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

"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?

"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...

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

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)

I recently discovered a Coin Vault selling 60 rolls of Lincoln cents
for $189.95 ... HAHAHAHAHAHA

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.