A COLLECTOR OF COINS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6091, 31 January 1898, Page 2

A COLLECTOR OF COINS.

Mr A. W. M'Kenzie, fruiterer and confectioner, of Timaru, on Thursday, says the Herald, made his weekly clearance of the till of hiß penny-in-tlie-slot sweetmeat Beller, and found among a number of ordinary pennies twenty-four coinß that must have been put in as a steady investment, and the machine used as a " fence "~ or receiver of stolen goods. For the twenty-four coins must have formed the collection, or part of the collection, of a numismatist on a small scale. They were from many parts of the world, the United States, Brazil, India, Norway, , France, China, and elsewhore, with some anoient English pennies, and a medal or two. That they were from a curiosity gatherer's collection was evident from their variety, and this was corroborated by the fact that some of the coins had been torn off a card or book to which they had been glued. A few were of silver or some white metal, the rest of oopper or brass. The coins as curiosities must be worth more than their face values, hut as payments for parcels of butter-scotch they were dear, as the majority are too light to operate the machine.