Posted 9 years ago
Dot
(4 items)
The first two images are sideways... Oops, sorry.
The item is very heavy. The base is cast iron I think. The tubes are brass or copper. The size 12" x 12" at the most. It was found in the attic of my friends grandparents house. The tubes go straight through and are slightly different size openings. We I have no clue.
Probably for making diff. tones. Now we just have to know how air is moved thru them.
That is interesting. Perhaps a part of something large.
Does a penny fit closely inside the tube ?
Slack, I think you know something we don't ! Come on. Give ! LOL!!
Dot needs to come back and answer the question at hand.
Sorry for the delay answering!
All the tubes are slightly different size openings. Quarters too big for any, dimes and pennies fall loosely.
Do you think this may have been for "mills" tokens around depression?
That is another good option & the sides at the bottom of the tubes are beveled right for flipping the tokens/coins to the side. HUMMM ! Doesn't have to be for U.S. coins either.
I believe it is a change making apparatus. Possibly for an arcade setting. Any tokens in this country would be the size of US coins. Without good dimensions anything further is conjecture.
This is one odd puppy. (figure of speech)
I can't see the need of six tubes to sort coins/tokens all smaller than a quarter.
Also, wouldn't they still be falling in the same pile?
I agree Odd Puppy. Just doesn't match up to expected design to me. We may be moving in the right possible direction, but think we are off 10 degrees. Maybe aliens have thicker coins with the right dia.?
It looks to me the tubes are all the same diameter. The adjustment up or down creates a variable size gap at the bottom.
I think it's part of a door or clock chime. Tap each one left to right or right to left and see if it rings out a tune.
The inside of each tube is a different size. They look like they were made with precision.
I am apt to think they were for the tax tokens (mills) around the 1930s. I looked them up after seeing slapjack' comment. My friend is from Missouri and that is where this object was found. The tokens were assorted sizes. I can't imagine a tube with such precision for these. That's why a part for a door chime or instrument seems logical.
If those screws go thru the tubes, that will eliminate a lot of ideas.
The screws don't go thru the tubes. I think they are for adjusting the position of each.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1930s-Casino-Arcade-coin-changer-cast-iron-chrome-super-nice-/141568121885?nma=true&si=1JD6odoO98GXP7dl024JJzjCXcM%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557
Thanks slapjack. All of you guys have been a great help. I'll share this information with my friend. And hey, perhaps her grandma was running a casino :)
Why 6 tubes & I thought U.S. coins didn't fit ?
From what info I found, tax tokens vary in size. I can only guess at this point. My friend thinks she may have a box of tokens in her storage not realizing it may be related. She's going to dig them out. I'll post when I know more. Maybe my mystery isn't solved.