1850s people obsessed with punching holes in coins.....

[lrgoodger]

Two different cornfields and everything I found had a hole in it! First site yielded only a half dollar sized token. I found it online and there is a version almost exactly like this that has a date of 1850 under the word 'western'.



The second site yielded an 1869 shield nickel lying on the surface. The guy who owned this house wasn't satisfied with one hole. The holes on the nickel don't go all the way through, but there are definitely two holes started on the reverse. The 1852 trime has two holes in it. Too bad. That is my first trime that didn't come from sidewalk construction and has the least circulation wear on it of any I have found.


All in all, I am happy. My brother was the one who got skunked today.

 

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[tnt-hunter]

Two different cornfields and everything I found had a hole in it! First site yielded only a half dollar sized token. I found it online and there is a version almost exactly like this that has a date of 1850 under the word 'western'.

View attachment 2154289

The second site yielded an 1869 shield nickel lying on the surface. The guy who owned this house wasn't satisfied with one hole. The holes on the nickel don't go all the way through, but there are definitely two holes started on the reverse. The 1852 trime has two holes in it. Too bad. That is my first trime that didn't come from sidewalk construction and has the least circulation wear on it of any I have found.
View attachment 2154293View attachment 2154294

All in all, I am happy. My brother was the one who got skunked today.

You have some great sites and you have been doing well. I’m a little green with envy. The token is a real beauty in great condition even with the hole.

Stay safe, good luck and keep swingin.

 

[lrgoodger]

You have some great sites and you have been doing well. I’m a little green with envy. The token is a real beauty in great condition even with the hole.

Stay safe, good luck and keep swingin.

Yeah, that token had me going for a minute when it came out of the ground. The first thing I saw was the eagle and I recognized it as the eagle used on the back of old gold coins, but the piece was the wrong color. For a second I wondered if I might have a counterfeit gold piece, because I knew a real gold coin would have come out shining yellow. Then I flipped it over and saw that it was a token.

 

[Chilli]

Found lots of coins over the years here in the old goldfields that were shot. Ours were obsessed with shooting them. 😆

 

[Gare]

Nice going Ron . Don't give up now !! you have a lot of swings left in your arms Thanks for sharing./

 

[ToddsPoint]

I’ve always heard the holes were made so you could sew coins to your clothes. I’d like to see an 1850s piece of clothing with a coin sewn to it. I’m not convinced yet.

 

[Hunk-a-lead]

Two different cornfields and everything I found had a hole in it! First site yielded only a half dollar sized token. I found it online and there is a version almost exactly like this that has a date of 1850 under the word 'western'.

View attachment 2154289

The second site yielded an 1869 shield nickel lying on the surface. The guy who owned this house wasn't satisfied with one hole. The holes on the nickel don't go all the way through, but there are definitely two holes started on the reverse. The 1852 trime has two holes in it. Too bad. That is my first trime that didn't come from sidewalk construction and has the least circulation wear on it of any I have found.
View attachment 2154293View attachment 2154294

All in all, I am happy. My brother was the one who got skunked today.

man, you are crushing it! wtg

 

[sibbley]

Nice looking coins. The token is sweet!

 

[Dr Plugs]

I was always told that they were holed so the coins could be tied together making them harder to loose. I just figured it made it easier to loose them all at one shot! We have found 1700s coins, reales and brittish coppers that are holed also.

As far as the large cents, when they were no longer allowed to be used as legal coinage, around 1857 I believe. People would use them for all sorts of things, I have some that have 3 and 4 holes in them, probably used as a replacement button on clothing, and even ones that have big holes in the center to be used as a washer wor something.

 

[Silvermonkey]

Holes or no holes....you had yourself a great day! Fantastic bunch of coins.

 

[E-Trac-Ohio]

Great finds !

From what I've been told we find lot's of "Holed" coins for a few different reasons.

Holes around the edge - coins were worn inside clothing to help prevent loss or theft.

Holes in the center - it was common use coins like Large Cents as Washers for repairs.
It was much easier to punch a hole in a coin than taking a horse and buggy all the way into town.

 

[Bucket Lister]

I’ve always heard the holes were made so you could sew coins to your clothes. I’d like to see an 1850s piece of clothing with a coin sewn to it. I’m not convinced yet.

I was always told that they were holed so the coins could be tied together making them harder to loose. I just figured it made it easier to loose them all at one shot! We have found 1700s coins, reales and brittish coppers that are holed also.

