt in his hair, but is otherwise near perfect. Can I remove that?
You could soak it in acetone if you want to. (Use a well-ventilated area and no nearby flames).
The key is that you do not want to rub the surface in any way - it will create patches of small scratches that reduce the value greatly. And it would be wise to try it first on a less nice coin.