| Author |
 Replies: 15 / Views: 9,837 |
|
|
New Member
United States
19 Posts |
Found this in a brinks box.. what is it? anyone come across this kind of thing?  |
|
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
3077 Posts |
well thats the first zinc I have seen stamped
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
1388 Posts |
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
4897 Posts |
I've found similar has a 32 stamped on both sides. Have no idea who or why it was done.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
7629 Posts |
I've seen a number of these over the years dating back to the late 1800s. Just random (or seemingly random) numbers punched into coins. My best guess is that these are 'test' pieces for key fob punchers used in prisons, for police, and a number of other purposes. Each piece is likely unique (or nearly so), but since there's no 'purpose' in them and there's no indicator as to where or when they were made, they generally sell for a rather nominal amount...a few dollars.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
2130 Posts |
That there is 186 cents  |
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
1599 Posts |
I found a 1981 LMC with a 13 stamped into the obverse. Not sure what it means unless it was the only stamp the guy had. Or he just wanted to sit back and think about whoever was wondering what the 13 was all about. |
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
3592 Posts |
Number and letter punches like that are easy to obtain at most machine shops...used for marking metal with serial or part numbers,etc. It would be very easy to do that to a penny...a hammer and set of number punches...
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
4897 Posts |
Maineman- I like coppercoins "prison key fob" theory better...way more exotic than any old machine shop... |
|
Bedrock of the Community
United States
11951 Posts |
When I was involved in putting on Metal detecting club hunts, sometimes
we would take coins and stamp numbers on them. We would bury them
in the hunt fields, once found the numbered coins could be turned
in for prizes.
I am thinking this might be something similar.
|
|
Bedrock of the Community
United States
12437 Posts |
|
|
Valued Member
United States
381 Posts |
Its a 3 year old with tools! Take "Turk 182 (The movie)" + 3 years you get 185. Or it just could be someones Department!
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
594 Posts |
I found one last week with the outline of the state of Michigan stamped on it and "M1" in the middle of it.  |
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
7629 Posts |
Reason I said prison key fobs is because my dad worked in the Federal Prison System for 28 years. He wore keys on his belt all the time, and when he was at work, he had more keys - and those had hand stamped numbers on them. The police departments in some areas do about the same thing with brass fobs on the key rings - badge numbers or something to the effect.
Now that I think of it, the auto fix-it shop at the Air Force base I was stationed at in Germany had a fob system where you could check out only so many tools at once - and you had little fobs that would hang in the place of the tools you had at the time. They had hand numbered punches in them too.
These things are used for a number of purposes, and the punches aren't all that hard to obtain - could be anyone doing much of anything with them - but the one part I probably have right is that they are - for the most part - practice pieces.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
3592 Posts |
Yeah, I just remembered we also used brass fobs as tool checks in that machine shop..I was 5338 (28 years ago)
and I have a set of those punches I got at a yard sale last year so Chuck is right about them being easy to obtain.Think I paid $3 for the yard sale set.
|
|
Bedrock of the Community
United States
17884 Posts |
I like goldrush's explaination. It makes cents and actually gives them a reason for existing.
|
| |
Replies: 15 / Views: 9,837 |
|
Posted 02/23/2011 7:40 pm
