roll of dimes

[kBob]

Back when Dinosaurs ruled the earth and Saturday morning cartoons were garenteed to make you crazy the rest of the weekend and insist on having the latest whatever got shown nine times in commercials that every kid had to have, boys thought about fighting a lot.

Honestly we were not very good at it but we talked about it a lot.

"professional" wrestling was not as big as it is these days, but just as silly and the bad guys at least once a month pulled something from their briefs and hit the other guy a near killing blow with this "loaded fist"

The idea here was that having a heavy something or other in your fist, even though the object itself never struck the other fellow added greatly to the effect of one's punch.

Someone's Dad or weird uncle assured us that this thing was either a short section of iron rod or a roll of dimes.

Suddenly every boy child in my neighborhood began saving up to get Five Bucks so they could get a roll of dimes to cart around in their strong side front pocket. I mean while had an opertunity the other fellows lacked, oh nothing like a boxing gym or anything, but Dad sold great big bails of Cheese cloth used to make Shade Tobacco Shades with. Believe it or not a 350 pound four foot square two foot thick bail of compressed and bound with wire cotton makes a pretty good "Sand Bag/body bag" and I saw no reason not to take the opportunity to practice my jabs on them. I found that a roll of dimes was small enough that it could move about in my hands and sometimes even break open in use. so I went to first quarters (ow! those were too big around) and finally settled on nickels which for me were just what baby bear wanted (Just Right!)

About this time there was a school fight where in there were the usual round house every things and the occasional straight shot AND suddenly a slew of dimes flying about. The fight by the observers trying to recover flying coins was almost as exciting as the original fight in those fifty cents and hour job days.

Shortly afterwards at a scout meeting one of the guys emptied his pockets for some reason and there was a roll of dimes WRAPPED IN TAPE. What an idea! unfortunately officer friendly the same time assistant scout master and always Barney the small town cop took note of this taped up roll of dimes and explained that in those 1960s days that that sure looked like a concealed weapon to him and any LEO he knew.

Thus the coin collecting fad began to fade away.

Over years since I have run into guys that carried things like, well the head of a small ball peen hammer in that pocket or a short section of rebar with the idea of using them to load a fist but having no issue with "loosing" the thing in aa hurry and without grief if they were about to be caught.

A few went with something like a "YarWah" stick that stuck out the top or bottom or both sides of the fist when in use so it not only "loaded" the fist but could itself be used as a striking weapon.

My Army Buddy had such a device, a short section of heavy pipe, threaded and capped on both ends and just the right length to have the caps riding on the top and bottom of his fist. He claimed it was a "match Safe" and the ends did screw off to reveal it was stuffed with strike anywhere matches, cotton balls and one or two injector razor blades with duct tape over the back and easier to remove cellophane tape over the edge and a wad of dental floss.

He always felt the need to take his match safe down town when we went bar hopping. I always carried something to clean my nails with like a nice Eichorne Switch blade or a Parachutist knife or even a small sheath knife.

One night at a popular bar we visited in civies a large bar girl (old enough to be his mom), well known for leaving early and taking about fifteen minute breaks at the same time Some GI needed to "get some air" and left for about the same time, came to our table. I made darned sure my lap was not available but my bud was learning back in his chare a ways from the table to talk to some one else. Elsie the Cow saw her chance and plopped into bud's lap and squirmed around a bit and suddenly got all excited

Like Mae West she had to ask "Is that a piece of pipe in your pocket or are you just glade to see me?"

He laughed and said "Its a piece of pipe!" dumped her off his lap and pulled the Match safe out.

She never bothered either of us again....so maybe it did save him when he really needed it and me as well!

-kBob

 

[George P]

I remember folks carrying a roll of pennies or quarters in a sock; that acted like a blackjack...........

Cheese cloth used to make Shade Tobacco Shades

I now live right in the middle of that area. (SIDE DRIFT: Some of those barns got hit real hard by Hurricane Michael)

 

[kBob]

George,

Over by Havana there are a few of the really old pine clap board barns still standing while trees and such all about are torn to shreads.

I figure they are just so well ventilated compared to the later plywood barns that they never suffered from pressure differentuals.

When My story was going on I had been a field "toter" a Barn "toter" and had just begun being a stick boy in the barn ( and made more than a toter then). I never did more than a day or two "priming" in the field where the "big" money was (bonus for each row) but did punch up and hanging in those barns and then take down after everything was in case.

To this day the smell of a decent unlit cigar makes me think "MONEY!!!!" When that smell wafted about town in the tristate big bend area Everybody was happy decades before folks talked about trickle down.

