Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
This receipt was found tucked in between the pages of Alice Stanley's scrapbook. From March 6 to March 14, Henry Schuster ate well for less than $25. The most expensive item was a box of apples for $1.10.
Photo A: Tiny mother-of-pearl coin case, owner unknown.
Photo B: Tiny mother-of-pearl coin case, owner unknown.
Photo C: This coin case/compact came from the estate of New Rockford businessman Jake Valer.
Photo D: This coin case/compact came from the estate of New Rockford businessman Jake Valer.
Perhaps you remember the saying, "See a penny, pick it up. All day long you'll have good luck," but how many actually do this? After all, what can you buy with a penny these days? Or a nickel? Or dime for that matter?
In early years of the 20th century, coins had far more buying power, so it makes sense that there were a wide variety of coin cases and purses available at that time. The Eddy County Museum holds a dozen coin carrying devices in the collection. Most are the common leather pouches with metal clasps that you might come to expect, but there a few extraordinary pieces worth sharing here.
And for a little perspective, I am including a receipt from the 1910s that does well to demonstrate just how far a few cents could go in those days.
The coin case featured at bottom (Photos C & D) was donated to the Eddy County Museum from the estate of New Rockford businessman Jake Valer. It measures 2-by-3 inches and closes to less than a half inch in height. That's not much room for much coinage.
Two coin slots positioned in the compact lid offer enough room for just a penny and a dime. Upon further inspection, I noted that the two circular shapes on the compact's lower lid were actually for makeup.
Yes indeed, this was a true compact, complete with rouge, a mirror, and just a few cents.
Believe it or not, there are more compact coin cases in the collection. The case shown in photos A & B below was donated to the museum without any date or information, but it is still quite unique.
It measures a mere 2-by-1 inches, leaving room in its accordion-style center for little more than a couple of dimes. The outer shell is made of mother-of-pearl and features a hand-painted floral design. This iridescent material comes from the inner layers of mollusk shells. It was commonly used during the Victorian Era to make buttons, fan spines, inkwells and more.
It's hard to believe that such detail and craftsmanship would go into something that carried just a few coins. It just goes to show how much value was given to what we consider "spare change."
