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 Replies: 101 / Views: 12,387 |
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Valued Member
United States
310 Posts |
So... I have this glass esso gas bank filled with old silver coinage. The bank itself is from just around 1940. The bank belonged to my granfather and was most likely filled in the early to mid 40's. This bank has kind of been a heirloom of the family. My grandfather died before I was born, but I remember my grandmother didn't want to break it, but she did let me get about $2 face worth of Mercury dimes out of it with a butter knife when I was like 8 :) In the process, I chipped the coin slot and my aunt commendeared "the bank" for safe keeping. Fast forward to 2016. My grandmother is 15 years gone and my aunt in failing health, and "the bank" has come to me. My father thinks it would be neat to see what's inside, but like me, also is torn about what to do. I would love to see what's actually inside, but the mystery of what's there keeps the mystique and intrique of it just sitting there. I have carefully moved the bank around and I've seen minty mid 30's Washington quarters, and BU 1939 Jefferson nickels. I pulled out a few au/bu mercs from 1937-45 with the butter knofe when I was a kid. Of more intrique is the Standing liberties and I've seen the back of a Barber quarter in there. Now....To break or not to break... My family is from about 60 miles north of philly, so the majority of the mint marks are probably philly. That means there's probably no super valuable coins in there. The majority of the coins are pre 45, but I did see a few 60's rosies and a worn 1960 Washington quarter. I suspect my grandmother added them from pocket change after the bank was mostly full. I suspect the bank was filled mostly in the early to mid 40's. All that said. If it's mostly "junk" silver, I think it might be cool to just keep the mystery alive and torment further generations. But There are some BU beauties. I can see a super nice 1936 washington,and I could never see the obverses of the SLQ's in there and that kills me lol. So... what would you do?  Edited by GRR
04/21/2016 11:54 am
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5855 Posts |
BREAK IT!  |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
562 Posts |
And there's no other way to get at the coins?
I guess I would break it and check out the coins. Make the coins the heirlooms, not the bank.
A quick survey online shows you can get another bank for about $25. If you feel bad about it afterwards, buy one of those and fill it up with modern change for your grandkids to have this same issue.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3162 Posts |
ok if it was me I'd break it. But what you might be able to do is look online to see if you can find the bank available for sale ( ebay or elsewhere) so that if you break it you could replace it. Just a thought. But I agree with Barry.. BREAK IT! Then let the  begin! Of course  |
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Valued Member
 United States
310 Posts |
Updated first post with a pic. I had thought about the replacing the bank with one of ebay lol, but it wouldn't be the original with the chipped coin slot that I did back in the 80's etc. Also, although my aunt is failing mentally, I kinda feel obligated to keep it intact till she's gone. It seriously kills me lol. I sit here stairing through the glass and see cool things and wonder lol. |
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Moderator
 United States
188648 Posts |
Do not break the bank... break out the butter knife. Curiosity is usually my downfall, but knowing how long that bank has survived could keep me in check. Again, butter knife.  |
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Valued Member
United States
310 Posts |
Lol the slot is so thin, and the bank so full,(wouldn't doubt this thing weighs 10lbs) that you can't really carefully manuver anything, but dimes back through the slot lol. I tried to get a quarter but you just can't get the knife and coin in the slot at the same time. I could probably get more dimes out.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
992 Posts |
They had to put it together somehow !
Keep looking around for a way in.
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Valued Member
United States
310 Posts |
Yeah. It's 2 glass halves melted togeather. There is no way in lol. This is old school. Other ideas is maybe using a glass bit and widening the opening, but heck if Imma do that, why not do the break and replace method lol.
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Moderator
United States
56855 Posts |
Take it to a local glass shop and ask them to carefully cut it in half. John1  |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4469 Posts |
Your grandmother and aunt thought enough of the tradition to keep the coin bank mystery alive that touch has been passed onto you.
You should also let your kids and grandkids fish a few coins out as part of the family tradition and you can replace the fished coins of your choosing. It appears to be an excellent way to get kids interested in coin collecting.
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CCF Advertiser
United States
1533 Posts |
Fill it with Bust Halves and leave it to your kids
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4989 Posts |
Easy solution here. Smash it open, inspect the coins, and then buy a new antique empty glass piggy bank of similar vintage on ebay. You can then refill it with the common date coins and sell off any really valuable stuff should the bank contain it. You can tell future generates that grandpa filled it... they'll never know unless they sift through coin community archives. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1316 Posts |
Keep the mystery going! The fun and sentimental value of this for you has been the mystery and connection to your grandparents... let future generations have that experience too. The history of this as it is makes it special.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2130 Posts |
I guess I am sentimental as well. I would keep the tradition going. This is a pretty cool story.
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Valued Member
United States
310 Posts |
See...if my family was from San Francisco or Denver etc, I'd probably already had broke it open and been like a kod in a candy store. It's just we're from near philly, and I'm guessing the high grade stuff in there is probably philly mint mark stuff. The worn stuff is probably junk silver. I look at it as a 10lb block of silver most likely. Now my grandmother did get into collecting in the 50's. So I did get some nice whitman books with Barber dimes, quarters and halves. They did oddly enough have some key dates from San Fran and New Orleans. Granted they are circulated, but cool non the less. My family was settled in the same area since the colonial times. I got a few Half Cents, large cents, etc handed down. I'm sure this is Grandpa's pocket change from the time, so it might have a BU 1932 washington in there, but it's probably a philly. Likewise though, if a D found it's way into his pocket it would be in there too lol. |
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Replies: 101 / Views: 12,387 |
Posted 04/21/2016 11:43 am
