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20th Century North American GOOD LUCK COINS
Thanks to the kindness of Bruce Raplee and Glendon
Herber, whom i met through the usenet group
rec.collecting.coins,
i am now the proud owner of a collection-in-the-making of some really great 20th
century North American Lucky Coins. Some of these were advertising tokens, some
seem to have been designed as souvenirs, others are arcade-stamped custom
tokens, and one is an elongated coin with a "lucky" message instead of the
customary touristic images one most commonly finds on rolled pennies.
This is far from a complete catalogue of lucky coins as objects of
20th century popular culture in North America, but it represents
what has passed into my hands.
Note: In descriptions of non-monetary coins, the designations Obverse and
Reverse are entirely arbitrary, so i am calling the side of the coin with the words
"Good Luck" the Obverse; if the words "Good Luck" do not appear, then the side
with the word "Luck" or "Lucky" is the Obverse.
(A) GOOD LUCK COINS OR "POCKET PIECES"
These are primarily bronze or gold-plated bronze coins made in sizes
approximating the U.S. quarter, half-dollar, and silver dollar. Similar in size
and design to souvenir good luck coins and advertising good luck coins , they are distinguished by the
fact that they do not bear souvenir or advertising messages, merely promises of
good luck, especially in money matters. Many display the typical North America
lucky icons: horseshoe, four-leaf clover, wishbone, rabbit foot,
swastika, and so forth. The height of their manufacture seems to have been in
the 1930s, during the Great Depression.
A1. Good Luck Coin, bronze, circa 1930s, 31 mm.
Obverse: Swami in turban gazes into crystal ball with reverse swastika
Legend: GOOD LUCK WILL ACCOMPANY THE BEARER
Reverse: All-Seeing
Eye with swastika,
heart-padlock, four-leaf clover,
elephant, horseshoe, rabbit foot, wishbone
Legend: THE ALL SEEING EYE GUARDS YOU FROM EVIL
Note: The sculptural relief on the reverse of this coin may have been engraved
by the same artist who engraved the obverse of coin #A3 and coin #B1.
A2. Good Luck Coin, bronze, circa 1930s, 31 mm.
Obverse: wishbone,
horseshoe,
four-leaf
clover within circle, separated by lines at 120 degrees
Legend: GOOD LUCK TOKEN
Reverse: eagle taking off with wings open
Legend: TAKE ME FOR LUCK
Mfgr. name on Obverse: GRAMMES, ALLENTOWN, PA
A3. Good Luck Coin, bronze gold plated, 1933, 33 mm.
Obverse: horseshoe
surrounding swastika and 4-leaf clover, flanked on either side by
wishbone
and rabbit foot
Legend: GOOD LUCK COIN/1889-1933
Reverse: gold seal with large "W" Logo and serially stamped number in the center
Legend: GOLD SEAL [58521] AWARD
Note: The sculptural relief on the obverse of this coin may have been engraved
by the same artist who engraved the reverse of coin #A1 and
the obverse of coin #B1. The W logo looks familiar --
but the dates 1889-1933 mean nothing to me. Any idea what this
is about? My copy of this coin was drilled for use as a pendant and the gold plating
is nearly worn away. I would like to buy a better example, seeing as how this is
the "LUCKY W" Archive and all. If you have one for
sale, contact me at cat yronwode.
A4. Good Luck Sex Coin, bronze, date unknown, 38 mm.
Obverse: Four couples having sex
Reverse: Chinese writing
Legend: Unreadable to me
Note: This looks like a typical bronze Chinese cash coin with a square central
hole -- except for the images. It is not a North American coin, but copies of it
have been collected in North America and elsewhere so i include it here. My
friend Ron Graham, of Forestville, California, bought one in Indiana in the early
1950s. He was told it was "a Chinese Lucky Coin." He describes it as having
"Chinese writing on the front and pictures of the four major positions of fucking
on the back." He sold his copy of this lucky coin when he went into the Army in
the 1950s, but ebay provided another.
A5. Good Luck Coin, aluminum, circa 1960s (?)
Obverse: horseshoe
Legend: GOOD LUCK
Reverse: four-leaf clover
Note: This small, dime-sized coin may have been a cereal box premium or
similar giveaway.
