Edwardian Engraved Sterling Coin Holder

Those Edwardians - seems like they had a gadget for every little thing they bore on their person. This is a rare sterling silver coin holder - used in it's day to hold - you guessed it - a stack of coins. This one is about sized to hold a modern US nickel - which would have been worth about a dollar back when this was being carried. Coin holders typically had an interior spring insert, which pushed the coins in the holder to the top of the container for easy removal - an ingenious detail - however, someone lifted the insert from this one - so, if you 'acquired' a coin holder insert at the Buncomb Antique Mall in Greenville, SC and you're reading this, you know who you are - b****rd. About 30 mm in diameter, this one is delicately engraved front and back in a floral design, with what appears to be the initials MH on the front. Circa 1901/02, it is Hallmarked with an anchor, a lion passant, the letter 'b' - for Birmingham British Sterling and the maker's mark - WM. Because the insert is gone, it no longer properly snaps closed, but is still a remarkably beautiful article of Edwardian life. $225