Tom Hughes
Sergeant Major
- Joined
- May 27, 2019
- Location
- Mississippi
Who doesn't like coins?
They are an exciting way to collect American history with a real "value" to them.
As a digger, there's always been an extra thrill when finding a coin that has been "holed". In other words, pierced to allow the coin to be suspended.
I've found coins that were pierced by means of a nail, like this example photo of one of my earlier finds, and holed by a pocket knife, etc.
Through the years, I've heard many reasons for this and I wanted to share some of these and hopefully launch a discussion on this topic.
My grandmother told me that as little girl she remembers blacks holing coins and attaching them to their ankles to ward off evil spirits. The blacks in those days were very superstitious and some of their reasoning could have roots in their African heritage.
I've also read where people would nail coins to a beam in their house for good luck, much like you would've nailed a horseshoe over your door for good fortune.
And of course, since people's pockets could be very unreliable, coins were strung together and hung around the neck for safe-keeping while traveling to the store, etc.
Thanks for letting me share and I hope to hear other possible means that people holed their coins.