Tag Archives: Tidy House dollars

Tidy House and American Savings Toners

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If you are in the market for fabulous toned coins, think about Tidy House and American Savings lots whose cardboard produces rainbow patinas.

But there are pitfalls, too. Unscrupulous sellers keep the toned coins and swap lesser or doctored coins.

This article showcases the type of toning you might find with original offerings.

Tidy House Dollars

“Tidy House dollars” are Morgans used in a promotional campaign by the Tidy House Products Company, a cleaning products company, in the 1960s. 

The company reportedly acquired a large number of common-date Morgan silver dollars, mostly from the New Orleans (O) mint from the 1880s, from a U.S. Treasury hoard. These coins were sealed in a cardboard holder with an advertising description. 

Toning is the main reason “Tidy House dollars” are collected. Coins in the cardboard develop rainbow patinas, as in this example from my collection:

I sent to PCGS and got this grade and TrueView:

But what to do with the now-empty Tidy House holder? You should save the holder after you slab your coin and then, when ready to sell it, show if as this seller did on eBay:

Don’t be fooled by Tidy House holders with coins having no patina. Those probably have been swapped out. You want to buy original ones with rainbows. Otherwise, let the lot go.

And keep in mind that Tidy House only holdered Morgans, not Peace dollars, as in this artificially toned one that I wrote about at Coin World.

In addition to Morgan dollars, Tidy House also holdered 1964 JFK Half Dollars. Those, too, usually have magnificent toning. Here’s an example from one of my Tidy House purchases:

Here’s an offering with all the paperwork and obviously swapped out coins.

American Savings Dollars

American Savings and Loan” banks, especially in Texas, also ran promotions using silver dollars, especially 1979-S Morgans, from a bank bag purchased from the Mint in the 1960s. These have exceptional toning.

I purchased this one in 2022:

Here’s how it graded:

I use the TrueView for my Proxiblog logo.

The empty holder is in my office drawer.

As with the Tidy House dollar, do not purchase any American Savings dollar that lacks toning or has ugly or doctored patina. If the coin exhibits wear, it didn’t come from the bank bag, as this coin, which is AU and has been cleaned and retoned:

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