Carpenters scribe with Fugio Cent wheel

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I think that I have a rather unique item here. This is an old wooden carpenters gauge that by itself would be worth only about $15 to $20 . But at some time in the past, the carpenter owner made a measuring wheel out of an old coin and attached it to the gauge with a screw through the middle of the coin. He also filed measuring marks around the exterior edge, so that when he ran the wheel over the wood, a set of marks would be pressed into the wood. I am sure that this carpenter used what he thought was just another old coin, and I suspect that when he added the wheel to his scribe, these coins were probably more common. The coin that he used was a 1787 Fugio cent. This scribe was found up in the eves of my old house that had been built around the 1940s in Greene Rhode Island, probably where the carpenter left it. Because it had less wear as a tool than it would have in circulation, the coin is in very good condition except for the hole in the middle and the file marks around the outside. I suspect that the scribe and coin should remain together, and that they each add to the value of the other in their present state. Of course it would be nice to have this coin without the hole and file marks, but then it probably would not be around today. I have been trying to ascertain which variety of Fugio cent it is, and although I can eliminate many types, I have been unable to narrow it down conclusively. Any help in this manner would be appreciated. These are a few shots of the item, I have others and can get more.
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[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]John
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Now that is cool...

 

I can hear the groans now!

That is so cool! I wonder why the fugio was selected over say a worn out large cent? Maybe it was done out of spite.

 

Thanks, of course I have no idea why he chose this coin. But I am sure he thought it had little value at the time...
John

 

I have a few old marking gauges like this but nothing as cool as this one.
What a cool find.

 

Super cool! Keep it as is, coin and scribe together!

 

Cool. Just like the pie cutter of Charmy's - kind of cool to see how they used to get buy.

 

What a great piece of history...

 

wow thats awesome =)

 

From the pictures, does anyone know which variation of Fugio cent this is?
Thanks
John

 

Agreed...


That's Cool!!

 

wow, that is really a neat find. Up in the eaves you say, were you doing some home improvement when you came across it?

 

you heard me?

 

yes.

 

Very cool piece of history. I'd keep it together as one piece to either keep or sell.

Bruce

 

It is not unusual to see large cents fashioned into gears and other mechanical parts. However, I have not seen a Fugio like that before. Neat!

 

Is it possible that it was created when the Fugio was new? I don't know much about tools to know if the tool itself dates to the 1700s.

 

Incredible find!

 

"Cool", or I would rather say, interesting.

I just hope it is not a rare variety!

 

I'm thinking it maybe a 12-N.2.