Sovereign Changer

[Hotdog]

attached photograph shows a change machine where full or half sovereigns could be entered to receive 20 or 10 shillings. Apparently they were used in large shops; though I don't know how the  Sovereigns would have been verified for fakes. 

[dicker]

Wow!  Never seen one of these before!

[Bigmarc]

Here you go 

[paulmerton]

I came across a modern one with a less favourable exchange rate!

[Britannia47]

13 minutes ago, Bigmarc said:

Here you go 

Brilliant! - A collectors item for sure. Think I saw  this at Dubai Int. Airport……..😁

[Petra]

One or two been sold over the last year or two, one where you can see price went for £675. There was at least one later version made.🤔😮

[SidS]

13 hours ago, Bigmarc said:

Here you go 

I would love one of these!

[Fishface220]

13 hours ago, paulmerton said:

I came across a modern one with a less favourable exchange rate!

 Wookey hole? 

[paulmerton]

14 minutes ago, SidS said:

I would love one of these!

I'll happily exchange a sovereign for 20 shillings if you don't manage to find one. I'll even cover postage 🤣

[paulmerton]

2 minutes ago, Fishface220 said:

 Wookey hole? 

Yes, in the penny arcade.

[SidS]

46 minutes ago, paulmerton said:

I'll happily exchange a sovereign for 20 shillings if you don't manage to find one. I'll even cover postage 🤣

I bet you would! 😁

[blackadder]

2 hours ago, paulmerton said:

Yes, in the penny arcade.

This your outside shed,with your own arcade collection lol

[Silverlocks]

On 24/12/2023 at 18:54, Hotdog said:

attached photograph shows a change machine where full or half sovereigns could be entered to receive 20 or 10 shillings. Apparently they were used in large shops; though I don't know how the  Sovereigns would have been verified for fakes. 

Automatically validating sovereigns was a fairly mature technology in the 19th century - they were allowed about 60mg of wear by law and then they were returned to the Bank of England, which would exchange them for new ones and send the old ones back to the mint for recycling.  By the latter part of the 19th century the banks all had machines that could automatically weigh sovereigns by their thousands and sort out underweight ones, and could do so very accurately.  I dare say they would reject most fakes as well, unless it had been done with great fidelity.  Most fake sovereigns would fail on dimensions and/or weight as this was well before the days of tungsten cores. However, I have no idea how accurate changing machines like the one depicted above really were.

Here's a 19th century engraving of the machines at the Bank of England.  I think it's worth noting that a substantial amount of R&D went into the sovereign - the technology to mint them by the million to precise specifications, and all the infrastructure that went around circulating them.  They were quite a major innovation in their day.

 

Edited December 26, 2023 by Silverlocks

[Hotdog]

Not sure if I haven't posted this before.

A good read is "The Royal Mint: Its working, Conduct, And Operations, Fully And Practically Explained" by George Fredrick Ansell, written 1869. I've attached a link to the third addition which maybe read in pdf format or downloaded. https:/archive.org/details/royalmint01anse 

Ansell mentions why the number on the shield coins was introduced. 

Also another worthwhile book by Ansell written in 1862 "A Treatise On Coining".  Available as a reprint and online. 

[Booky586]

Anyone watch "The Bidding Room" on the BBC?

I was watching the first episode of the new series and a late Victorian sovereign/half sovereign change machine made an appearance. It's a different type to the one listed by @Hotdog and little a little more basic. Here's the link to the episode, fast forward to 21 minutes in: 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001x0vz/the-bidding-room-series-5-1-jackinthebox

 

Edited April 29 by Booky586