The Coin Operated Box

I’ve been very excited about releasing the Coin Operated Box for a few years now. It completes the “Operated Box” series following the Bookmark Box Trio and the Battery Operated Box. In each case, items are discovered and used to unlock a main compartment. So it should come as no surprise that the two coins stashed in a secret pocket in this box are needed to unlock its interior. I won’t say more, other than I am extremely proud of how the mechanism works, it has a wonderful “aha” moment where you need to think creatively and challenge your expectations, and I was very excited I could create these coins entirely out of wood.

The coins were made by stacking five thin alternating layers of Holly with Ziricote. This created a gorgeous plywood with striping along its edges. I carefully made sure the depth of the etching landed on one of the Holly core layers to create a lovely light color contrast with the outer dark Ziricote face of the coin. I hand pressed this plywood a year ago in very tiny batches. These were stacked and allowed to dry over the year while I carefully kept watch to make sure the final plywood stayed flat and stable. This is likely the nicest plywood you would ever come across and hails back to the original Pinwheel Box I made over 25 years ago with hand pressed maple ply parts.

I also used a very special wood for the exterior sides of the Coin Operated Box. I selected a few Pacific Maple Burls from my rack that was calling to me. The pink tone of this burl is one of my favorite colors and it contrasts beautifully with the Holly pinstriping and Ziricote top and bottom. The grain of the burl is wild and stormy and is in itself mesmerizing to look at. I work with solid burls that are dried over multiple years, and this will mark the second time I’ve used Pacific Maple Burl with the Hex Flex being the first.

“The Coin Operated Box along with my other recent works marks a shift towards discovering hidden objects and using these as tools to unlock puzzle mechanisms. I have been really enjoying the playfulness of making puzzle boxes in this style. Being a dad to a 7 year old daughter has challenged me to find my own playful spirit in a lot of new ways and I suspect it is popping up more and more in my artwork. I hope you have been enjoying seeing the evolution of my mechanisms and I suspect they will continue to evolve in new ways to come.

-Kagen Sound 11/10/25