What is the most unusual container you have seen (or heard of) collectible coins stored in?

SanctionII

We have all heard of and probably seen stashes of coins in coffee cans, glass jars, socks, etc.

It would be interesting to hear about containers that are more unusual/esoteric.

When I was a YN the father of a school mate of mine found out I collected. He did too. When I was at his house visiting his son he showed me some of his collection. He had the collection stored in metal ammo boxes (I suspect that many collections have been stored this way). As a 7-8 year old YN I remember liking his collection, but also remember liking his ammo boxes more.

LindeDad

When we were kids those AMMO cans contained everything including ammo. My dad had his coins, deed, birth certificate even photos in them. I remember having baseball cards in one of mine to.
I use a Canadian Forces desert kit box to store Mint and Proof sets in. Ammo cans now just have ammo and gun cleaning supplies in them.

renomedphys

Cigar boxes, shoeboxes, piggie banks, tobacco tins, pill boxes, desk drawers (loose). Once I had somebody bring me their collection which had been sorted out by denomination in baby food jars. Mostly old dimes and wheat cents, some buffs, and much fewer quarters and halves. All worth melt.

tradedollarnut

I just viewed a multi million dollar coin that is kept raw in a small leather pouch.

braddick

<< <i>I just viewed a multi million dollar coin that is kept raw in a small leather pouch. >>



Just as long as the pouch isn't still connected to the animal, that's cool.

sumnom

<< <i>I just viewed a multi million dollar coin that is kept raw in a small leather pouch. >>



Cool.

mrearlygold

One fellow purchased some really good coins from me, 1795 $10 in AU-55, 1796 $10 AU-50, 1797 Small Eagle $10 AU-55 99/8 9 X 4 stars in AU and a few others not quite to that level but earlies nonetheless. I had been offered a complete run less the 9 leaf and 99/8 7 X 6 stars in one fell swoop at a FUN show years back and bought it, then sold it over a period of a couple weeks with this fellow buying most of the big stuff. He decided to send these coins to me some months later as part of a trade deal and when I received the fedex boxes they all had a chemical odor to them. After opening the boxes the odor filled the office! The coins were inside wrapped in plastic, WET with some kind of chemical and upon opening the individual package I noticed the slab holders , both PCGS and NGC appeared to have "melted", although on closer inspection they were just scuffed to a point where the coins or the dates were unreadable. He stored them in an outside shed, inside a can containing some kind of chemical. Why? Because he thought the government wouldn't find them there, that's why.

PerryHall

<< <i>I just viewed a multi million dollar coin that is kept raw in a small leather pouch. >>



Was the coin protected in some way? Leather is tanned with acid so hopefully the coin wasn't raw.

JamesM

<< <i>One fellow purchased some really good coins from me, 1795 $10 in AU-55, 1796 $10 AU-50, 1797 Small Eagle $10 AU-55 99/8 9 X 4 stars in AU and a few others not quite to that level but earlies nonetheless. I had been offered a complete run less the 9 leaf and 99/8 7 X 6 stars in one fell swoop at a FUN show years back and bought it, then sold it over a period of a couple weeks with this fellow buying most of the big stuff. He decided to send these coins to me some months later as part of a trade deal and when I received the fedex boxes they all had a chemical odor to them. After opening the boxes the odor filled the office! The coins were inside wrapped in plastic, WET with some kind of chemical and upon opening the individual package I noticed the slab holders , both PCGS and NGC appeared to have "melted", although on closer inspection they were just scuffed to a point where the coins or the dates were unreadable. He stored them in an outside shed, inside a can containing some kind of chemical. Why? Because he thought the government wouldn't find them there, that's why. >>




wow

commoncents05

<< <i>

<< <i>I just viewed a multi million dollar coin that is kept raw in a small leather pouch. >>



Was the coin protected in some way? Leather is tanned with acid so hopefully the coin wasn't raw. >>



My grandfather kept coins he brought back from WWII in a leather pouch and by the time I inherited them, they were coated in a green fuzz. It came off easily with acetone, but still.

