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 Replies: 17 / Views: 4,615 |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3848 Posts |
I have to share this oddball cherrypick. This was listed on ebay as a normal Trade dollar. I looked at the reverse and noticed the seam on the rim, so I purchased it hoping it would open up. Sure enough, it was definitely worth the risk! For those who don't know, this is called an opium box or box dollar. It is a hollowed-out Trade dollar with a hinge mechanism so it can open and close. People could put anything inside of them, but usually there is simply a loved one's photo.    Suffering from bust half fever. Want to learn how to attribute early half dollars by die variety? Click Here: http://goccf.com/t/434955Shoot me a PM if you are looking to sell bust halves. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4468 Posts |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1509 Posts |
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Moderator
 United States
34393 Posts |
That is pretty cool, especially considering there was a photo in there too. A fun pick-up!
"If you climb a good tree, you get a push."
-----Ghanaian proverb
"The danger we all now face is distinguishing between what is authentic and what is performed."
-----King Adz
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4233 Posts |
Very cool. I wonder who first made up this stuff about opium coins. It's way too small to hold an amount worth bothering with, and opium wasn't illegal until 1909 so there wasn't any reason to hide it. Real opium boxes looked like this.  |
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Moderator
United States
15386 Posts |
That is very interesting. I can see the seam, but how do you open it? I don't see any evidence of somewhere to grab to lift the reverse 'lid'.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
94367 Posts |
Very interesting, thanks!
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
3848 Posts |
Quote:
I can see the seam, but how do you open it? That's the hard part. You need patience, a firm grip, and maybe some pain tolerance. I grabbed the coin by the edge reeding with my right hand, with my finger tips overhanging the edge. I slapped my right hand with the other hand, still holding the coin. If you do that enough times, the lid will open a little, and you can get a fingernail underneath to pry it up. Suffering from bust half fever. Want to learn how to attribute early half dollars by die variety? Click Here: http://goccf.com/t/434955Shoot me a PM if you are looking to sell bust halves. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4415 Posts |
Cool pick-up! .... The few I've owned over the years proved relatively easy to open. It was simply a matter of pressing one's thumb in a strategic area. If the mechanism is faulty, take it to a jeweler. In addition to Trade dollars being repurposed like this, Columbian Half Dollars were also commonly used. I spotted fourteen of these box coins in a coin dealer's showcase some years ago. To my experience, these late nineteenth century "box" Trade dollars typically retail in the $250 to $350 range.The Columbian halves will fetch a hundred or so less. Edited by ExoGuy
04/30/2022 8:11 pm
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New Member
United States
10 Posts |
Cool find! It makes me wonder who is in that picture...what was their life like, and who carried that coin.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2280 Posts |
Very kool!
Great, now I'm going to start collecting these now haha!
You realize when you know how to think, it empowers you far beyond those who know only what to think.
-Neil deGrasse Tyson
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Valued Member
United States
416 Posts |
Wow amazing, so that is probably an original late 1800s photo, and the seller didn't even know it was in there. This is one of the best ebay finds I have seen, now all of us are going to go scanning for Trade dollars with sliced seams! It looks like above STATES it is gouged up a bit where they pried it open w/ a pin or something. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3634 Posts |
Very interesting and unusual acquisition. Thanks for sharing!
Member of SPMC, FCCB, ANA and ANS. My U.S. Classic Commemorative Complete Set: https://www.NGCcoin.com/registry/co...sets/278741/My U.S. Fractional Note Set: https://notes.www.collectors-societ...eSetID=34188 |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1173 Posts |
Nice, thanks for sharing.
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Moderator
United States
187581 Posts |
Fantastic find!  |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3848 Posts |
Thank you ExoGuy for the further information. I have seen the columbian halves before but not as often as the dollars. Quote: now all of us are going to go scanning for Trade dollars with sliced seams! Chances are, not another one of these is going to pass through ebay unnoticed for a long time (although it never hurts to check, I will too!). My advice is to gain as much knowledge on coins and exonumia. The more you know, the better your chances are for cherrypicking! You never know what will be posted tomorrow... Suffering from bust half fever. Want to learn how to attribute early half dollars by die variety? Click Here: http://goccf.com/t/434955Shoot me a PM if you are looking to sell bust halves. |
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Replies: 17 / Views: 4,615 |
Posted 04/30/2022 12:19 am