From what I've been told we find lot's of "Holed" coins for a few different reasons.

Holes around the edge - coins were worn inside clothing to help prevent loss or theft.

Didn't their pappies give them $1000 bills to pin into the linings of their clothing?

As far as the large cents, when they were no longer allowed to be used as legal coinage, around 1857 I believe.

I'd never heard that. I thought all U.S. currency (except gold) was still usable as legal tender at face value (even if unwise).

 

[releventchair]

A childs birth year.
An anniversary.
A holed coin could catch they eye before spending if not secured.
Ever hear of carrying a hundred dollar bill and not spending it so you're never broke?
When a nickel could buy a loaf of bread; a coin or two reserved for a worse case scenario could come in handy. Not just sewn into a coat hem , but sewn to the coat inside the hem.
Or in a hat . Or? Who knows.

Suspected counterfeit coins could be tested too.

 

[ToddsPoint]

Didn't their pappies give them $1000 bills to pin into the linings of their clothing?


I'd never heard that. I thought all U.S. currency (except gold) was still usable as legal tender at face value (even if unwise).

After a certain date in 1857, large cents were no longer legal tender. The flying eagle cent took their place.

 

[oldmxrat]

Very nice finds, even if they do let the breeze through!

 

[Bucket Lister]

As far as the large cents, when they were no longer allowed to be used as legal coinage, around 1857 I believe.

After a certain date in 1857, large cents were no longer legal tender.

I'm sorry, but repeating what's already been said isn't helpful; it doesn't reinforce an argument.

I have no stake in this. It's something that goes contrary to what I'd learned in the past, so I'm (naturally, IMO) curious what the FACTS are.

I've spent over an hour trying to either validate or debunk this. I've read several articles each on large cents, the Coinage Act of 1857, (though not the act itself), Replacing the Large Cent with the Small Cent, and plenty of conflicting answers on various forums.

Some sources claim large cents never were legal tender, so how could they no longer be?

The Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond says,
"All U.S. currency remains legal tender."

🤷🏼‍♂️

 

[dave_e]

I'm sorry, but repeating what's already been said isn't helpful; it doesn't reinforce an argument.

I have no stake in this. It's something that goes contrary to what I'd learned in the past, so I'm (naturally, IMO) curious what the FACTS are.

I've spent over an hour trying to either validate or debunk this. I've read several articles each on large cents, the Coinage Act of 1857, (though not the act itself), Replacing the Large Cent with the Small Cent, and plenty of conflicting answers on various forums.

Some sources claim large cents never were legal tender, so how could they no longer be?

The Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond says,
"All U.S. currency remains legal tender."

🤷🏼‍♂️

Bucket Lister you need to relax and stop being so easily triggered and can believe whatever you want.
People keep repeating it because it's the truth.

Google search = "Were large cents legal us tender after 1857"

Results in 5 seconds = "No, large cents were not legal tender after 1857when the Coinage Act of 1857 discontinued them and began regular production of the Flying Eagle cent. The large cent was first minted in 1793 and was one of the most produced coins by the US Mint from 1793 to 1857, with the exception of 1815. The large cent was made of nearly pure copper and was about the size of a half dollar. In 1857, the large cent was replaced by the modern-size one-cent coin, also known as the penny, which was the same size as today's cent but thicker and made of a copper-nickel alloy.

 

[Bucket Lister]

People keep repeating it because it's the truth.

That's all I'm trying to establish. People keep repeating the opposite too.

Google search = "Were large cents legal us tender after 1857"

Results in 5 seconds = "No, large cents were not legal tender after 1857when the Coinage Act of 1857 discontinued them and began regular production of the Flying Eagle cent. The large cent was first minted in 1793 and was one of the most produced coins by the US Mint from 1793 to 1857, with the exception of 1815. The large cent was made of nearly pure copper and was about the size of a half dollar. In 1857, the large cent was replaced by the modern-size one-cent coin, also known as the penny, which was the same size as today's cent but thicker and made of a copper-nickel alloy.

I tried that search (as I did a dozen others); it did not come up. It would be very helpful if I knew the source. Thank you.

 

[unclemac]

you can support any position you want using the internet.... try "are aliens real" ....

 

[Tony in SC]

There was a belief that silver had healing powers . Mothers would put small silver coins around a baby's or child's neck when they were teething or sick. I have found many holed dimes half dimes and small foreign coins here in the south. I still have the half dime that my grandmother used on her kids.