-Paul

keyman64

Toilet paper and old film canisters.......

astrorat

<< <i>One fellow purchased some really good coins from me, 1795 $10 in AU-55, 1796 $10 AU-50, 1797 Small Eagle $10 AU-55 99/8 9 X 4 stars in AU and a few others not quite to that level but earlies nonetheless. I had been offered a complete run less the 9 leaf and 99/8 7 X 6 stars in one fell swoop at a FUN show years back and bought it, then sold it over a period of a couple weeks with this fellow buying most of the big stuff. He decided to send these coins to me some months later as part of a trade deal and when I received the fedex boxes they all had a chemical odor to them. After opening the boxes the odor filled the office! The coins were inside wrapped in plastic, WET with some kind of chemical and upon opening the individual package I noticed the slab holders , both PCGS and NGC appeared to have "melted", although on closer inspection they were just scuffed to a point where the coins or the dates were unreadable. He stored them in an outside shed, inside a can containing some kind of chemical. Why? Because he thought the government wouldn't find them there, that's why. >>

Sounds like he was right, nonetheless.

kaz

There's a story in the David Lawrence book "Tales from the Bourse" about a Gobrecht dollar kept in a glass bottle that was blown around it! unfortunately the coin abraded against a sharp spot in the bottle bottom and was seriously scratched.

Crusoe

A 1792 half disme stored in a jar of grape jelly. Thankfully the coin was in a flip and Ziplock bag, but still...

ricko

Band Aid can, old mayonnaise jar, shoe box and jewelry box. Cheers, RickO

cladking

I had some cheap British pennies come in a teak box with a hand signed note
saying the wood caim from Lord Admiral Nelson's ship "Victory" during a retro-
fitting. It wasn't Nelson's signature though. No one wanted to pay any money
for it and that was before eBay.

I've seen almost everything over the years including WW II ammo boxes.

braddick

I once owned a cent that had been stored in a Cheerios box.

Does that count?

Nooker

I saw the 60 minutes episode this past weekend that showed Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps storing his 8 Olympic medals in a travel makeup pouch and wrapped in a grey t-shirt.

123cents

<< <i>I once owned a cent that had been stored in a Cheerios box.

Does that count? >>



No, it must be a Sacagawea Dollar.

tradedollarnut

<< <i>There's a story in the David Lawrence book "Tales from the Bourse" about a Gobrecht dollar kept in a glass bottle that was blown around it! unfortunately the coin abraded against a sharp spot in the bottle bottom and was seriously scratched. >>



That's not possible - glass is much softer than a coin

Constantine

<< <i>

<< <i>There's a story in the David Lawrence book "Tales from the Bourse" about a Gobrecht dollar kept in a glass bottle that was blown around it! unfortunately the coin abraded against a sharp spot in the bottle bottom and was seriously scratched. >>



That's not possible - glass is much softer than a coin >>



I actually think it is the other way around, glass is a 6 on Mohs and silver or gold a 2.5.

TwoSides2aCoin

Lucite, wax, and 90 weight gear grease. All excellent preservatives, but only one allows viewing of the coins.

TwoSides2aCoin

Also, Zincoln cents in a peanut butter jar full of vegetable oil.

Reasonable offers entertained.

Coinosaurus

<< <i>That's not possible - glass is much softer than a coin

>>



Uh oh. I do hope no one takes a shard of glass to TDN's coins

rmpsrpms

Around 1998 I flew to the PNW and visited a coin shop in Tacoma, WA. I had asked the owner over the phone if he had any BU Cent rolls (my collecting passion) and he said he had a few from the late 50's, so I stopped by. To my surprise, he brought out several large Chock-Full-O-Nuts Coffee cans and opened them on the counter. They were brimming with OBW rolls of Lincolns in Seattle Branch Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco wrappers. He said he had them in the cans since he bought them from the bank in the years of issue. The paper wrappers were pristine red and the end coins blast mint gold! Since I was traveling, I could not take them all (I wanted to...) so I asked him what he had that I could carry a bunch in. He brought out an ammo can that held 30mm machine gun belts, and I started packing it full. I discovered that this type of ammo can holds exactly 100 OBW rolls. I ended up with all the 1954-D rolls he had (maybe 20), about 50 1955-D, and about 30 1958-D. Now, I was a bit nervous about carrying an ammo can full of BU rolls on the plane with me, but what the heck! I had them in a backpack, which I put on the XRay machine. The screener looked at it for a while, then asked if this was my bag and I told him yes. He then said "are those penny rolls?" and I told him they were, and he asked that I open the ammo box and show him a few of them. I had to dig about half of them out to show him the bottom of the can, but once I did that he said OK and let me through. I have no idea how many strip searches I'd be subjected to these days pulling a stunt like that! I still have a bunch of those rolls. Wish I could have bought them all but only ended up bringing home about 1/3 of them. By the time I made it back there, the shop was closed...Ray

CoinDogs

I had a guy who stored copper in vinegar jars full of vinegar. I’m sure the story didn’t end well

Coinosaurus

Strip search? Penny rolls?

