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#31
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anyone finding great lincolns
In article
, Jerry Dennis wrote: [snip] Oh, goodie! Something I can respond to. If you ever have the opportunity, OLD time constructioners would nail a cent to the front door frame of the house they were building. Usually a hole was drilled through the cent and nailed in place, since nails back then were somewhat expensive. As nails became cheaper, the coin would be "triangled" with nails. Still being done today ... but using a token rather than a cent. http://www.kenbarr.com/JPGS/TOKhabitathumanity.jpg -- Ken Barr Numismatics email: P. O. Box 32541 website: http://www.kenbarr.com San Jose, CA 95152 Coins, currency, exonumia, souvenir cards, etc. 408-272-3247 NEXT SHOW: Santa Clara 4/9-11 table 437 w/ Mac's Coins |
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#32
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anyone finding great lincolns
"Farmer Dave" wrote in message ... On Sun, 18 Apr 2010 13:55:45 -0400, "mazorj" wrote: "Jerry Dennis" wrote in message ... ... Oh, goodie! Something I can respond to. If you ever have the opportunity, OLD time constructioners would nail a cent to the front door frame of the house they were building. Usually a hole was drilled through the cent and nailed in place, since nails back then were somewhat expensive. As nails became cheaper, the coin would be "triangled" with nails. Jerry Now that you mention it, I vaguely recall my father (who was a carpenter) once telling me about how the "old-timers" sometimes would do that. Too bad for the ones that were holed, though. Another technique would have been to stash them in a spot that didn't require any fastening, such as in the grooved inletting under a door sill or behind the inletted clamshell edge trim along the top of the doorway. Which I just realized hearkens directly back to ancient times when entryways often were festooned with items and symbols to guard against evil gods and spirits or propitiate the friendlier ones. It's amazing how some of these primitive traditions have survived into modern times. And not all of them are done on the sly. The tradition of the groom carrying his bride over the threshold is rooted in the significance of doorways. And we still cling to our many manifestations of the "lucky penny," such as inserting one in new wallets and "penny loafer" moccasins. (Not to mention the obsolete but presumably still extant practice of placing pennies on the eyes of the departed.) Who knows, some day we may see numismatic metal detectors fighting over trash heaps that are target-rich in old shoes and pocketbooks. :-) Poking around in attic woodwork and other concealed spots and even in masonry can reveal other interesting workman "souvenirs". Skilled tradesmen often would leave their names or initials, dates, and comments as a sort of "Kilroy was here" message. Sometimes they'd leave a trinket or two, which I suppose would qualify them as "construction exonumia". Or as ancestors of the trinkets planted as a reward to successful geo-trackers. - mazorj, Amateur Nail-Banger I worked with a roofer once who would put a dollar bill under the shingles. His thought was to leave something for the next roofer to find! Dave Thanks for the example! That sounds like exactly what we were describing - the role of coins (and now bills) in workmen's ancient traditions and superstitions. This may go back, say, to medieval roofers putting a penny under a basilica's roof as an offering and a symbol of his faith, in order to get in God's good graces for doing his holy work. If so, he was unknowingly perpetuating pagan roofing practices to propitiate their gods, just as the modern roofer has no idea that devout journeymen members of the roofers' guild (presumably) were doing it centuries ago. Your friend got the idea as passed along from some old-timer, and now carries on the tradition. Even though the penny got inflated to a dollar and the reason was not as a tribute to God's glory but to plant the equivalent of a four-leaf clover as a lucky find for the next roofer, the basic practice survives through the generations. The problem for modern craftsmen is, which penny to use? Copper or clad? Slabbed or unslabbed? Will one mint mark suffice or must you do the complete P-D-S? Perhaps one of the Lincoln historic series cents? If so, which one? A shield cent? Can you even get those in your area? Or will you have to go the tacky route and settle for that mottled but reasonably shiny 2003-D you got in change from your McDonald's breakfast? |
#33
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anyone finding great lincolns
"Ken Barr" wrote in message ... In article , Jerry Dennis wrote: [snip] Oh, goodie! Something I can respond to. If you ever have the opportunity, OLD time constructioners would nail a cent to the front door frame of the house they were building. Usually a hole was drilled through the cent and nailed in place, since nails back then were somewhat expensive. As nails became cheaper, the coin would be "triangled" with nails. Still being done today ... but using a token rather than a cent. http://www.kenbarr.com/JPGS/TOKhabitathumanity.jpg Cool! It won't replace coins, but the concept behind the tradition clearly lives on - now as an officially institutionalized practice. I wouldn't be surprised if the devout Jimmy Carter had a role in it. Thanks. Hmmm... sounds like the basis for a new Mint series. Sold only in complete sets, you get all the pre-holed cents you'll need with all the legends for specific uses: Bless This House, Bless This Roof, Bless This Porch, Bless This Toilet... |
#34
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anyone finding great lincolns
On Apr 21, 3:13*am, Ken Barr wrote:
In article , *Jerry Dennis wrote: [snip] Oh, goodie! *Something I can respond to. *If you ever have the opportunity, OLD time constructioners would nail a cent to the front door frame of the house they were building. *Usually a hole was drilled through the cent and nailed in place, since nails back then were somewhat expensive. *As nails became cheaper, the coin would be "triangled" with nails. Still being done today ... but using a token rather than a cent. http://www.kenbarr.com/JPGS/TOKhabitathumanity.jpg -- Ken Barr Numismatics * * * *email: P. O. Box 32541 * * * * * * website: *http://www.kenbarr.com San Jose, CA *95152 * * Coins, currency, exonumia, souvenir cards, etc. 408-272-3247 * * * * *NEXT SHOW: *Santa Clara 4/9-11 table 437 w/ Mac's Coins That's nice. I never saw a token like that. Jerry |
#35
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anyone finding great lincolns
In article
, Jerry Dennis wrote: On Apr 21, 3:13*am, Ken Barr wrote: In article , *Jerry Dennis wrote: [snip] Oh, goodie! *Something I can respond to. *If you ever have the opportunity, OLD time constructioners would nail a cent to the front door frame of the house they were building. *Usually a hole was drilled through the cent and nailed in place, since nails back then were somewhat expensive. *As nails became cheaper, the coin would be "triangled" with nails. Still being done today ... but using a token rather than a cent. http://www.kenbarr.com/JPGS/TOKhabitathumanity.jpg That's nice. I never saw a token like that. I've picked up a few over the years. I suspect that the Habitat For Humanity volunteers who help construct the houses are either given a few as souvenirs of their labors, or "liberate" them as a memento of their good work. If you want one, email me your snailmail address and I'll send ya one. (Everyone else can watch eBay ... since I took the time to photograph it, I might as well list it!) -- Ken Barr Numismatics email: P. O. Box 32541 website: http://www.kenbarr.com San Jose, CA 95152 Coins, currency, exonumia, souvenir cards, etc. 408-272-3247 NEXT SHOW: Vallejo Numismatic Society 5/2 (no table) |
#36
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anyone finding great lincolns
I recently discovered a Coin Vault selling 60 rolls of Lincoln cents
for $189.95 ... HAHAHAHAHAHA |
#37
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anyone finding great lincolns
On Apr 22, 11:28*pm, Kidd Joe wrote:
I recently discovered a Coin Vault selling 60 rolls of Lincoln cents for $189.95 ... HAHAHAHAHAHA My friend found a box out in California today for $25.00 at a bank. |
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