Vintage Dime Bank

When I was a child, my paternal grandmother gave me a little bank for saving coins. I don't remember the occasion for the gift, and there may not have been one, specifically. It was made from sheet metal and decorated to look like a little cash register! So cute!

This bank was designed for accumulating dimes, and is the only coin it will accept. For those readers around the world who are not familiar with the "dime" coin, it is a small US coin which has a nominal value of ten cents. A "cent" is one-hundredth of a dollar, so each dime is worth one-tenth of a dollar. The dime is the smallest-sized US coin (17.91 mm = 0.705 in) that is currently in circulation.^[1] Originally, it was sized to contain one-tenth the amount of silver than a silver dollar coin contained. There was a smaller silver 'half-dime' early in the history of the US^[2], but it was discontinued from mintage, replaced by the non-silver nickel, and all half-dimes in existence currently are held by collectors. You can see the size of the dime in the photo, with my finger touching it.

Here's how the bank works: A dime is placed in the slot on the front. The person making the deposit slides the little lever towards the right. This simultaneously does two things... First, it allows the coin to fall into the storage compartment of the bank. Second, it indexes the counter mechanism to add 0.10 to the amount shown on top of the bank.

The dime was authorized for minting in 1792 by Congress, and was always made with silver. However, this was changed in in 1965 when the silver content was removed from the coin. Now, they are made from a copper blank with a mixture (alloy) of copper and nickel clad outer layer. ^[1]

This little bank has been stored in a box for years with some other memorabilia from my younger days. As long as it has been since I've actually used it, I wonder about that $1.40 that's in it now — is it real silver dimes, perhaps? I am old enough that silver coins were definitely in common circulation during a portion of my childhood. I might have to gather up $8.60 in dimes, feed them into the bank one-by-one until it unlocks, then examine all the coins that come out! 😁

Knowing what I know now about silver and its value, I could kick myself for spending much of my paltry childhood allowance on junk, rather than saving it. Just think what a bank full of silver dimes might be worth today, especially if they were in near-mint condition! 🤦‍♀

As an indication of how large the dime bank is, the following photo shows it again with my fingers in the frame, for size comparison:

Did you have a bank in which to save money as a child? A piggy bank, perhaps? 🐷 Or any other kind? Tell us about it!