As coins are already covered quite adequately elsewhere, I believe we need a separate topic for those who collect "other than". In addition to the usual coins, stamps and banknotes, I collect old money boxes and vintage firearms. Nothing to report on the money box front but I did recently find an absolute gem of a shotgun.
It's a very pretty 10 gauge made by the Iver Johnson Arm and Cycle Works in circa 1920. The serial number 63174C (see below) has the letter "C" which indicates it was made during the 1917 - 1921 production run and it was the 63,174th to be made which puts it right around 1920. The original database of serial numbers has been lost so that's as close as you can get.
For those unaware, a 10 gauge is pretty uncommon with 12 gauge and 4.10 being mostly used. So given it's venerable age and relative scarcity, you may imagine I was very happy to swap it for a $50 Remington 12 gauge. Guy wanted a functional hunting gun, I wanted a nice piece for over the fireplace, we're both happy.
It is perfectly serviceable, I've fired it plenty of times without blowing my fool head off. The grip is loose and the action a bit too sloppy for my tastes. If it was the earlier model where the hammer returns to half cock after firing, I'd trust it like a rattlesnake though. I'll keep a box of buckshot just in case of the zombie apocalypse but I wouldn't use it as my first choice in case of costly damage. I've got 12 bores a'plenty for my daily needs which can be maintained easily and without great cost. No, this baby is going over my fireplace, just as soon as we get one. There aren't many in Florida.
It has a kick like an angry mule so someone has added an ugly orange butt plate to absorb the recoil. That's got to go.
You can faintly see the manufacture's engraving, along with some clear wear and tear which is causing the "sloppy" feel.
The serial number by which it can be dated.
I've already thoroughly cleaned out the barrel, the action is generously oiled and the original wood stock and grip restored to my satisfaction. Once I get that ugly orange plate switched out it's going to be a thing of beauty.
Now, about that Navy Colt......
Non illegitimis carborundum est. Excellent advice for all coins.
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Not really a "new" find but I don't believe anyone here has seen these before, despite my continued promises to put up some photos.
Oregon Trail 1/2 dollar coat buttons. Yeah, I know. I wish they were still coins too, but do you know of anyone else with a 1960s reefer jacket sporting $1,000 worth of buttons eh?
I have some matching (well kinda) Mercury Dime shirt buttons and an early 60s Levi Strauss shirt onto which my dear lady wife is going to lovingly sew them for me. I have one with pearl buttons already. I'm either a real dandy or simply a guy with a laser focused eye for picking out a bargain at the junk store.
Non illegitimis carborundum est. Excellent advice for all coins.
Make Numismatics Great Again!
I don't collect art and what I know about it can be summarized thus- "if you can't tell which way up it goes and the dog has three eyes, all on the same side of his face, you're a poser with too much money."
Oil on canvas, no date or signature that I can make out plus a few scratches and gouges that need fixing. I think I'll leave it well alone. don't want to repeat the Mr Bean / Whistler's Mother tragedy.
I saw it, liked it and now it's bringing a veneer of class to my bedroom wall. Not bad for $15.
Non illegitimis carborundum est. Excellent advice for all coins.
Make Numismatics Great Again!
My latest purchase went wrong.
We can find no stylistic/decorative parallels to indicate that it is Viking. We contacted a Viking academic who didn’t recognise the torque as being Viking. Also our consultant, who works regularly for the British Museum Treasure committee and is therefore accustomed to seeing Viking finds, felt that although it is ancient there are no reasons to think that it is Viking.
I’ll start from a month or two ago and work my way up.
First is a Norinco SKS, the guy I bought it from had it dated to 73, but dating these guns is difficult as there are several ways people interpret them.
Theres an aftermarket rear sight that I have since replaced with the original, but I still need to replace the takedown lever, the guy had it replaced it with whatever came with the sight, and I don’t want to use a screwdriver everytime I want to clean it.
Pretty good deal though, paid $300 for a $400 rifle and $50 worth of accessories.
edit: also was missing a cleaning rod, the guy eventually found it and gave it to me, but not before I bought another one
I've collected vintage money boxes for several years, it fits quite nicely with a coin collection. The drawback is they're expensive and there's not really an active market so you might go for years without adding anything new. It's a patient man's game.
