"It's A Wonderful Life..." in coins!
DCW
Posts: 7,473 ✭✭✭✭✭
Watching my favorite Christmas movie as I'm reminded of the town that inspired the fictional "Bedford Falls" in "It's a Wonderful Life." I'm talking about Seneca Falls, NY. 
Apparently, Frank Capra visited this sleepy little town in upstate New York, and it made an impression on him.
One of my favorite designs in Civil War Tokens is from this town: the SKIDMORE'S HOTEL with an eagle smoking a cigar. It is a very underrated variety, extremely hard to locate for its assigned rarity which I think is listed as R4. No way. Try searching for one! It will take some time.
I am very fortunate to have picked up the below examples, all from Dave Bowers when he was selling his vast collection a few years back:
The crown jewel, this one is struck in silver. The only one I'm aware of.
Copper
Brass
Brass, full obverse brockage. I think Dave said something to the effect of "this is the most famous error in all of CWTs."
Brass, counterstamped "H. Frantz" by the new owner of the hotel, same location.
D. Skidmore operated a hotel on Fall St during the American Civil War, and apparently these tokens were good for a cigar in the parlor room. 
This one is nearly as popular as Merriam's Good For A Scent token, but even harder to acquire.
Merry Christmas everyone and remember...
"No man is a failure who has friends."
So, be kind to each other!
Dead Cat Waltz Exonumia
"Coin collecting for outcasts..."
Comments
Great post...great movie...great tokens!
But the eagle doesn't look like he's smoking a cigar...he looks like he's just holding a stick in his beak.
I always thought the eagle had a fountain pen in its beak.
In honor of the memory of Cpl. Michael E. Thompson
Excellent post and very nice tokens!
Also my very favorite holiday movie…
What a wonderful post and super great idea bringing them to life by using it to the movie!
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CoinsAreFun Toned Silver Eagle Proof Album
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Gallery Mint Museum, Ron Landis& Joe Rust, The beginnings of the Golden Dollar
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More CoinsAreFun Pictorials NGC
Beautiful!
"Jesus died for you and for me, Thank you,Jesus"!!!
--- If it should happen I die and leave this world and you want to remember me. Please only remember my opening Sig Line.Nice tokens, the eagle is just holding a cigar in his beak thou. Not sure where the idea he was smoking it came from.
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I think it’s a doobie.
Nothing is as expensive as free money.
Wonderful collection Den! I'm a big fan of these Bridgens pieces!
You have a great eye and have put together a wonderful collection!
Neat tokens. There are a lot of those 'sleepy little towns' in upstate NY.... I live in one now, the same one I grew up in. Cheers, RickO
Are there any tokens for your town?
@Zoins ... I have heard, in conversations years ago, that there was one, possibly two. I have never seen one. No coin shops around, but I check the antique shops which usually have several booths with coins and tokens. Cheers, RickO
Unfortunately ricko, most of them have turned into Pottersville.
EDIT: What am I saying; the whole state has turned into Pottersville! It saddens me!!
Disclaimer: I'm not a dealer, trader, grader, investor or professional numismatist. I'm just a hobbyist. (To protect me but mostly you! 🤣 )
@OAKSTAR ... You have a good point there.....
Cheers, RickO
@ricko- It's everywhere, not just our beloved NY.
Disclaimer: I'm not a dealer, trader, grader, investor or professional numismatist. I'm just a hobbyist. (To protect me but mostly you! 🤣 )
Great thread @DCW! Thank you for posting. 👍🏻
Disclaimer: I'm not a dealer, trader, grader, investor or professional numismatist. I'm just a hobbyist. (To protect me but mostly you! 🤣 )
I visited Niagara Falls, NY a couple years ago and it was clear that they have worked very hard to keep the blight away from the central area of the city. They have done a great job. Some of the historical exhibits show NF in its heyday - it was a bustling place 100 or more years ago.
Lots of this sort of thing across the Eastern US where old industries have disappeared.
Seneca Falls hosts a "It's a Wonderful Life" festival the second week of December. I've get to get up there for that one day. Fall St has changed a bit, and I've heard the building where this hotel stood is gone.
Dead Cat Waltz Exonumia
"Coin collecting for outcasts..."
Film trivia:
Clarence (Henry Travers) and Mr. Potter (Lionel Barrymore) never appeared together in "It's a Wonderful Life".
This picture is from a 1941 film "The Bad Man", a film loosely based on the General Pancho Villa raid on New Mexico in 1916.
Lionel Barrymore (in wheelchair) and Henry Travers
The Mysterious Egyptian Magic Coin
Coins in Movies
Coins on Television
Nice!