Gold changers

[sweetmeats]

In the hope that this post pleases more than it displeases, I also feel is in the spirit of the site. I offer the following of which I received an email alert today . Cast iron Garrett Bijou gold changer and an Ells small model wooden gold changer both with some brass cups. They are lots 77 and 78 in G.W.Railwayana on the 12/13 March.

[arrgee]

I too received this email sweetmeats, for those who are interested, a couple of lovely looking items:

[badpenny]

I've had one of the cast iron ones.

Eventually I put it on an eBay auction about 20 years ago. I miscalculated the reserve and after commission and with Paypal robbing I lost on the deal.
Then the buyer claimed he found a repair on it and wanted his money back as I'd described it as a museum piece and it wasn't perfect as he would expect a museum piece to be. I asked him for evidence of the repair as I hadn't seen one. He replied saying that a corner of the casting had broken when he dropped it because I hadn't written the weight on it!?
This was before the eBay policy, "Bugger the vendor" So eBay understood the buyer had broken it himself, so wasn't my problem, however "could it have been described as a museum piece if it was broken?"
I answered that there is a Concorde sitting in a museum in Scotland, which due to being engineless was in no state to fly to New York any time soon.
I didn't hear any more, but that was the last time I sold anything via eBay.
The annoying thing is if he hadn't dropped it and then tried to scam me into refunding for something that was his fault I would have had it back.

BP

[arrgee]

Beautiful Art Nouveau design on the Garretts changer, I assume that the operator/owners of these changers did not make any money or take a cut from these as a sovereign was worth £1 anyway, (unless they were leased out to the store) and assume it was just there for customer convenience purposes.

[badpenny]

My understanding was they were bought by large shops/departmental stores for the following reasons: -

To stop staff fiddling or short changing customers buying something cheap with a sovereign and requiring a lot of change. Their Sovereign was placed in the slot and the contents of the capsule handed over, from which they paid with smaller coins.

To protect the staff from accepting a fake sovereign as the diameter, thickness and weight were all checked by the machine before dishing out the pod of coins.

The machine then became a safe depository for the gold coins.

BP

[arrgee]

Thanks BP, very interesting

[treefrog]

My worry with these machines is most that come up for sale are often buggered with and I know little about the to see through the dodgy ones.......mahogany and glass ones have always appealed more than the metal items...

[arrgee]

Anyone know what these changers have sold for in the past?

[sweetmeats]

Very similar may even be the same machines? Sold in elephant auction in Nov 2016 the Ells looked in need of a polish,sold for £500 hammer the cart iron bijou £400 hammer. I sold an Ell's machine in Coventry 2017 or 2018 I think it sold for about £500. I have also sold two or three different cast iron machines including the bijou privately over the past four or five years each for £500 . No guarantee of future prices but I hope this helps. The Ell's originally had a gallery on the top to hold used cups.

[arrgee]

No guarantee of future prices but I hope this helps. The Ell's originally had a gallery on the top to hold used cups.

Thanks sweetmeats, I presume this Ell is a later version as I assume that the drawer at the base is for used cups.