Ever since I started using the stones for my cabinet doors I started thinking about other things I collect but don't get to visually enjoy in my home. I have a fairly large foreign coin collection but they all just sit in a jar on a desk. Occasionally we dump them out and look through them but usually they are just, well, there. They aren't worth anything but they're pretty and I wanted to highlight them somehow.
I had a couple of frames in the closet so I grabbed those.
I removed the back and started filling in with all the coins that would fit.
I added a drop of Elmer's Glue-All (which is fairly quick drying) to each coin to hold them in place. Originally I did try a spray adhesive but that failed quite miserably for this project. The Glue-All is holding well.
After I put the backs on again I flipped them over and left them to sit for a bit while the glue dried. The reason that I flipped them during this time is so that all of the coins, thin or thick, would get contact with the back and glue correctly.
I hung them in the downstairs hallway and now I can enjoy them every day instead of just once a year!
How neat! This has me inspired. I want to make something...
ReplyDeleteI have hundreds of foreign coins and looking for art projects. Very simple idea yet classy. thanks
ReplyDeletecool .love it !!!!
ReplyDeleteGenius!
ReplyDeleteI need to do this too. Thanks for the inspiration!
ReplyDeleteI love it! I have so many coins and I have no idea what the heck to do with them! Thanks for the inspiration. I am posting it on my blog and sending them here for details on the how-to.
ReplyDeleteI love this! But what's behind the coins? Just the backing from the picture?
ReplyDeleteI used cardboard from a cereal box for the backing. The recycled quality seemed to go well with the colors of the coins.
ReplyDeletelove this idea... found it on pintrest
ReplyDeleteSuch a simple and brilliant idea!
ReplyDeleteYou would want to be careful about adhearing coins that have a real value. I wanted to do this with a coin collection but I was thinking of putting some soft material behind it so it would press more against the coins and hold them in place.
ReplyDeletewhat soft material would you recommend? i also don't want to put glue on my coins, but i love this project!
DeleteI also like your idea as I have coins I would not want to glue. But what color to use is the question. It would have to show off the coins without looking tacky. Any suggestions? Have you tried it yet?
DeleteWhat a great idea, though!
I just tried this project and it turned out great! I changed a few things though. I painted the cardboard backing black to blend in with the frame so that te coins stood out more. Also I packed them in so tight while placing them that I didn't need any glue. I shook it and everything and no coins shifted.
DeleteI would try a thick, soft foam. I have a watch that my grandfather disassembled and put on some soft foam in a frame and it hasn't budged
DeleteKim - love the foam idea. Trying to use just pressure didn't work and got all messed up (hence why I switched to glue) but the foam would give it a little cushion to sink into so it can't fall. Love it!
DeleteThank you all so much for stopping in! Wow, this post has really taken off from Pinterest in a way I hadn't imagined. :)
ReplyDeleteTo answer your concern, I used just an Elmer's Glue so it will come off pretty easily if I ever want to (no super glue or anything here) and my coins have no value beyond sentimental anyway. I tried using pressure to hold them in place but they kept falling out no matter how much I put behind them which is finally why I resorted to the glue.
this is the neatest idea. Can't wait to do it. We lived in Germany for over 7 yrs and have a lot of coins, that are just hanging out in a jar.
ReplyDeleteWe, too lived in Germany for 6 years (thank you US Air Force!) and have a lot of coins that no one ever sees. This is my next project!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely love it!!! My dad passed away in March. He had a large collection of coins & paper money from places he was at in WW2. I've been trying to come up with a good way to display them. You've done it for me. TYVM! I think I'll do one to give to my mom on Father's Day.
ReplyDeleteI will def be doing this In memory of my late husband that traveled so much :)
ReplyDeleteAny ideas to display the paper money collection?
ReplyDeleteLove the idea. Noticed a silver dollar in one of the pictures. You might want to check the year, could be solid silver and worth far more than a dollar.