Lot of boys bought their first rifles and shotguns and good knife because of that smell!

-kBob

 

[kBob]

Coins in socks! Charles Bronson! Also that would be "Slung Shot" and illegal most places back in the day. "I swear Officer I just carry it for vending machines to keep my change from scattering every time I pull out my keys!"

Erked me greatly that I could not privately carry a leather wrapped Spring sap I got from the daughter of a dead FBI agent. Man that thing seemed both handy and handsome. She said he had found it very handy a number of times and had given it to her to go to college with.

-kBob

 

[hso]

Or something simple.

 

[jar]

There was a Bucheimer Leather Goods shop in Towson where they had all kinds of flat saps and Billies for sale.

 

[George P]

My dad was NYPD; I used to have his spring-loaded blackjack (NOT the flat sap) and I still have his (what he called) "Nippers" which was a length of chain like the old time ID bracelets with two "T" handles that nested together. Put it around an uncooperative person's wrist and twist and they WOULD suddenly cooperate. Twist it hard enough and you could break their wrist with them

 

[glistam]

It being colder now, with gloves being worn outside, this might be of interest. I tumbled to the idea while reading about older law enforcement weapons, namely the palm sap. It's wasn't hard to realize simply putting a sufficiently dense thing (like a coin roll or a padlock) into your glove against your palm gives you a wicked open handed five-upside-the-head.

 

[Jake38]

View attachment 816225
View attachment 816226
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Or something simple.
View attachment 816228

They are unique looking weapons. Are they typically called "slap jacks"?

 

[lemaymiami]

Blackjacks, saps, slungshot, or any other name they're known by are an invitation to a felony conviction if you use one... In many states they're illegal to carry on your person concealed - most in the misdemeanor range as far as the law goes... Use one on another person - not in necessary self defense and you're immediately in felony territory (at least that goes for my state - Florida...).

I carried two different thumpers on the street a flat slap-jack and a regular blackjack -both were long retired after I'd been in police work a few years. My problem was that I didn't want to use them full steam with the head as a target... and if you don't use one hard enough to kill - you might just make your opponent angry.... (see what I wrote about flashlights in a nearby thread...).

 

[Zerodefect]

Spending some time trying to get some exercise with a punching bag, it's startling how much faster I am with the gloves removed. And these aren't heavy gloves. Just enough padding to keep my tendons from getting bruised. Not full gloves. Just those little things used in UFC.

I'd rather have speed, then excessive strength. It doesn't take a hard hit to get the upper hand in a fight. But a slow powerful lurch that's easy to move from, just becomes a harmless glancing blow.

Old Harley guys use a master lock on a bandanna. While perfectly legal, a cop would have to be brain dead to not consider that a weapon or criminal tools. I suppose you could call it a helmet lock if it was a chain or cable instead. But you'd have to actually be wearing a helmet worth locking up.

 

[Speedo66]

We were initially restricted to slappers; hard, flat leather with a lead egg inside, but even that got changed to day sticks.

As far as legalities, anything used as a weapon can be charged as possession of a dangerous instrument. Use a car to intentionally run someone over and the car becomes the dangerous instrument.

 

[hso]

Are they typically called "slap jacks"?

Generally saps, but slap jack is also used.

Only the last simple change bag is not a dead giveaway of carrying a prohibited weapon in most states (as lemaymiami points out). The less general and more weapon specific something becomes, the more likely for it to fail the fundamental concealibility/explanability requirements. Unless you have a weapon permit instead of the more typical handgun carry permit any state you can just about think of prohibits saps, blackjacks, clubs, etc.

 

[milemaker13]

My dad was NYPD; I used to have his spring-loaded blackjack (NOT the flat sap) and I still have his (what he called) "Nippers" which was a length of chain like the old time ID bracelets with two "T" handles that nested together. Put it around an uncooperative person's wrist and twist and they WOULD suddenly cooperate. Twist it hard enough and you could break their wrist with them

View attachment 816238

I like this one. Can envision several ways it could useful... and there are likely several i can't think of.

 

[Fiv3r]

Old Harley guys use a master lock on a bandanna. While perfectly legal, a cop would have to be brain dead to not consider that a weapon or criminal tools. I suppose you could call it a helmet lock if it was a chain or cable instead. But you'd have to actually be wearing a helmet worth locking up.

