Our hardware store in Madeira, OH had a cash register like that when I was a kid. Every HW store also had a "tube tester". Remember those? They always put them all the way in the back, next to the storeroom door. that way the customer had to walk all through the store if they wanted their tubes tested.
Cool find and cool cash register. For awhile I had an old National Cash Register. I learned that the marble shelf above the drawer served a purpose beyond a small place to write on or place $$ while transacting. It was useful as a surface to drop coins on to hear them "ring" to help determine if they were genuine or not.
I was thinking the same thing. As you know I collect coins and I'm an antique dealer. The Cent is worth about $12-$15 but the register is worth a little more.
When I was young all the mom and pop stores in my neighborhood allowed me to search their registers whenever I wanted. A large portion of my collection came out of them. But, I never found a large cent in one. Nice.
Small world - I have lived my entire life in Cincinnati (Anderson/Turpin). I've probably been in that hardware store once or twice.
I lived in Kenwood (the poor man's Indian Hills). Downtown Madeira was walking distance from my house. For 50¢, I could see a Saturday afternoon matinee...with a buttered popcorn and a pop. Perhaps it was my age, but life in general seemed so much more enjoyable when we didn't have anything. We could stay entertained for days with just a large cardboard box. Once in a while, Dad would take my brother and I to Crosley Field to see the Reds!
Ah, the good old days! You can tell someone about them, however, they had to have lived them in order to fully understand.
I'd say, based on photos and a couple of quick standards I recall, VF at most...might do $40. Overall a clean, good-looking Large Cent..!
IMO...that cent looks close to AU50. NGC lists it at $135.00 ...it would easily sell for $100-125 at auction. Personally, if I owned it, I wouldn’t sell it. It would stay in the family as an heirloom...Spark
