What could your favorite coin buy the year it was struck?

One of my threads in the US Coins board was about this humble little coin, a 1903 Indian Head Cent.



@swish513 & @lordmarcovan made these points:

Which made me think, what has this coin seen? What could it have bought? Who could have possessed it? Well here's some answers:

Major Events of 1903:

~This IHC could have sat in Morris or Rose Mitchom's pocket as they released the worlds first Teddy Bear.

~A Service Member could have had this coin in Cuba when they leased Gitmo to the US.

~It could have been given as change at the first Stock Car Race at the Milwaukee Mile.

~It could have been in the till at the Huntington Avenue Baseball Grounds when Boston beat Pittsburgh in the first World Series.

~Wilbur Wright could have been fidgeting with this coin as his brother piloted the first heavier-than-air flight.

An IHC could have bought:

~1 piece of candy
~1 egg

These people could have owned this coin:

~George Orwell
~Lou Gerhig
~Bob Hope
~Eliot Ness



I know these are all very romantic notions. But fun nonetheless.

So, what could be the history of your favorite circulated coin?

 

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Hmmm, why would that be? Curious as I'm new. (FYI, I'll change it)

 

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@paddyman98 Ok I wasnt using them to the intent suggested, but I'll just play it safe and avoid them in the future.

 

Cool
Have you tried the Crown Royal Apple Flavored?

 

@paddyman98

AMAZING!!! I'm interested in trying the Vanilla next.

Funny enough, the pic is how I inherited my coin collection.

 

Yes.. me too!
I have a story which is hard to believe... I work at an all commercial building in NYC where each floor is a different company. The 7th floor called Design Bridge is a label and packaging design company. They design all the new labels for Absolut Vodka, and Crown Royal that are used all over the world!

 

WOW!!! That's all I can say. Simply amazing.

 

@lordmarcovan I saw the contest and am trying to decide on a quality reply to enter.

That collection should be labeled an Art Gallery. Beautiful!

 

Another beautiful specimen @lordmarcovan

 

This puppy could buy you someone's unskilled labor for about a month back in 300 BCE in Babylon.

 

The favorite coin that I own would be a 1911 St Gaudens double eagle. The year 1911 was the inaugural year for the greatest spectacle in racing, the Indy 500 which was won by Ray Harroun in his Marmon Wasp..... That double eagle would have purchased somewhere in the neighborhood of 600 gallons of gas. Probably enough to keep Ray's tank filled to win the event and have enough left over to drive home.

 

And at around 1500 bucks for one now it still would today. (admittedly, not racing fuel)


Who says coins are a great hedge against inflation?

 

Well, I have a ton of coins which I am certain have passed through the hands of @furryfrog02!

 

The cheapest historical price I've seen for gas is 17 cents a gallon, in 1931. In 1911, it was just shifting from being a waste product of kerosene production to being a commercial product in its own right.

On the other hand, 35 double eagles would've bought you a 1911 Model T; four more would've made it "fully equipped". The brand-new Prius I bought last year cost considerably less than 20.

 

Sorry for the fingerprints lol

 

I am a lifetime lover of the Indy 500. This month is a rising crescendo of excitement for me leading up to the Memorial Day race. I was doing some web surfing on some historical Indy stuff and saw a small article where travelers in Indianapolis were paying 3.2 cents for a gallon of gas in 1911 and it brought this thread to mind..... The accuracy of the little web piece I sure cannot speak for...... I can say that I pumped 27 cent gas as a youngster..... My how times have changed.