The most highly prized money boxes of all are the heavy cast iron Greedy Sambos or Hungry Joeys (the American versions have a slightly different name). Although they were mass produced they have significant value as they appeal to much wider audience than those who just collect old money boxes. I had several Hungry Joeys but had to leave them in England due to their weight. Joey typically wears a red jacket and has a small lever on the back, you put a coin in his hand press the lever and as his arm raises his tongue sticks out to receive it. As he swallows his eyes roll and his ears wiggle.
The above is identical to the one I had as a child and is now in the possession of my oldest son.
While most people have seen these, what's not generally known is that Joey had a female counterpart, Dinah. She wears a gold necklace and a yellow dress and is much less common. They were mostly produced in England in the years leading up to the Great War. I'd never seen one "in the flesh" until March of this year when I finally got my hands on one for a very (VERY) modest price. She needs a new plug for the base plate and a little work on her lever action but to me at least, she's just beautiful. To put the find into some perspective I reckon it's like finding an 1877 Indian Head Cent in your change.
Here's a couple of examples of the current market, even for broken or badly damaged pieces (beware of reproductions!!). I expect my precious Dinah, with all original paint and parts, to appraise for around $500 - $750, not bad for a $20 buy eh?
Well found it. A baseball hat from CN railroad.
Going to steam it and clean it. I took a walk and went along the train tracks. And found her. I think you have to be into trains to like this
This Plate from Japan dating from 1831-1845 showing a Map of the different provinces of Honshu main Island, Shikoku island and the island of Kyushu.
got it at an Auction house which sold it as unknown from China with a map, probably of a Chinese region
If you like coins, medals and tokens with ship motives follow my new instagram account with regular updates @numisnautiker
From time to time I sell some coins on Ebay make sure to follow me @apuking on Ebay.
Phil,
That is a nice piece. Good pickup. I dont collect firearms but I do appreciate them and have quite a few. Recently my uncle gave me a 1979 Remington 700 30-06 with the walnut stock and the nice checkering on it. He obtained it in 1979 when it was still fairy new at a poker game with some of his army buddies. He used it for hunting over the years - but not much. He was military man and didn't get out much. When he finished his 25 years in the military they had all his belongings shipped to his new home in NJ. There this Remington sat in his closet for close to 15 years... One day he tells me that he would like for me to have it and get some use out of it. Along with it he gave me a beautiful set of 10 Silver NASCAR Superstars Medals, nicely framed with the NASCAR logo. He knew I liked firearms and he knew I liked coins/medals. Now hopefully I'll get to pass these items on to the next generation.
Aaron
A set(?) of Czech PNV-57 night vision goggles. I’ll get around to converting them to accept batteries eventually, but right now they just part of my military headgear collection.
The logbook has dates ranging from 1969 all the way to 1985.
Google translate isn't doing me much good for the last pic, anyone know what its saying?
Just went and ordered one of these from the White House Gift Shop (not my photo):
It's selling well at the moment, ironically, because of certain developments; let's just say it'll probably be keeping my Edward VIII coronation medallion company. (Edit: Oh thank god it's back on!)
It's also technically a challenge coin, not a commemorative coin as many are calling it, which is more like a medallion than a coin/token; I'm not even sure if they're allowed in the Exonumia catalogue here.
For me it is a candy distributor, it works with a 20F coin from Belgium, well, with a little bit of work on the mechanism, it will work with a 20F coin ! (Which I still need to find ! ^^ )
All matching numbers, including the magazine. However, it did not come with a bayonet and finding the matching serial number for that would be like winning the lottery. The serial number is 900,***, putting it at the tail end of 1947.
QuoteRoublizerSada (?) Českých brýlí PNV-57 pro noční vidění. Dojdu kolem jejich převedení akceptovat baterie nakonec, ale teď prostě součást mé vojenské sbírky pokrývky hlavy. Deník má data sahat od roku 1969 až do roku 1985. Google přeložit ISN‘ dělám mi hodně dobré pro poslední snímek, někdo ví, co říká?