Sunnywood might have to add a new category to the toning progression.

mrearlygold

A gynecologist sent in a group of raw double eagles and morgan dollars to trade for other coins.....wrapped in diapers .

rmpsrpms

<< <i>Strip search? Penny rolls?

Sunnywood might have to add a new category to the toning progression. >>



Ammo can on an airplane...gunpowder residue...puffer test

tradedollarnut

<< <i>

<< <i>

<< <i>There's a story in the David Lawrence book "Tales from the Bourse" about a Gobrecht dollar kept in a glass bottle that was blown around it! unfortunately the coin abraded against a sharp spot in the bottle bottom and was seriously scratched. >>



That's not possible - glass is much softer than a coin >>



I actually think it is the other way around, glass is a 6 on Mohs and silver or gold a 2.5. >>



Ahhh - but what is coined silver. 90% silver the rest copper and whatever. Significantly harder than pure silver. I will never believe that a sharp burr of glass could scratch up a silver coin - no way, no how.

SmEagle1795

<< <i>

<< <i>

<< <i>

<< <i>There's a story in the David Lawrence book "Tales from the Bourse" about a Gobrecht dollar kept in a glass bottle that was blown around it! unfortunately the coin abraded against a sharp spot in the bottle bottom and was seriously scratched. >>



That's not possible - glass is much softer than a coin >>



I actually think it is the other way around, glass is a 6 on Mohs and silver or gold a 2.5. >>



Ahhh - but what is coined silver. 90% silver the rest copper and whatever. Significantly harder than pure silver. I will never believe that a sharp burr of glass could scratch up a silver coin - no way, no how. >>



I believe that, even alloyed, coins generally only reach around a 3.5 on the Mohs scale of hardness.

PerryHall

Glass is harder than most coinage metals and can scratch gold, silver, and copper coins.

tydye

3 PCGS boxes fit nicely in a Hot Wheels case.

shorecoll

My old story of the 55 gallon drum full of Barber halves. Metal drum with a clamp type lid...wish I had a picture, but it would have been on film. My mother collected/hoarded, everything was loose in an old bank bag and I have seen several other old collections kept that way.

Another story of a local merchant who got very wealthy during the Hunt boom. He had a big wholesale/retail grocery business and he had a storeroom where he kept cardboard toilet paper boxes of silver coins by denomination. He started hoarding in the 30's or 40's and kept going up to 1980. On one trip to sell them, he sold $100k face. BTW this guy kept working every day well into his 90's.

Staircoins

<< <i>There's a story in the David Lawrence book "Tales from the Bourse" about a Gobrecht dollar kept in a glass bottle that was blown around it! >>


MrHalfDime should chime in on this thread.

roadrunner

<< <i>Band Aid can, old mayonnaise jar, shoe box and jewelry box. Cheers, RickO >>



In my very early collecting years (8-10) I kept my entire collection in a metal Band Aid can. Yeah, even my AU 1822 bust half.

A few times I brought the can along in my pocket to neighborhood soft ball games. Some of the others called me Mr. Jingles.

At times I was fearful of thieves stealing my "collection" so I buried the can deep in our woods. Every day I'd go back and check that it was still there.
I guess even then I had trouble with banks, crooks, and the prying eyes of TPTB.

What got me starting to collect coins was when a classmate in grade school brought in some of his father's and his collection in a wooden cigar box. That was the
first time I ever saw a gold coin. Wow!

tradedollarnut

<< <i>Glass is harder than most coinage metals and can scratch gold, silver, and copper coins. >>



Did a little experiment and yes indeed it scratched a silver coin. I was quite wrong!

TwoSides2aCoin

The coins in the vegetable oil were from BlindedByEgo. Surprised at how green and ugly they were when I opened the box, instead of touching them, I dumped them in the empty jar and filled it with vegetable oil where they still rest. Now they not only look better, they have a provenance.

BaseballAbs

<< <i>I just viewed a multi million dollar coin that is kept raw in a small leather pouch. >>



That's just asking for a problem in my opinion. I would be taking better precautions to protect the coin if it was mine.

swhuck

I'm aware of a six figure world coin collection that was largely kept in Whitman US coin folders, with improvised modifications for the size of the coins.

COALPORTER

One local shopping mall got rid of the coin fountain and
replaced it with something that looks allot like a toilet.
Who would throw money down a something like that?