Vintage Dime Bank
When I was a child, my paternal grandmother gave me a little bank for saving coins. I don't remember the occasion for the gift, and there may not have been one, specifically. It was made from sheet metal and decorated to look like a little cash register! So cute!
Here's how the bank works: A dime is placed in the slot on the front. The person making the deposit slides the little lever towards the right. This simultaneously does two things... First, it allows the coin to fall into the storage compartment of the bank. Second, it indexes the counter mechanism to add 0.10 to the amount shown on top of the bank.
The dime was authorized for minting in 1792 by Congress, and was always made with silver. However, this was changed in in 1965 when the silver content was removed from the coin. Now, they are made from a copper blank with a mixture (alloy) of copper and nickel clad outer layer. [1]
This little bank has been stored in a box for years with some other memorabilia from my younger days. As long as it has been since I've actually used it, I wonder about that $1.40 that's in it now — is it real silver dimes, perhaps? I am old enough that silver coins were definitely in common circulation during a portion of my childhood. I might have to gather up $8.60 in dimes, feed them into the bank one-by-one until it unlocks, then examine all the coins that come out! 😁
Knowing what I know now about silver and its value, I could kick myself for spending much of my paltry childhood allowance on junk, rather than saving it. Just think what a bank full of silver dimes might be worth today, especially if they were in near-mint condition! 🤦♀
As an indication of how large the dime bank is, the following photo shows it again with my fingers in the frame, for size comparison:
Did you have a bank in which to save money as a child? A piggy bank, perhaps? 🐷 Or any other kind? Tell us about it!
😊SOURCES
1 Wikipedia: Dime (United States coin)
2 Wikipedia: Half dime
03-Nov-2021
I have never seen a saving box designed for a specific coin. Thanks for the post.
PIZZA Holders sent $PIZZA tips in this post's comments:
samsmith1971 tipped wesphilbin (x1)
samsmith1971 tipped dreemsteem (x1)
pixresteemer tipped thekittygirl (x1)
@samsmith1971(4/20) tipped @elizabethbit (x1)
Learn more at https://hive.pizza.
How cool!
Very cute and unique money box there
Wouldn't you only need $8.60 for it to unlock? 😋
If you do that, make sure to let us know with a post. Would be interesting!
Ha! Yes! My brain must be on vacation today! 😆
Yes, if I open it, I will definitely let everyone know! 😃
Awesome! Look forward to seeing that
I had a mason jar with a slot punched by my father into the lid and I remember him teaching me to count my coins and recommended That I should save it for something I really want. Pick out something in an old Sears catalog and count to see how much I had. And some simple math to see how much I need to save and the result often got me to do extra chores, what a cleaver father.
"Clever faither indeed! Whaur did ye grow-up lass?" -Keptin
Canada, a colony on the West Coast.
Oh My God, that is a vintage bank, it's so beautiful and functional too. Never seen such kind of unique bank in life. Thanks, dear for sharing such a unique and antique piece with us.
This post has received a 100.00% upvote from @fambalam! Join thealliance community to get whitelisted for delegation to this community service.
Very cool @thekittygirl! I didn't have anything other than the traditional piggy, but my grandpa had a little electric bank, modeled after 'Thing' from the Adams Family original series. You would put your coin in the holder and once it sensed it was there, you'd hear the mechanisms begin to work and slowly, this trap door would open, and 'Thing' would pop out and grab the coin and pull it into the bank. It was really cool.
I know what you mean about the coins from childhood. Mine were definitely silver, and yes, they are long gone! Hind sight is 20/20!
Thanks for sharing this cool little bank! Have a good night!😻🤗
Oooh, I know the type you mean. I had something similar. A skeleton bank when I was a kid, one of the few money boxes that I had for different purposes lol. You would put your coin on the coffin and the coffin lid would open a smidgeon and the skeleton would be revealed for a short time whilst its hand crept out of the box and drew the coin in. Creepy but fun! !PIZZA
They were fun! I remember jumping when 'Thing' grabbed the coins, lol! Take care!
This is so creative and kinda high-tech. My country no longer uses coins but I've had the luxury of spending coins in the UK.
Gathering loose change until it becomes something substantial is nice.
OMG, I had no idea that coins had been discontinued anywhere! That is interesting to know!
Oh, in Nigeria. Our coins have no value anymore. This has been since around the 90s. I barely have any memory of using them.
I want one of these so badly! hahahahaha i LOVE the way it teaches children to save, unintentionally!!!! oh my gosh - where are the people who can make these again for us!!!
Shall we try to find something like it online?!?! hahahahaha it would make a great Christmas present! :)
loved hearing you present this on PYPT :)
Oh, I completely agree, @dreemsteem. I love old artifacts, especially functional ones with a good story behind them. Starts looking at ebay antiques lols... !PIZZA
@thekittygirl
That is pretty cool! My Uncle had a payphone set up in his basement. When his kids wanted to use the phone, they had to put money in. It was saved for College tuition, of course... but still things from the older days. By the way... thanks for sharing this with us on the PYPT at the @dreemport!
!LUV !WINE
Congratulations, @wesphilbin You Successfully Shared 0.200 WINEX With @thekittygirl.
You Earned 0.200 WINEX As Curation Reward.
You Utilized 2/5 Successful Calls.
Contact Us : WINEX Token Discord Channel
WINEX Current Market Price : 0.330
<><
@thekittygirl, you've been given LUV from @wesphilbin.
Check the LUV in your H-E wallet. (2/10)
This is brilliant @wesphilbin. What a great idea! If we all did that with our kids these days and made them put some money away each time they used their mobiles, how the wealth would grow🤣 !PIZZA
These old toys are so great and they all work fine after years without any plastics. I really love it. Dont remember ever have seen something like this.
But it reminds me of some old toys I still have from my Grandaunts times: monkey and bears with those little keys to let them move, dance or do something else. Probably a good idea for a posting some day.
Looking forward for the end of this story, when you get a Dime to open it :-)
"Haw! Haw! Huir uv a braw an' nae gart in Chinar!" 😄 -Keptin
How lovely this is! Your grandmother knew a thing or two about the value of money, clearly 😊 Such a blessing to have a great little piece of memorabilia linked to a special family member. And this piece looks fairly unique. I've not seen one before. I am sure you treasure it. I would be very excited to find out what is inside the bank. Is it easy enough to get hold of dimes and fill her up? I think I would then stick them all back in again afterward lol as it feels like it is their home😍 I still have my piggy bank from when I was a baby. It is a wonderful porcelain piggy and lives on my bedside table in my bedroom. It was also given to me as a baby by a close family member. Here is a collage of it: I think it's porcelain but there are no stickers or marking on it so it is possibly a made-in-China special lols, but it is 50 years old!. I'd have to do some exploration online to find out.
Unique, smart and built to last!
They don't make them like this anymore, that's for certain. Yes, it would be a dream come true to go back in time and save all the silver dimes, quarters and dollars...
Nobody complimented your gorgeous colored nail polish and beautiful manicure yet so I will! @thekittygirl 💕💅
Thank you! 😊