Soda cans of the early 1970's like the one at left were pop-top cans with removable pull tabs, which consisted of a pull ring and the metal flap that was ripped out when the can was opened. (I've searched and searched the web for a pictorial example, to no avail.) If you cut away the flap, leaving the pull ring, and bent the excess metal strip over so the resulting ring was rounded, you had a device that you could use in place of a five-cent piece in the cheap parking meters on the mall between Squires and Shultz Dining Hall. This item was called a "nitchell", after the ever-popular Nitch Torquebar.

There was talk of a fake ten-cent piece called a "dimmie" as well, although that could have been an urban legend. Any information you may have is welcomed.(* -- See below)

Assuming that the statute of limitations has run out, Your Humble Webmaster must still tell you that he never resorted to such trickery but found it fascinating nonetheless. Also, he preferred the "Park-All-Day-For-A-Dollar" plan. If your car was ticketed for overtime parking, the ticket was a green envelope which you could put $1.00 into and deposit into one of the yellow boxes every few meters apart.It was a good system, but you had to make sure all your tickets were paid, or you wouldn't be getting your diploma at Commencement!!!!

Or maybe that was an urban legend, too.

* -- From Rich Kolker:

Yes, there was a "dimmie."

Not that I ever did this of course...

There was a tool in Engineering that would nibble small bits of thin metal sheeting. It was used to make odd shaped holes for rack mounting stuff like VU meters.

If you took a penny and went once around with the "nibbler" it came out the size of a dime and would work in the Coke and candy machines near the station on the second floor of Squires. Sometimes a few swipes with a file to smooth things out would help.

Or so I hear..