Hello,
sorry, delayed reaction. I'm a former soldier and a veteran of 20 years in the army. Last - It's a label - Every device, machine, thing has a record in bookkeeping and book formula 1 .. It's a record of the inventory - the Commission has checked and entered the record. Every year, inventory is made through a commission. The device has a label in the Slovak language, so it probably comes from the Slovak Army warehouses after 2000
from left to right:
Instrument: PNV-57 (P instrument, instrument - Night Night, Vision- seeing) 57 - the number usually indicates the year of the first fitting into the equipment.
Kateg. -category T. T- secret, eng. in secret personal remark: (so silence, let no one defeat the violation of military secrets)
Tech.preh.dat - technical check date 11.8.2000
signature-signature
small sticker:
Inventory to Day-Inventory on 11.8. 2000
Kpt.Ing. -Captain Engineer .......
ouncial worker, Ing. -citizen employee, not professional but civil
rtm.-rotmister - -sergeant, is rank
A 6cm high and 34g heavy Russian vodka shot glass (?) made from 84 zolotnik/.875 silver in 1893 showing countryside landscapes. Pierced and repaired at some point, see picture. Bought this and 2 Tower of Power LPs at a yardsale for a whopping 10 €.
A friend gave me these this evening, a couple bullets from the War for Southern Independence (at least according to the person who gave them to him along with a bunch more). I just got home 10 minutes ago so haven't done any research on verifying authenticity, if that's even possible. But this is Tennessee, pretty much the entire state was a battlefield so bullets aren't exactly rare.
I posted it on another thread, but here! A cool Finnish granary key, mostWho likely from the 19th century. I bought it from the Finnish navy flea market. 10€.
During the Finnish civil war (1918) the whites and the reds often stole granaries, fought of and lived in granaries. There is a chance this key has been there. Also a chance it has been used by the army after the civil war, maybe even before the civil war.
This little but heavy brass fish ashtray was in my grandmother house, I find it at a street seller in China as an antic... Could resist the purchase as no one in the family knows where it ended...
More sentimental value and memories from my grandma house which does'nt exist anymore!
I recently found a very nice hardwood box at an estate sale which was filled with what seems to my uneducated eye to be a quite decent banknote collection (I've seen enough notes to know that these are way above average) along with several 19th century mortgage / chattel deeds, cheques and various other vintage/antique documents. I haven't yet had the time to give it all more than a cursory glance but this really stood out from the crowd.
It's a perfectly preserved set of lottery tickets from the Grand Prix De Paris, dated June 1939.
Non illegitimis carborundum est. Excellent advice for all coins.
Make Numismatics Great Again!
What I know about antique swords can be summed up as "stick them with the pointed end" but as I once dated a fencing instructor I guess I'm kinda an expert. I do however like them very much. Since the widespread availability of quality firearms makes them obsolete as weapons their attraction is mainly decorative. I want a pair of crossed swords to go over the mantlepiece, there's a guy at the smaller of our local fleamarkets who has a 1902 Infantry Officer's sword which has been verified to my satisfaction by a feller who knows about these things so I think I'll be getting it.
Here's it's future companion - a Masonic sword dated between 1882 and 1923, manufactured in Columbus Ohio by The M C Lilley & Co. Swords made before 1882 were stamped simply MC Lilley & Co. (no "The") and after 1923 Lilley was merged with Ames so it's easy to find the date range. It's blade is fully engraved with Templar icons and the Skull and Bones / Memento Mori motif. Interesting the handle is ebony instead of the more usual ivory. The pommel is a silver knight's helmet
In terms of value insurance appraisals are a consistent $1,200 with a market value between $200 - $1,500 depending on condition and exact manufacturer's configuration. Mine is generally good but it has a loose sheath guide and the knuckle protector is missing. These are academic as I don't plan on selling it however even at the very lowest end of the range I'd still be showing an almost triple return on my $75 investment due to my outstanding negotiating instincts and abundant charisma. Pretty eh?
Non illegitimis carborundum est. Excellent advice for all coins.
Make Numismatics Great Again!
It's definitely not a coin, but delightful nevertheless!