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(B) SOUVENIR GOOD LUCK COINS
These are similar to regular good luck pocket piece coins and
advertising good luck coins except that they promote a tourist
destination. They were often given away or sold at a nominal charge. Their
purpose is dual: to bring good luck and to remind the visitor of the place where
they were acquired. Many display the typical North America lucky icons:
horseshoe, four-leaf clover, wishbone, rabbit foot, swastika, and so
forth. The height of their manufacture seems to have been in the 1930s, during
the Great Depression.
B1. Souvenir Good Luck Coin, bronze gold-plated, 1933, 31 mm.
Obverse: horseshoe, rabbit foot, swastika, four-leaf clover, elephant
Legend: GOOD LUCK/1833 - 1933/WORLD'S FAIR
Reverse: Globe with three streaks spiraling off the surface (official fair logo)
Legend: 1933/A CENTURY OF PROGRESS/CHICAGO
Mfgr. name on Reverse: DODSON, CHICAGO
Note: The sculptural relief on the obverse of this coin may have been engraved
by the same artist who engraved the reverse of coin #A1 and
the obverse of coin #A3. The reverse is the
official logo of the 1933 Century of Progress and was used on many items of
manufacture sold at the fair.
B2. Souvenir Good Luck Coin, bronze, circa 1930s, 28 mm.
Obverse: Seven-pointed star
with horseshoe in the center; a rabbit foot is
suspended from the tip of each of the star's points
Legend: MISSION VILLAGE/GOOD LUCK/CHARM/5675/WEST WASHINGTON/LOS ANGELES/BE
KIND/BE/FRIENDLY/BE CHEERFUL/AND THINK/BEFORE/YOU SPEAK
Reverse: Mission style arch with bell on top and well beneath; arch has
inscription "Auto Court"
Legend: MISSION VILLAGE/LOS ANGELES, CALIF./ 5675 WEST WASHINGTON
B3. Souvenir Good Luck Coin, nickel, circa 1960s
Obverse: Crossed double-headed axes (in the "cruiser" pattern, for all you
axe-collectors out there) entwined by a two-person cross-cut saw
Legend: GOOD LUCK/SOUVENIR
Reverse: A man in a coonskin cap and rough frontier clothes stands in front of a
log cabin and some pine trees
Legend: TOM's LOGGING CAMP/DULUTH, MINN.
Note: As my daughter Althaea said on hearing of this coin, "Hmm. That brings a
whole new form of iconography to the realm of luckiness." I could have countered
by referring her to the labrys or double-axe of ancient Crete, with its
connotations of worship of the Goddess in her Sacred Butterfly form, or the Chinese lucky jade axe, but i didn't
think of it until later.
B4. Souvenir Good Luck Coin, rhodium plated (?) metal, circa 1970s
Obverse: A large downward-facing wishbone and a small downward-facing horseshoe
side by side (both are the same size) with a large star above and three smaller
stars below
Legend: GOOD LUCK/SOUVENIR
Reverse: A rather cartooney drawing of Paul Bunyan and his Blue Ox Babe, labelled
"Paul and Babe"
Legend: MORELL'S TRADING POST/BEMIDJI, MINN.
B5. Souvenir Good Luck Coin, rhodium plated (?) metal, circa 1970s
Obverse: A downward-facing horseshoe with a wishbone wrapped around
one
of its
legs
Legend: GOOD LUCK/SOUVENIR.
Reverse: A Viking man wearing a horned helmet and carrying a spear and round
shield standing beside another person (possibly a woman) who is crouching beside
a large boulder and carving runes into it with a hammer and chisel Legend: ALEXANDRIA, MINN. 56308/AMERICA'S BIRTHPLACE
Note: As to the meaning of the image on the front of the coin, all i can say
is that the person who came up with this idea had a very poor grasp of history;
if Icelandic or Danish Vikings did visit the locale of Alexandria, Minnesota,
during the pre-Columbian period (very much in doubt), they would have found the
region well populated by Indians. There is a subtle tinge of racism in this coin,
with its implication that the history of America is the history of European
colonization.
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(C) ADVERTISING GOOD LUCK COINS
These are similar to regular good luck pocket piece coins
and souvenir good luck coins except that they promote a
commercial product or political party. They were often given away or sold at a
nominal charge. Their purpose is dual: to bring good luck and to remind the
visitor of the consumer product or political candidate with which they are
associated. Due to their nature as advertising pieces, these coins are less
likely than other good luck coins to display the typical North America lucky
icons -- except for the elephant, which does double duty as a good luck
symbol and as the mascot of the Republican Party. The height of their manufacture
seems to have been in the 1930s, during the Great Depression.
