Featured Victorian coin holder?

Can you identify this coin holder I recently bought? It has no marks, but has been tested as sterling silver.

 

I doubt it is sterling.
More likely plated.

Looks like 1950s, not Victorian.

Is the lift top for coins or rouge? Does a nickel or dime fit in it and stay?

 

1950s. It may have been for bus tokens, too.

 

If you click on Full Image after you upload your photos, they appear in the post and we don't have to open a bunch of links. Much easier.

 

In my opinion it is a late 19th, early 20th C sovereign holder, almost certainly plated as I cannot see any hallmarks where they would be expected.

Search 'sovereign holder' for similar examples. The little framed picture is unusual but not atypical.

 

I'm looking at the size of the jump ring and the push to open mechanism. That does not look like early 1900s jewelry mechanism to me. Of course, I could very well be wrong.

 

The push piece mechanism is exactly the same as a watch of the period, used to release a hunter or half hunter case, or the back cover. Pretty well all non-stem wound watches have a similar push piece unless they have screw off backs.

The sovereign case was usually worn on the other end of a double albert watch chain, watch in one waistcoat pocket, fob or vesta case or coin holder in the other waistcoat pocket.

The very practical reason was the value of the coins carried, Even a half sovereign was a good chunk of change in those days. Think of it as the equivalent of a wallet for your high value bills.

 

Interesting!
https://www.google.com/search?q=sov...hVMNiYKHXvVDCMQ_AUIBygC#imgrc=TufDCnA83bshaM:

 

Good find, Gila. I found the website with that souvenir case with a half sovereign. It dates to 1915.

Scroll a good 1/3rd of the way down the page. It is under the section "April 1915," starting at April 26th the pics are on the right. There is a pic of the front of the case and this pic of it open.
http://gwydir.demon.co.uk/diaries/diary1915.htm

There seems to be several on eBay with the sellers dating them to early 1900s.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/bhp/sovereign-case

--- Susan

 

I stand corrected AF.
Thanks for the information. Always good to learn something.

 

It's amazing to think of how money was so valuable and a little would buy a lot of things.

 

As you'll have found out by now, it's a sovereign-case or sovereign holder, used to hold gold sovereign coins, which as was stated, were worth a fair bit of money back in the Victorian era. There were sovereigns, and half-sovereigns. A sovereign was worth one pound sterling (or twenty sterling silver shillings).

Most people look at sovereign cases and go: "yeah but it's such a small amount of money!"

It isn't.

A sovereign was a LOT of money in those days. Twenty shillings was nothing to laugh at back in the 1800s. Even into the early 20th century, a whole pound was generally the given wage for a skilled shipyard worker per-week. Those twenty shillings were expected to pay his rent, his food, his clothing, and whatever else, for his family. This was at a time when weekly expenses were measured in shillings and pence.

I have a copy of an advertisement for the company that sold a writing box that I have in my collection. The price at the bottom of the page is 9 pounds 9 shillings.

This was in about 1865. And this is a VERY expensive, fully-fitted writing box. So a gold sovereign was nothing to laugh at. It was a very considerable amount of money.

 

Sorry for the late reply!


Thanks everyone so much for your help! I don't want to spam with individual thank-you posts!

Are there any books, hardcopy or even ebook, to continue my research into history and makers of sovereign cases?

 

Not that I'm aware of. I don't think it's a very common subject. It's likely to pop up in books about coinage or silverware, rather than have a book about it.

 

Small factoid, the first World War brought their production to an almost instant halt because in 1914 sovereigns and half sovereigns were withdrawn from circulation to be replaced by banknotes so instantly, they had no further use.

 

Eh, different countries, different names, different users and dates of use... Here in the U.S., and wouldn't be surprised if it's American, this would have been called a coin holder or coin locket, very popular in the first quarter of the 20th century (though similar pieces were produced into the mid 20th century). Would have more likely been used by a woman for her car fare, collection plate donation, or whatever - they often included a chain and finger-ring, which could also be used to hang it from a chatelaine. The typical size here would have been for a five-cent piece, just a tiny bit smaller than a sovereign, though doubles for nickels & dimes, as well as triples with space for quarters were also produced. They were also made with spaces on the reverse for other items, like photos, rosaries, rouge, etc., as well as the coin holders being included in compacts and cigarette cases.

Not sure if you are taking the word of the seller, or have tested it yourself, but also have doubts that it's unmarked sterling, suspect silverplated nickel silver is more likely...

The clip below, for a similar piece in sterling, is from a 1913 retailer's ad:



~Cheryl

 

Do feel sure I've seen them in reference books, but not really sure which - would guess pertaining to jewelry and/or ladies accessories...

~Cheryl