ReplyDeleteI found this through pinterest and I have to tell you this is an AMAZING idea! My late grandfather was in the military during WWII and I inherited a large coffee can of the coins he collected during those years. I've been trying to think of something to do with them for a very long time, and this is the perfect project! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteLove this so much. My husband has traveled quite extensively thanks to the Navy, and we were looking for a way to display his coins. This is such a cool project - we're going to work on it this weekend. Thanks to Pinterest for sending me here!
ReplyDeleteI think I would use coins as some sort of counter top - like tiles, but coins instead. How cool would that be for a bar countertop?! Or to protect the coins (or bills, for that matter), use them as the top of a coffee table or countertop with a sheet of glass over them. Wow, wish I had a project like that!
ReplyDeleteI saw somewhere someone did a floor in coins
DeleteGreat idea, could do with paper money as well. Falls well into the re-purposed category. It has inspired me to do this with buttons. I had a can of buttons out one day when my daughter happened to stop in...I couldn't believe it. she dove right in and began identifying what the buttons belonged. ie. my blouse from 1st grade...my sweater to match such and such a skirt...thx I'm going to put my creative hat on
ReplyDeleteWhen I first saw this I thought it was buttons! I have more buttons than coins so I was already trying to figure out how to do them. I like the coin idea also!
DeleteI LOVE this idea! I have travelled alot & have a Ton of coins that sit in a jar also... I am SO Doing this as my next project! Found you via Pintrest...THANK YOU!
ReplyDeleteAwesome idea. Going to do this right now. Thanks for the great tip.
ReplyDeleteHow about using glue dots instead of regular glue...then the coins could be removed. Another idea would be sticky tac
ReplyDeleteFor those who don't want to glue their coins, you could try a fleece backing to hold the coins in place.
ReplyDeleteDoes the glue stick directly to the glass?
ReplyDeleteThe glue will stick to your backing of choice (in this case, to the cardboard)
Deletereally cool :D I love this idea :)
ReplyDeleteThere is a backing you could buy from Hobby Lobby, which is a fuzzy matting (I have used the gold one before). They have all kinds, and I bet if you sandwiched the coins in between that and the frame backing, it would be plush enough for keeping everything in place, and would be a lovely option aside from the foam. Thanks for the idea!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE this idea. Do you think it ruins the coins then? Is there any way to get the glue off if you need to?
ReplyDeleteI loved this idea. will be putting all of my coin collection on my wall ASAP.
ReplyDeleteI love this idea, will be putting all my coins in frames this week and up on my walls.
ReplyDeleteI have some coins that I would like to use in this way as well. I was hoping that I would be able to use glass front and back so you could see both sides of the coins. I wonder how that will work out. Will have to see I guess.
ReplyDeleteI did this for a few special coins of my husbands! I used a thick frame, (small shadowbox size) and two pieces of glass. It is hung on the wall by his bedside. BW
DeleteI made one. Check it out!
ReplyDeletehttp://yarnovertherainbow.blogspot.com/2012/09/framed-coin-art.html
I would think that the thin craft foam, in a dark color, would work well, and not require glue. ALSO, to show more coins, and not have hidden ones behind the frame area, I think I will try using pennies, or maybe washers from the hardware store, if cheaper... so that more foreign coins show up... (unless you have coins to spare!)
ReplyDeleteI told my husband that for Christmas this year we have to make each others gift. No going out and spending alot of money on stuff....He has a jar full of old coins from when he was in the military and traveled. I'm going to frame the coins and give it to him for his gift!
ReplyDeleteLove this!
ReplyDeleteI have heard of simular things like a tea/breakfast tray with a glass top also being done this way. Love both ideas.
ReplyDeletei saw a floor cover with pennies, Fantastic to walk on!
DeleteCool idea! I tried to make this once by just packing all the coins in tightly and putting felt behind it hoping that they would stay in place. But my problem was that I couldn't get the back on cause the coins in the frame were too thick. I might have to try a different backing or try taking out the thickest coins like the british pounds.
ReplyDelete