1903 - 1933 Ford coin

M

Mike in Louisiana

Member
I was cleaning out a 1930 model a 4 door car i bought that has been sitting since 1955 that has never been restored and found a coin under the seat
that has a picture of a ford grill and the dates of 1903 -1933 on the face and on the back it has thirty years of progress with the V 8 symbol in the middle.
Is this a common coin?
Thanks
Mike
 
Common at larger flea markets, and I'm sure there are a few listed on the internet auction site. Welcome to the Ford Barn. Bob
 
I bought a nice one on ebay for $30.00 .:).... The coins are always forsale there.But still nice to have...if you collect car stuff:D
 
The Chicago World's Fair was in 1933 ... the coin is most likely associated with the Fair.

My Grandfather worked for Buick during the World's Fair and for several years during that time. He toured around with a car that had "cutouts" of all assemblies for folks to see how the car was built. Each year they used a new car for the displays. He setup displays and answered questions.



From Wikipedia:

"A Century of Progress International Exposition was the name of a World's Fair held in Chicago from 1933 to 1934 to celebrate the city's centennial. The theme of the fair was technological innovation. Its motto was "Science Finds, Industry Applies, Man Adapts" and its architectural symbol was the Sky Ride, a transporter bridge perpendicular to the shore on which one could ride from one side of the fair to the other."
 

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Does it look like this?

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yes, '33-'34 Century of Progress World's Fair in Chicago. Held at what is now called "The Museum Campus."

There are a few variations of it...

I got the one above at Hershey a few years ago for $8.00. The next day I came across a guy who had one and he wanted $95 for it. He told me I could walk every section of the swap meet and never find another one. Being the type of guy that I am I reached into my bookbag, grabbed the one I had bought and said "Found one." He didn't like that.

They are common, usually selling for $20-30, the guy I bought mine from had a whole stack of them, which is probably why I got it so cheap.

-Tim
 
Be careful if spending a big price. I am pretty sure that I have read that these have been reproduced. I am sure there was an artical in the V-8 Times.
 
I've had an interest in the Chicago Century of progress almost as long as I've been into early Fords. Actually Henry did not have an exhibit at the '33 Fair, that medallion just commemorates Ford Motor Co's three decades of existence. Luckily the Fair was a great success and because it was visited by millions looking for hope during the depression the Fair Commission held it over for another year. World's fairs shut down in October and by opening day in May of '34 the Ford Rotunda debuted there with many great exhibits and they also had an outdoor course where visitors could ride in a new Ford.
I agree with Rich Wilson about the medallion having been reproduced, and in fact a genuine one measures about 1 5/6" diameter with a repro being 1 1/4".
 
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DO NOT INTEND TO HIGH JACK THREAD, this is what I found in my 1933 Ford BB Truck, what/where do think this came from? If you think I should start a new thread let me know, but it does fit in with the Chicago event, and 33 coin, take a look, thanks Bruce
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To answer your question the penny was rolled at the Fair. One inserted their penny and another coin to operate the machine to produce an instant souvenir. The Sky-Ride ran from the shore of Lake Michigan to Northerly Island and gave a daring high altitude view of the Fair and Chicago's skyline. If there is a second hole where the corrosion is it may have been nailed to a cane, or one or two holes and it might have been on a necklace or key chain.
As Bruce has said, sorry for the hi-jack.
 
I'm not trying to break anyone's train of thought that are responding about the coin, but it might be kind of fun to see pictures of the car that it was found in.
 
The coin I found looks just like the one in the above thread. I would like to include pictures of the coin and the car where I found sitting since 1955 but don't know how to include pictures.
 
This is the car I found the ford coin in. The car was sitting on a ranch that the faimly started in 1904 in Nevada. I found pages out of news papers from early 1950s. The Nevada plate was still on the car and it exspired in 1955. The spare tire had a snow chain on it.
 
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