C1. Political Advertising Good Luck Coin, bronze gold-plated, circa 1930s, 25 mm.
Obverse: Elephant
Legend: COOPER/LUCKY POCKET/PIECE
Reverse: No design
Legend: GOOD FOR/2/YEARS OF/PROSPERITY/IN OHIO
Note: the elephant appears here both as the proverbially lucky white
elephant and as an icon of the Republican Party; the "prosperity" promised by
the coin was presumably conditional upon the election of Mr. Cooper. In 1999, a reader named
kkcueto@aol.com contacted me with the following information about this coin: "Myers Y. Cooper was
a former governor of the state of Ohio. I know one of his grandsons still here in the state."
So it looks like this coin was very, very lucky indeed!
C2. Advertising Good Luck Coin, bronze, 1933, 26 mm.
Obverse: Laurel wreath with ribbon
Legend: 76/LUCKY PIECE/1933
Rx. No design
Legend: INCREASED/ANTIKNOCK OF 76/TURNS WASTE/HEAT INTO/POWER!
C3. Advertising Good Luck Coin, bronze gold-plated, 1933, 33 mm.
Obverse: Left facing bust of Ed Friedrich
Legend: 1883 FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY 1933/GOOD LUCK
Reverse: Friedrich Company coat of arms
Legend: 50 YEARS OF BUILDING QUALITY REFRIGERATORS/ED FRIEDRICH SAN ANTONIO
TEXAS
C4. Political Advertising Good Luck Coin, bronze, 1936, 32 mm.
Obverse: Two busts, partially superimposed, one looks like FDR
Legend: 1836 TEXAS CENTENNIAL 1936/LUCKY COIN/HEADS YOU WIN
Reverse: Backside of an elephant
Legend: TAILS YOU LOSE/1936 [and, in a small shield, perhaps the designer's initials,
"M.P.Z" and "F.J.U." ?]
Note: The Texas Centennial was a big World's Fair-like exposition
held in Dallas in 1936. FDR was President and running for re-election that year.
The coin urges the voter to not vote for the Republicans by making a visual pun
on the elephant as a good luck symbol. The second bust is probably that
of FDR's vice-presidential running-mate. A b&w jpeg of this coin was kindlyGood
donated to this site by the coin's owner, John Montierth, who read about my
collection on the net. I decided to crudely "phototint" it, just for drills. I am
definitely in the market to buy an example of this coin.
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(D) ENCASED CENT GOOD LUCK COINS
Encased coins are customarily used for advertising purposes, but
they differ from regular advertising good luck
coins in that they consist of an actual piece of money,
usually a copper cent, encased in an aluminum frame which bears
the advertising message. The frame is most often disk-shaped,
like a coin, but horseshoe-shaped encased cents are not uncommon.
In addition to the advertising message, the aluminum frame often bears a slogan such as "KEEP
ME AND NEVER GO BROKE." Many
encased coins display the typical North America lucky icons,
especially the horseshoe, four-leaf
clover, and wishbone.
The date on the encased coin is usually the date of manufacture,
as these tokens were customarily given away to customers upon the
issue of the new year's coinage. The height of their manufacture
seems to have been in the 1930s, during the Great Depression,
although they continue to be made to this day.
Perhaps the most notable encased coins are those that were
produced by Earl Fankhauser, "the Penny Man" of Fort Wayne,
Indiana. Beginning in 1954, Fankhauser "signed" the encased advertising coins
he sold to customers by adding his own name in tiny type to the
aluminum die. Bryan
Ryker has written a marvelous book on Fankhauser's encased coins
which provides illustrated biographical information on
Fankhauser, a checklist of the 650 different known patterns of
Fankhauser coins, and technical data on the manufacture of
encased coins in general. For more details, see Bryan Ryker's Encased
Coin Web Page.
D1. Encased Horseshoe-Shaped Advertising Good Luck Coin, aluminum/copper, 1920;
1920 Canadian copper cent pressed into center of aluminum horseshoe
Obverse: horseshoe surrounds wishbone, with four-leaf clover at top
Legend: I BRING GOOD LUCK/KEEP ME AND NEVER GO BROKE
Reverse: No design
Legend: SEMI-READY TAILORED SUITS/FIT THE HARD TO FIT
D2. Encased Advertising Good Luck Coin, aluminum/copper, 1937; 1937-s U.S. copper
cent pressed into center of aluminum disk
Obverse: large horseshoe
Legend: I BRING GOOD LUCK/1937/KEEP ME AND NEVER GO BROKE
Reverse: No design
Legend: TURNER LOAN COMPANY/YOUR FRIEND WHEN IN NEED/1449 N. VINE
ST./HOLLYWOOD, CALIF.
