Yesterday my lady friend and I went to Adamstown, Pa. There's a lot of antique shops there. So this one of many we went thru she calls out to me to check out some hobo nickels. All well and good, I look into the cabinet and next to the hobo nickels are 5 potty dollars 4 of which are just wizzed to death @ $250.00 ea and the 5th one at $300.00 not so bad but the carving was not that great, same could be said about the hobo nickels. Wished I had my camera with me. Well to make a long story short I didn't even offer on any of them. Unfortunately I purched no coins but I did find a Bullwinkel Pepsi glass
There are some original 19th century potty dollars that are fairly good. But there are many more that are pretty crude and I believe were created later. I have been looking for a nice example for my black cabinet for awhile, but the one I want alludes me.
Potty dollars are generally trade dollars (sometimes seated dollars) that have been re-engraved, so they show Liberty nude sitting on a chamber pot. They're actually kind of neat. There's some examples for sale on apmex: http://www.apmex.com/Search/Default.aspx?Search=potty dollar
Sounds like you did just fine sticking with the Bullwinkel glass dwhiz. It seems to me that a lot of those Potty Dollars are poorly made but good ones do sell for a premium. Bruce
This coin of "You know who" doing "You know what" from the Solomen Islands seems to be a bit "potty." :devil:
Potty Trade Dollars were carved like Hobo nickels and this is a common style. I found some with Seated Liberty coins too. Found on Google Further found on Heritage "No Free Trade" was a quote dating in the late 1890's.
I'm near Philly, love going to Adamstown! I know what you mean, the coins there are a little overpriced sometimes.
Most of what I have seen are way over priced. I would hate to break up my Rocky & Bullwinkle set. Try eBay
And a quote that is making quite the resurgance today. Oddly enough the phrase "No TPp" would fit a modern potty dollar perfectly lol ...Not political, just a funny thought
@Lon Chaney, tried the link you posted twice, brings me to a generic Apmex page and the search function says "no results found" for "potty dollar." Am I doing something wrong? Steve
Trade dollars ceased to be legal tender after 1876. Thereafter they were purchased as bullion, and usually used to make transactions in Asia with a mutually agreed unit of reliable weight and fineness. In America, they traded at melt. Sometimes you could get one for seventy cents. That made them attractive as bullion, as souvenirs, as watch fobs, as hollowed out receptacles for smuggling opium or diamonds or whatever, and as a cheap canvas for a silversmith to create a work of art. So to speak.
