Pie Crimpers made with coins - An obsession

MWallace · April 20, 2018 5:15AM

Six years ago I posted the three pie crimpers I had that were made with coins. 2012 POST LINK Since then, I have added 15 more for a total of 18. Yes, it became an obsession. The 18 include: 11 Large Cents; 1 Indian Cent; 1 Two Cent piece; 1 Half Dollar; and 4 Foreign Coins.

Here is my most recent addition. A 1793-1796 Liberty Cap Large Cent.

thebeav · April 20, 2018 5:21AM

I've always thought that those were pretty neat. You have to like the use of coins 'out of necessity'.
IIRC, Walmart didn't have pie crimpers back then....

ricko · April 20, 2018 5:23AM

Wow... that is quite a collection. The Penny Lady also has a few - or did have. You could make a great show display with that large a collection. Cheers, RickO

ms70 · April 20, 2018 5:29AM

@thebeav said:
You have to like the use of coins 'out of necessity'.

They could've done without the pie.

JBK · April 20, 2018 7:00AM

Outstanding!

asheland · April 20, 2018 7:20AM

Those are cool!

Azurescens · April 20, 2018 7:51AM

Awesome!

Grandpa used to cut silver off a few "tackle box coins" when making his lures. He said nothing compared to the reflection they gave.

Nice pie cutters reminds me of the doorknob / faucet thing posted not long ago, and people using copper cents in their fuse boxes.

But these are for tasty treats nomnom.

DCW · April 20, 2018 7:57AM

Awesome new edition. It has a great look to it. Liberty is still quite distinct!

BuffaloIronTail · April 20, 2018 8:19AM

Will PCGS slab it even if it's holed?

Pete

HoledandCreative · April 20, 2018 9:08AM

I have 5 of them, all without handles, gears or crimpers. 1817,43,46,48, & 52.

ElKevvo · April 20, 2018 9:33AM

I think about pie crimpers every once in a while. Not that I own any but I have had the coin below for a number of years on my desk. The notches cut into it are more like something for a gear than a pie crimper so I just wonder why someone carved it. They did a decent job as the notches are fairly consistent so it did take some time.

K

ACop · April 20, 2018 10:11AM

Isnt a pie just one big slice?

EXOJUNKIE · April 21, 2018 10:23AM

@MWallace I’d love to see your half dollar crimper if you have a pic of it!

MWallace · April 21, 2018 12:33PM

@EXOJUNKIE said:
@MWallace I’d love to see your half dollar crimper if you have a pic of it!

I'll be happy to show it. Thanks for asking. It is a very "crusty" (pun 'stolen from CaptHenway') 1914 Barber Half.

EXOJUNKIE · April 21, 2018 3:32PM

@MWallace said:

@EXOJUNKIE said:
@MWallace I’d love to see your half dollar crimper if you have a pic of it!

I'll be happy to show it. Thanks for asking. It is a very "crusty" (pun 'stolen from CaptHenway') 1914 Barber Half.

Very nice. It doesn't get much more "primitive" than that. Thanks for sharing!

Raybo · April 21, 2018 9:04PM

How about the 2 Cent Piece crimper MWallace?

Aotearoa · April 21, 2018 10:42PM

Stinking cool!

Timbuk3 · April 22, 2018 2:29AM

Wow, "sweet" !!!

MWallace · April 22, 2018 3:01AM

@Raybo said:
How about the 2 Cent Piece crimper MWallace?

Here's the Two Cent piece. It may actually be a Leather Stitch Marker. It would be rolled across a piece of leather putting a small indentation to mark where each stitch would go, keeping them uniform and even. I would like to know what others think.

JBK · April 22, 2018 4:20AM

The leather marker theory is very believable. The handle is much beefier and the teeth much sharper than the orhers.

MWallace · April 22, 2018 5:04AM

@JBK said:
The leather marker theory is very believable. The handle is much beefier and the teeth much sharper than the orhers.

Thanks Jeff. I have more of a tendency to believe it is a leather stitch marker rather than a pie crimper. I have googled stitch markers and this handmade piece matches nearly perfectly even with modern ones. In my searches I have found no pie crimpers with sharp points as on this piece. I think I need to change the description of it in my collection. Still a cool piece to me. Would still like to hear what others think.

1630Boston · April 22, 2018 5:16AM

What a nice 'obsession' to have.
May I inquire as to how/where you find them?

JBK · April 22, 2018 7:48AM

I love the idea of collecting coins made into other things, especially old ones. I think somewhere I have a large cent that was made into a gear, but the next time I come across it I may well recognize that it is the wheel from a pie crimper.

I tend to stay away from coins made into jewelry with the exception of WWII Dutch coins with the Queens portrait accentuated or cut our, as these were surreptitious statements against the Nazi occupiers.

MWallace · April 22, 2018 9:53AM

@1630Boston said:
What a nice 'obsession' to have.
May I inquire as to how/where you find them?

I could tell you where I find them, but then I'm afraid I'd have to kill you.

MWallace · April 22, 2018 9:58AM

@JBK said:
I love the idea of collecting coins made into other things, especially old ones. I think somewhere I have a large cent that was made into a gear, but the next time I come across it I may well recognize that it is the wheel from a pie crimper.

I tend to stay away from coins made into jewelry with the exception of WWII Dutch coins with the Queens portrait accentuated or cut our, as these were surreptitious statements against the Nazi occupiers.

I like collecting coins made into other things. I have a box of things that I have labeled "Re-purposed Coins". More times than not re-purposed coins can be gotten cheap. Many consider them damaged and fail to see their history.

CaptHenway · April 22, 2018 10:03AM

Showed my wife this thread. She does crafting, and she says that the pointy one looks like a tool she has for poking holes in paper that is then embroidered. However, based upon the age of the tool, your leather stitching is a good guess.