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(E) ROLLED CENT GOOD LUCK COINS
Elongated or rolled coins are coins -- usually cents -- that have been put
through a penny rolling machine at an arcade or tourist destination.
The image impressed into them is usually that of the tourist attraction (a
notable bridge, building, landscape, or such), but occasionally rolled coins
bear verbal messages such as the Ten Commandments or Lord's Prayer. Here is an
elongated cent that has become a lucky coin:
E1. Elongated Cent Good Luck Coin, copper, after 1905
Obverse: 1905 Indian head cent
Reverse: horseshoe surrounds four-leaf clover
Legend: LUCKY CENT
E2. Elongated Cent Good Luck Coin, copper, after 1980
Obverse: 1980s Lincoln cent
Reverse: slot machine showing lucky number 777
Legend: ATLANTIC CITY/LUCKY PENNY
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(F) ARCADE-STAMPED GOOD LUCK COINS
Custom-stamped aluminum lucky tokens are sold from machines at amusement parks.
Depositing a coin into the machine causes an aluminum blank to drop down into a
holding slot where it is visible. The purchaser selects words to custom-stamp
around the flat outer ring by "typing" the letters to be imprinted one at a time
and pulling down on levers on the machine. Each letter selection creates a loud
"thump" as a die comes down and stamps the letter, and the coin is then rotated
so that the next letter can be stamped. The letters are raised, all caps, against
a cross-hatched background. The cross-hatched background is also used for
skip-spaces. No punctuation marks are allowed, only the 26 letters of the
alphabet and the cross-hatched blank space. There are 32 spaces that can be
filled with letters. Because they are pierced, these tokens only vaguely resemble
actual coinage. There are several forms of blanks made, and of course the
stamping on them is as individual as the people who buy them.
F1. Arcade-stamped Good Luck Coin, aluminum, circa 1964
Obverse: A pieced six-pointed star contains a bas-relief
five-pointed star with rays pointing to the legend
Legend: LUCKY (plus the custom-stamped words chosen by the customer)
Reverse: No design
Legend: PAT./NO. 1455289/HARVARD/AUT. MACH. CO./JAMESTOWN/N. Y.
Note: I bought one of these coins in 1964 at Playland by the Beach in San
Francisco. Here's what i, the child of Berkeley hipster-beatnik-socialists, chose
to stamp, sans punctuation and diacritical marks, on my lucky coin: DONT BLOW
YOUR COOL MAN. I have another lucky token identical to this that was
custom-stammped STEVEN SPRINT FUCK YOU
F2. Arcade-stamped Good Luck Coin, aluminum, 1945
Obverse: A pierced central five-pointed star contains a four-leaf clover
Legend: GOOD LUCK (plus the custom-stamped words chosen by the customer)
Reverse: American flag
Legend: (none)
Note: The example shown was stamped and dated MONICA SAMLASKA MADELIA
MINN.45. Monica was very neat; counting the blank space between the end of the
message and the beginning, she used exactly all of the 32 spaces offered by the
stamping machine.
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(G) SPINNER GOOD LUCK COINS
Spinners are coin shaped metal disks made so that half the image or legend
appears on one side and half on the other; when the coin is suspended by the two
notches in its rim and spun in its holder, persistence of vision causes the full image to
appear.
G1. Tom Mix Spinner Good Luck Coin, copper, circa 1930s
The spinner reads "Ralston Straight Shooters" (the Ralston Purina cereal company sponsored Tom Mix on the radio).
The two sides of the disk read as follows:
G O
U K
and
O D
L C
which makes a completed message of
G O O D
L U C K
plus Tom Mix's TM cattle brand
G2. Copper Good Luck Spinner Coin, circa 1940s
My friend Ron Graham, of Forestville, California, says he used to own a lucky
spinner coin back in Indiana in the early 1950s which showed a man on one side
and a woman on the other, "and when you spun it, they were *fucking*!"
Unfortunately, Ron sold this lucky coin when he went into the Army in the 1950s,
so no picture is available.
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I am currently buying good luck coins of all the above types. If you have any for
sale, please send descriptions and price quotes to me, catherine yronwode, at cat yronwode.
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