One type of encased coins that I collect are Washington, D.C. encased cents. They usually have "Keep Me and Never Go Broke / I Bring Good Luck", on the obverse and "SOUVENIR OF WASHINGTON, D.C." on the reverse.

So what does this mean? Well it could mean two different manufacturers. It could mean one manufacturer who up dated their dies. Not much is know about the manufacturers of these encased coins other than they have been sold as souvenir pieces in Washington, D.C. for over one hundred years. I have pieces from as early as 1901 and as late as 1980. Bryan Ryker's work orders from Osborne Coin show that they made Washington, D.C. encased in the 1950's and 1960's. The next two pieces are interesting because the first is round. The majority of Washington, D. C. encased are horseshoe shaped. There are also liberty bell shapes, a chamber pot, and an oval. It should be noted that souvenir encased are the majority of Washington, D. C. pieces.

The next two encased are special or interesting, the first because it is the only "chamber pot" shape that I have seen from D.C. I have 55 Washington, D.C. encased. There are thirteen "liberty bell", five "round" one, "oval", one "chamber pot", and thirty-five "horseshoe".

The encased "chamber pot" shape is meant to be humerus. This particular one has several sayings that are double entendres. "Go Way Back and Sit Down" is from an early 1900s song that is quite crude and racially insensitive, so I won't elaborate on that. The "Keep Me and Never be Caught Short" implied that you will always have money, but also in a pinch if caught away from a toilet you will always have a pot to "piss in". "A Pot Full of Money" is a reference to the fact that this chamber pot is full of money.

E. Ross Adair was a United States Congressman from Ft. Wayne, Indiana 1950-1970 This encased was sold to him by Earl Fankhauser. While it doesn't have the typical Earl Fankhauser signature it is attributed to him in Bryan Riker's "The Penny Man" (DC-WAS-AD-10). It is special, in that it is a souvenir encased made by a congressman as opposed to one sold at a souvenir shop. It should be noted, that this was a smaller round shape. Most round encased are 1.5 or 1 3/8 inches in diameter, while this one is 1.25 inches in diameter. This is typical of "Fankhauser" pieces. Since this is a "Fankhauser" encased it was made by Osborne Coin of Cincinnati. For more about Osborne Coin Click Here.

Business-related encased are not very common. Below are four Washington, D.C. encased that are business-related.

The next pair are again business-related, but they are round encasements. They are both 1 3/8 inch in diameter. Interestingly, the "Baumgarten" piece has the advertising and business on the obverse instead of the usual reverse. Further note that the saying on the reverse is not traditional. Instead of the"Keep Me and Never Go Broke", we have "Keep Me and Always Have Money". I don't remember seeing that on another encasement. I am sure it must occur on other encased, as seldom are two custom dies made for one encased. When that does occur they are frequently used to strike a large number of pieces, thus decreasing the cost per piece.