For those of you who know these little cars, this one is a relatively unusual South African model that is basically a 1968 Cooper S in a Clubman bodyshell. It was called the Mini GTS and about 4000 were built in Cape Town from 1973 to 1980. Mine was built in 1977 with a very uncommon model code number, even for the GTS variant. She is unrestored and totally original, aside from some front-end work that happened after a collision in the 1980s. She has been owned by a single family from when she was new until I bought her and, barring a leaking carburettor gasket, still runs well. I need to set a few small things right but her patina is delightful so I'm going to keep as much of the original paint, trim and working bits as possible.
She has to share garage space with an Alfa Romeo, so it is going to be difficult to choose what to drive on days when they are both working. ;-)
Quote: "andrewdotcoza"It's definitely not a coin, but delightful nevertheless!
For those of you who know these little cars, this one is a relatively unusual South African model that is basically a 1968 Cooper S in a Clubman bodyshell. It was called the Mini GTS and about 4000 were built in Cape Town from 1973 to 1980. Mine was built in 1977 with a very uncommon model code number, even for the GTS variant. She is unrestored and totally original, aside from some front-end work that happened after a collision in the 1980s. She has been owned by a single family from when she was new until I bought her and, barring a leaking carburettor gasket, still runs well. I need to set a few small things right but her patina is delightful so I'm going to keep as much of the original paint, trim and working bits as possible.
She has to share garage space with an Alfa Romeo, so it is going to be difficult to choose what to drive on days when they are both working. ;-)
I just purchased another sword, shipping from inside the USA so should be on my porch in a week or less! It's my 3rd sword, so is that now a collection? (I have a 17th or 18th century Indo-Persian Tulwar, and the sword they issued me [and yet I still had to pay for] at the Air Force Academy)
It's a Japanese type 32 (1889 to 1945). And while the 2 bullet strikes caused some damage (handle, and upper scabbard), it let me buy it cheaper, I kinda think it adds a bit of history as well (some poor bastard brought a sword to a gunfight...). Although more likely than that happening in combat, is probably happened by a trigger happy American using it as target practice. But I'm gonna stick with the sword to a gunfight story... {the damage is to the sheath only, the blade is untouched by the bullet hit}
I'm walking on sunshine having recently completed a substantial trade for the perfect specimen of a Cross of Honour of the German Mother, mercifully shortened to Mother's Cross. It's been firmly at the top of my wanted list for many years. It's the bronze version awarded by the 3rd Reich to mothers of good character who produced four racially pure children. There's a silver version for those with six children and even a gold version to those presumably bow legged Fraus with eight. (Octomom need not apply!)
I'd love to complete the full set of three some day but now I'm concentrating on seeking out other examples of awards connected to the varied social programs. These can be found for as little as $5 locally and they're generally of very high quality. Having checked the box for the Mother's Cross I would say the new front runner would be an award related to the Strength Through Joy (KdF) program which aimed to bring middle class leisure pursuits to the poor. Ranging from free concerts to heavily subsidized cruises on liners built specifically for the purpose.
I guess the perfect example would be a pin or medal connected to the KdF cruise liner Wilhelm Gustloff because of it's historical significance as her sinking caused by far the highest number of fatalities in any single loss. Converted into a hospital ship the MV Wilhelm Gusloff was lost while evacuating refugees from East Prussia along with well over 9,000 lives, more than half of them children. In comparison those lost in the RMS Titanic sinking totaled only 1,500.
Non illegitimis carborundum est. Excellent advice for all coins.
Make Numismatics Great Again!
Quote: "sc.rednek"I just purchased another sword, shipping from inside the USA so should be on my porch in a week or less! It's my 3rd sword, so is that now a collection? (I have a 17th or 18th century Indo-Persian Tulwar, and the sword they issued me [and yet I still had to pay for] at the Air Force Academy)
It's a Japanese type 32 (1889 to 1945). And while the 2 bullet strikes caused some damage (handle, and upper scabbard), it let me buy it cheaper, I kinda think it adds a bit of history as well (some poor bastard brought a sword to a gunfight...). Although more likely than that happening in combat, is probably happened by a trigger happy American using it as target practice. But I'm gonna stick with the sword to a gunfight story... {the damage is to the sheath only, the blade is untouched by the bullet hit}
I fully agree, the damage makes it vastly more interesting than a perfectly preserved sword that never saw any real use. I'm finding a growing attachment towards edged weapons of all types. As soon as I satisfy my need for swords I think I'll try to find a pair of axes, pikes are probably too expensive for my budget.
