Mills Money Boxes

[Millsman]

Post WW1 quantities of unfinished Mills grenade castings were sold off at auction and many were made into ink wells and moneyboxes. This is most cases wasn't trench art as it was done industrially. Indeed a design was registered in 1915 for a Mills Moneybox.

Here are some photos of two I have. The No 5 features a filled in filler hole. Please also note the M cast into the upper body. The coin slot is between the upper segments. In the case of the No 36 (or possibly 23 Mk III) the slot has been cut across the top of the front of the grenade.



The No 5 has a purpose made tin base. The No 36 has a small pin drilled and inserted into the base thread to stop a baseplug being screwed so far it will drop into the body. Signs of someone thinking about what children do!

I hope this is of interest.

John

 

[Falcon]

It seems more likely that the filler hole wasn't "filled in" later, but the castings were left without having the hole drilled and tapped.

 

[Millsman]

No, the surface is quite different from an un-drilled casting. There is a slight dome. I've had a few of these pass through my hands in the last year and none were flat where the filler hole should be. I'll have a look tomorrow and check the inside view.

John

 

[Millsman]

I've checked out the No 5 money box and it has a drilled and threaded filler hole that has been capped with a steel rivet. So this one at least was unfinished on the production line.

John

 

[Falcon]

Thanks for the confirmation. To me it looked like an unfinished casting.