JBK · April 22, 2018 10:39AM

@MWallace said:

@1630Boston said:
What a nice 'obsession' to have.
May I inquire as to how/where you find them?

I could tell you where I find them, but then I'm afraid I'd have to kill you.

Will you at least bake us a pie as our last meal?

CascadeChris · April 22, 2018 10:55AM

Now you need to make 18 pies and show off the crusts with each laying on top!

RogerB · April 22, 2018 11:22AM

I've asked a contact at SI about the latter one.

messydesk · April 22, 2018 11:57AM

@MWallace said:

@Raybo said:
How about the 2 Cent Piece crimper MWallace?

Here's the Two Cent piece. It may actually be a Leather Stitch Marker. It would be rolled across a piece of leather putting a small indentation to mark where each stitch would go, keeping them uniform and even. I would like to know what others think.

I think whoever made it would have been in for a disappointment when finding out that the spacing of the teeth they cut on the coin weren't very uniform.

mustangmanbob · April 22, 2018 1:40PM

I lived in Lost Angeles.

After the collapse of the Peso, well, at least one of the collapses, the large, bigger than a quarter, 1 peso coin showed up everywhere in automotive body work as fillers for rust holes. They would be behind the hole, and then brazed from the outside. Sometimes they were in strings, tacked together on the edges, backing up coverage on a large hole.

They, along with other coins from Mexico, were also common a washers or shims.

The peso was going down so fast, it was tough to watch it. We were on a short trip to Mexico, and the exchange rate went from about 20 to 1 to 45 to 1 in days. Of course, everything is haggle prices, but quickly, the marked price was cheaper than what I would have haggled to. Plus, the people were desperate for US bills as their "money" was collapsing.

Onastone · April 22, 2018 1:58PM

In Pie We Crust

CaptHenway · April 22, 2018 3:12PM

@messydesk said:

@MWallace said:

@Raybo said:
How about the 2 Cent Piece crimper MWallace?

Here's the Two Cent piece. It may actually be a Leather Stitch Marker. It would be rolled across a piece of leather putting a small indentation to mark where each stitch would go, keeping them uniform and even. I would like to know what others think.

I think whoever made it would have been in for a disappointment when finding out that the spacing of the teeth they cut on the coin weren't very uniform.

Check out the third definition here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wartenberg_wheel

Put a piece of paper under a printed piece of cloth and roll the wheel over the pattern, copying the pattern into the paper below.

MWallace · April 22, 2018 3:22PM

@CaptHenway said:

Check out the third definition here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wartenberg_wheel

Put a piece of paper under a printed piece of cloth and roll the wheel over the pattern, copying the pattern into the paper below.

Most definitely another possibility.

WDP · April 22, 2018 3:54PM

This rare 1798 B-19, BB-106 Silver Dollar was made into a "pin cushion." The reverse is black velvet and it still has some old pins stuck in it!
....

...
Photo courtesy of W. David Perkins.

carabonnair · July 2, 2018 4:40PM

Do you think my Massachusetts was once a crimper?

ThePennyLady · July 2, 2018 5:10PM

Very very cool pie/pastry cutters/crimpers MWallace! The leather punch is especially interesting - I haven't seen any with such sharp edges, nor heard about them being used as leather punches, but that makes sense. But so does the explanation about using it to make a pattern for sewing or other crafts.

Yes, Ricko is right in that I have several of these too but since I collect things made out of or using pennies, mine are all pennies. I have many fancy rimmed and holed pennies without the handles which either lost their handle or were used for buttons, gears, and even toys. Here are the ones I have with handles.

TennesseeDave · July 2, 2018 5:44PM

I think they might have been used to cut out the dough for the bottom or top crust, but I thought the crimping is usually done by hand. They are definitely very cool and unusual pieces.

ThePennyLady · July 2, 2018 6:01PM

They were more likely used quite a bit for cutting pastry and pasta dough.

pocketpiececommems · July 2, 2018 6:47PM

golden · July 2, 2018 8:11PM

Did someone say pie?

Paradisefound · July 2, 2018 9:44PM

@Onastone said:
In Pie We Crust

sellitstore · July 3, 2018 6:28AM

MMMMMM...........Coin Pie

sarikanair · July 5, 2018 4:47AM

Wow! 18 pie crimpers made of coins... that’s a great collection indeed, it’s fascinating to know about this unique usage of coins... Cheers!

Aspie_Rocco · November 6, 2018 3:44PM

Awesome thread! Unique and informative topic. The utility and beauty of these crimpers has great eye and historic appeal. Thank you for sharing!

Tookybandit · November 6, 2018 8:04PM

Love it! Great pictures of some very cool history.

fastfreddie · November 8, 2018 3:38PM

There's an old thread of someone with one made from a seated quarter. I'll have to look for it. No wonder why I can't find one, you have them all!

carabonnair · January 7, 2019 11:02AM

I thought I had another one somewhere - George II was around 1727-1760. No way to know if this was made "in the colonies", but here it is:

mapleman · January 8, 2019 9:27AM

@ElKevvo said:
I think about pie crimpers every once in a while. Not that I own any but I have had the coin below for a number of years on my desk. The notches cut into it are more like something for a gear than a pie crimper so I just wonder why someone carved it. They did a decent job as the notches are fairly consistent so it did take some time.

K

Stacker coins?

ChangeInHistory · January 8, 2019 1:56PM

@ms70 said:

@thebeav said:
You have to like the use of coins 'out of necessity'.

They could've done without the pie.

Blasphemy!...theres always room for pie.

Unknown · March 12, 2019 9:28PM

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Pie Crimpers made with coins - An obsession

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