Was it common for large cents to have a hole in them

[49er12]

Just happens to be today,found a 1844 large cent and a little small square hole punch In the middle. I read many things offering clothes didn’t have pockets so they wore around neck not to lose, and also used as we do today as copper bracelets for medical reasons, anyone care to offer the opinion thanks.

 

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[malenkai]

I've never found one with a hole in it. Older coppers (KG II) and Spanish silver seem more likely to have holes in them, at least around here. I think the custom comes from wearing them as jewelry like the native Americans wore wampum.

 

[40 Rounds]

"Holed" coins are fairly common. Folks did wear them and keep them on lengths of string to prevent losing them. If the hole is crisp and not rounded it was probably lost soon after it was holed and saw no further circulation. Either way cool find. Congrats

 

[Mackaydon]

Nailed to a tree for target practice; every shot missed.
Don.......

 

[FloodcityTom]

I've had old timers tell me that people often used large cents like a gromet to nail stuff down because the "india rubber" gromets were more than 1 cent. And cut nails were more squared. I've found a few before holed in the middle but if at top probably a necklace.

 

[eyemustdigtreasure]

I'm still looking for a Large Cent, with a hole or not...!

 

[gunsil]

I have found several at an early 1700s church with a slate roof. I showed them to the minister and he said there were many used as washers to hold the slates to the roof and when some repairs were done the workers saw many of them still in place from the 1700s. I found another few at standing colonial homes with slate roofs also. They are likely used as other washers. 40 rounds, nobody wore coins with center holes, they don't hang well and nobody was destroying coins to put them on a string to not lose them. If the coins had been used as jewelry they are holed near an edge so they hang or dangle properly.

 

[GeoW]

One cent coins were not always worthless as they are today. I doubt they were used as washers or targets or buttons back in the day.

g

 

[gunsil]

One cent coins were not always worthless as they are today. I doubt they were used as washers or targets or buttons back in the day.

g

The ones I found were well worn KG 11s and 111s, and they DEFINITELY came from the slate roof where they were used as copper washers. According to the minister there are still some up there where repairs have not been necessary. Look up slate roofing, all slate roofs use soft copper washers to hold slates in place. Worn smooth or almost smooth coins were not full weight and not accepted as full value, and used as slate washers for sure. I am also sure the worn down coppers were used as washers for other uses also.

 

[ToddsPoint]

When I deer hunted in So. IN. we nailed a brand new penny to the tree we picked for our stand. Anyone coming along later would know someone "claimed" that particular tree with the coin. Gary

 

[fistfulladirt]

One of the first metal detecting books I bought back in the early 70’s read to check above the inside doorways of old homes and shacks. Coin nailed above the door was considered good luck.

 

[FloodcityTom]

The ones I found were well worn KG 11s and 111s, and they DEFINITELY came from the slate roof where they were used as copper washers. According to the minister there are still some up there where repairs have not been necessary. Look up slate roofing, all slate roofs use soft copper washers to hold slates in place. Worn smooth or almost smooth coins were not full weight and not accepted as full value, and used as slate washers for sure. I am also sure the worn down coppers were used as washers for other uses also.

This is consistient with what I was told about large cents being used as "gromets" on roofs coz gromets were more than one cent

 

[Noah_D]

I've dug I think 10 big coppers in the past year and only two of them had any sort of hole. The first was a KWIV from 1834 that had one round hole near the top and the second was half of a vicky that was used as a washer or something. None of the largies had holes.

 

[Noah_D]

One cent coins were not always worthless as they are today. I doubt they were used as washers or targets or buttons back in the day.

g

 

[tomclark]

fisfulladirt had a good point. Two that I've found are holed and I believe were nailed to the door or somewhere else on a house site. I've read that was done

 

[E-Trac-Ohio]

Yes, "Holed" coins from the 1800's or earlier are fairly common.

An example - I've found (31) Large Cents - (7) of them have been Holed.
It was a common practice to put a hole in coins with a nail (often with old square nails) or other pointed object.
Then the coins were put on a string or wire and worn inside clothes to protect against loss or theft.

 

[Tpmetal]

One cent coins were not always worthless as they are today. I doubt they were used as washers or targets or buttons back in the day.

g

they absolutely were used as washers, think of a time where going to the store to grab a washer would have been a half day affair.

 

[E-Trac-Ohio]

I do believe that one cent coins could have been used as washers and for other repairs when needed.
But as already mentioned - there was a time when One Cent had a real value.
That's why they made Half Cents.
If you lost a Silver Dollar in the year 1900 - it would be equal to loosing $21.00 today.

 

[Gare]

Just happens to be today,found a 1844 large cent and a little small square hole punch In the middle. I read many things offering clothes didn’t have pockets so they wore around neck not to lose, and also used as we do today as copper bracelets for medical reasons, anyone care to offer the opinion thanks.

Some times they punched a hole in the center to use like a washer to nail slate shingles down. i had a friend that when they replaced his slate roof there was over 100 nailed up there

 

[Ocean7]

nope, never found a colonial copper with a hole and I've found my share. I wonder if wearing them on a string etc. was just in certain locales or people fixing to not lose them? I've seen plenty on Forums.
Lucky for us - still they got lost. One thing I've realized, because of their basic coloring - once they hit the dirt, they were not easy to see or find. Russian 2 Kopecks is not a found coin. I did find one in a corn field and was quite amazed by that - in typical condition for a copper lost for 200 years. How did it get there? The mysteries of MD'ing.