Gold Coin Changer

The device illustrated is a gold coin changer. Should you have been wealthy enough in the nineteenth century, you would have had gold sovereigns and half-sovereigns about your person and at certain times you might have needed change in silver coins. By putting a sovereign in the left-hand slot a balance would have been tripped, thereby releasing a mechanism to allow you to pull out a drawer of silver coins.

Such machines were popular towards the end of the nineteenth century as is evidenced by the number of patents that were drawn up. As to where they would have been found, we imagine perhaps they may have been located in London clubs or hotels. Having languished in a garage for many years, one of these machines was discovered by the Museum in 1995, and last year a further example was brought to the Museum's attention and is now in the process of being restored.