Wheats stuck in a coin bank

[Randy Zink]

Well I just got home from purchasing some wheats from a nice old lady. The problem is they are in two coin banks with no opening, except the slot to put them in. One is a very nice old glass pig and the other is a very old coke can bank. I can see many cool wheats and a couple of indian heads in the glass one. My question is would you just break them open to get the coins or try to shake them out? I was able to get 3 out in about 10 minutes shaking the can. How much damage can you do to the cents by shaking the can? PS my wife really likes the old glass pig. Help that pig is going down lol Randy

[Steven]

I would hate to be in that delima. Staring into that pigs face and wondering whats in it's belly. After a while that could be detrimental to your health. Maybe that's a good enough excuse.

Steven [/i]

[coop]

Randy: Could you post a picture of each bank? Maybe see it would help to give a solution to getting the coins out. Would enlarging the opening where the coins fit in help? On the glass pig: Is there any obstruction on the opening? With it's shape (rounded) you might try holding it at a 90 degree angle the turn it slowly to try to get one coin at a time to come out. being made of glass you might get the coins through the opening, but if there is a collar area when the coin would fit in, it makes it harder. How full is the bank? It just a few coins are in it, then turning it slowly should work. It is is full, well... get the hammer and buy your wife another pig... Maybe a child could accidently drop the glass bank... They seem to break everthing else.

[coop]

Randy:
http://search.ebay.com/Glass-Piggy-Bank_W0QQbsZSearchQQcatrefZC6QQcoactionZcompareQQcoentrypageZsearchQQcopagenumZ1QQfclZ3QQfgtpZQQfposZ85053QQfromZR2QQfsooZ1QQfsopZ1QQftZ1QQftrtZ1QQftrvZ7QQlopgZQQsacatZQ2d1QQsadisZ200QQsaprchiZQQsaprcloZQQsaslcZ2QQsbrftogZ1QQsofocusZunknownQQsotrZ3

Any of these look like your bank? If you have the type with a collar/tube at the top you might try a thin piece of plastic that is stiff and put it in the opening then try turning it slowly to see if you can funnel the cents out. That might work.

[Randy Zink]

Well, when I posted last night I was at work. When I got home my wife had allready figured out, using a toothpick, how to empty the banks. What I did find was 13 Indian Heads, a blank/planchet, several nice steels and a small gold piece. Cool I thinking, dated 1853 1/4 Calif. gold, well my hopes ended when I took a glass to it and it has the words replica on it. I wonder if it is real gold but just a replica of the coin itself. I will post if anything interesting shows up. Thanks Randy