Historical information

This coin holder is designed to be used in England. Similar types of coin holders were popularly used by the more affluent in all parts of Australia in the 19th and early 20th centuries. They were popular as gifts and often inscribed with the owner’s name or initials.

Significance

This attractive coin holder has no known provenance but it is a good example of the type of coin holder used by people in the 19th and early 20th centuries so has value as exemplifying a social custom of generations past. It will be useful for display

Physical description

This is a small container, nickel-plated and embossed with silver-coloured patterns on the top and bottom. The container is hinged and the top has five circular buttons that are on springs and can be pushed inwards. These five movable buttons produce indentations of different sizes and they can be used to hold coins to the value of threepence, sixpence, one shilling, two shillings and two shillings and sixpence. The coin values are marked on the top of the buttons.

Inscriptions & markings

Top: ‘3d, 6d, 1/-, 2/-, 2/6’
Side: ‘Best Nickel Plated’
‘Made in England’