Non illegitimis carborundum est. Excellent advice for all coins.
Make Numismatics Great Again!
Quote: "Monninen1"
Picture not mine. I dont know what this is, but it was pretty cheap. Two-sided
Apparently its some kind of a payment note/banknote.
Maybe it's a bond payment receipt? The perforations make it clear that it was intended to be detached.
I have several of these from the Confederacy. Southern patriots loaned money to the cause, redeemable after the war, however they were paid a twice yearly dividend at an agreed interest rate. Here's a couple of nice examples from my collection which look like miniature banknotes.
Non illegitimis carborundum est. Excellent advice for all coins.
Make Numismatics Great Again!
Quote: "Monninen1"
Picture not mine. I dont know what this is, but it was pretty cheap. Two-sided
Apparently its some kind of a payment note/banknote.
Maybe it's a bond payment receipt? The perforations make it clear that it was intended to be detached.
I have several of these from the Confederacy. Southern patriots loaned money to the cause, redeemable after the war, however they were paid a twice yearly dividend at an agreed interest rate. Here's a couple of nice examples from my collection which look like miniature banknotes.
Might be true. I couldn't find good information about that.
I found this on ebay:
Got the sword in the mail today, and it is serial number matched to the sheath! Couldn't tell from the seller's pictures. It's the "Otsu" type 32 with a blade just over 30 inches, would have probably been issued to a Japanese NCO. Serial 57994, I haven't found complete lists of serial numbers yet but from what I did find I think this one was made before 1910.
Sorry my camera and lighting sucks. The blade edge is slightly dented where the bullet hit the scabbard, looks like it was a glancing shot. Amazingly still slides in and out just fine. The one that hit the grip tore it up pretty good, but it's still solid, not going to fall apart on me. Besides the 2 direct hits, this sword has seen a lot of action, plenty of dings and dents and nicks in the blade.
New York to Montreal 1st Oct 1928
New York to Oslo 5th April 1946
KLM Houston to Amsterdam 6 Sept 1957
Helicopter Flight Los Angles to Temple City 1 Apr 1946
Gordon
Collect what you like and like what you collect.
Remember you are only the custodian of you collection, its only yours for your lifetime.
Quote: "Monninen1"
Picture not mine. I dont know what this is, but it was pretty cheap. Two-sided
Apparently its some kind of a payment note/banknote.
Maybe it's a bond payment receipt? The perforations make it clear that it was intended to be detached.
I have several of these from the Confederacy. Southern patriots loaned money to the cause, redeemable after the war, however they were paid a twice yearly dividend at an agreed interest rate. Here's a couple of nice examples from my collection which look like miniature banknotes.
Might be true. I couldn't find good information about that.
I found this on ebay:
Its a banknote from Russia as the information from Ebay indicates. The Pick number 155 indicates the World Currency Catalog number. You can see the other types here:
.
As for the confederate coupons, those usually don't have much value standalone and I don't understand why anyone, at this time, would cut them off and sell them individually. Its more valuable with the bond certificate attached:
Quote: "pnightingale"I'm walking on sunshine having recently completed a substantial trade for the perfect specimen of a Cross of Honour of the German Mother, mercifully shortened to Mother's Cross. It's been firmly at the top of my wanted list for many years. It's the bronze version awarded by the 3rd Reich to mothers of good character who produced four racially pure children. There's a silver version for those with six children and even a gold version to those presumably bow legged Fraus with eight. (Octomom need not apply!)
That is pretty cool! I've always wanted to collect medals but it seems like a more expensive endeavor, haha.
What I collect: US, 3rd Reich Germany, Philippines, Ancients, Vatican City, North Korea.
Really huge (800-850 sellers) flea market this sunday market and among other things (coins included) I found this lovely map. It was apparently made by Emanuel Bowen ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emanuel_Bowen). It think it is a genuine one but I'm not sure. Paper looks old and looks like it has been folded before. Whatever, I paid 10€ for it so it's already a nice deal for a nice framed map.
(Edit: Oh thank god it's back on!)
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