Most Harleys have or had a place on the frame that can lock the forks at an angle. The idea is that if someone put your bike in neutral they wouldn't be able to just wheel it straight into a trailer. They'd have to at least push it in a circular pattern.

My dad and I used to carry a padlock legitimately for this reason when we would travel by bike, but a lot of guys my dad met along the way when he rode by himself back in the 70s did use a lock and a bandana as a weapon. Most of them would simply keep a bandana in a back pocket. They would slip it through the locked lock and grab the ends tightly. When done "using it", just let lose of one end and the lock falls off. Faster than a knot and the weapon would simply fall apart in less than a second if it needed to.

 

[JohnKSa]

I agree with the comments which generally state that if you're going to carry improvised weapons, at least make sure they have some reasonable use as a non-weapon.

A roll of dimes or nickels is probably not a good idea because there's precious little you can do with those denominations these days. A roll of quarters in the center console would make sense because there are still a lot of air dispensers that take quarters. A big flashlight makes even more sense as it gives you better reach and has lots of obvious non-weapon uses. Besides, if I'm going to hit someone with something, I'd rather it be with something other than parts of me. Striking weapons often get damaged--I don't like being damaged.

The various slaps are compact and definitely effective. But unless they are very generic (the plain leather coin bag probably fills the bill--although who carries enough loose coins to fill a bag these days?) they are going to get negative attention from any LEO who sees them.

 

[joneb]

I grew up on the wrong side of the tracks, couldn't afford a roll of coins so we used a rock in a sock. A expired D cell battery could also knock someones lights out.

 

[MTNSTRYDER]

I like a cane and a gun or 2 , but I’ Over 60.
When I was younger fists were enough and fun a night out without a fight wasn’t enough .

 

[kBob]

Daddy called those Nippers "Come Alongs" You got them on the prisoner, gave a mild twist and said "Come Along" and they did.

Back when the Army taught real bayonet fighting there was a section in the Hand to hand "Combatives" classe on silent weapons. One was the common GI wool padded sock full of damp sand..... we joked that that was a real last chance weapon because no Infantryman would give up a functional sock!

-kBob

 

[Deltaboy1984]

Spark plug Socket does the trick!

 

[ugaarguy]

Spark plug Socket does the trick!

It would also be very difficult to explain why you'd be carrying one rather than keeping it in your tool box. Even the obviously sap shaped change purses hso posted are far more explainable than a spark plug socket.

The pocket jewelry trend has lead to several manufacturers offering some of their flashlights in brass or raw copper instead of aluminum. Many are pretty small, but the Olight M2R is a good sized 18650 powered light. Raw copper may be a little soft relative to hard anodized aluminum, but it's much more dense, so you get a significantly heavier light. I like them just because I think patina on copper looks much better than bare aluminum where the anodizing has been worn through.

 

[Old Dog]

As a young Navy sailor, the old-timers would tell us when we went out on uniformed liberty, we should have a roll of dimes rolled up in our neckerchiefs (worn with the jumper-style "Cracker Jack" uniforms) ... the roll of dimes would be behind the neck under the flap, so if you got in a fight, you'd have a weapon readily available ... and if you got rolled, you'd at least have five bucks to get you a cab back to the ship.

 

[crestoncowboy]

Ive seen guys in the gym using weight to train punches. They hit considerably weaker.
I've boxed with gloves many times, my punches land considerably weaker. If tyson/ foreman/Norton etc had not had heavier gloves people would have been seriously hurt. Ive read many training articles against even training with weight. The more speed you land with the more power was behind it. The only thing a roll of dimes or whatever might be good for is to keep your fingers and knuckles safer. Boxing gloves have a piece in them for the same reason. Unless your punching straight down, heavy hands are a bad thing.
When your trainer or corner man tells you that your hands are getting heavy, its it's a bad thing not a compliment.
Now as far as the roll, can, whatever in a sock that's a different subject

 

[Deltaboy1984]

It would also be very difficult to explain why you'd be carrying one rather than keeping it in your tool box. Even the obviously sap shaped change purses hso posted are far more explainable than a spark plug socket.

The pocket jewelry trend has lead to several manufacturers offering some of their flashlights in brass or raw copper instead of aluminum. Many are pretty small, but the Olight M2R is a good sized 18650 powered light. Raw copper may be a little soft relative to hard anodized aluminum, but it's much more dense, so you get a significantly heavier light. I like them just because I think patina on copper looks much better than bare aluminum where the anodizing has been worn through.

I know but I grew up on a farm and we had one with a ratchet in our overalls all the time.

Today a quality leather change bag is a better way to go.