1882 Indian head cent

[ATpro5]

Hey everyone thought id share this Indian head cent i found yesterday! Rang up as pull tab on the at pro probably where it was so thin... I think the hole gives it character seeing how it was made using a square nail. Also means a lot to me seeing how i found it right at home! Guessing there was a cabin site in our field. Ive found lantern parts and a couple round balls here.... And tons of square nails.... Thanks for looking guys!

 

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[ATpro5]

Oh also... If anyone knows why they holed coins back then please let me know.... To wear? so they wouldn't lose them?

 

[John Boy]

That's pretty cool there.I'd say there's more to come from that spot.great find.

 

[Twinkletoes]

Nice going!

 

[RedCardHack]

Nice Indian Head!!

 

[ATpro5]

Thanks everyone!

 

[vpnavy]

Nice find ATpro5! That puppy probably hung around someone's neck - the hole is common for hooking to a necklas, etc.

 

[SilverDreams]

Nice find!

 

[Coldshuz]

Oh also... If anyone knows why they holed coins back then please let me know.... To wear? so they wouldn't lose them?

I think I remember reading here someplace that they drilled the hole to put them on a string with other coins as to not lose them. Poor man's coin purse.

 

[mical66]

great find.
this may not be the reason why they did it , but i remember as a kid my father telling me it was lucky to take a penny and put a hole in it and wear it as a necklace for good luck.

 

[granthansen]

Congrats. I think you'll have a lot of good finds on that property. Go slow and dig lots!

 

[terpfan]

Congrats on recovering a holed coin, something that was on my wish list for a long time. What seems unusual to me is the relatively recent date (1882) of your holed Indian Head. The holed ones I've found (1770, 1804, 1837) were from an earlier era. I'm wondering if any TNETers have ever found a holed coin that was dated any more recently than 1882. Anyone?

 

[wheatfinder13]

Very nice find

 

[ATpro5]

Terpfan thats what i found kinda odd. I'm guessing the people that lived out here were very poor. No buttons or anything...! Maybe that penny meant a lot to them. We will never know.

 

[terpfan]

Terpfan thats what i found kinda odd. I'm guessing the people that lived out here were very poor. No buttons or anything...! Maybe that penny meant a lot to them. We will never know.

Adding holes to coins was for everyone, not just the poor. I've found holed coins at the estate of one of Thomas Jefferson's friends, and I doubt this guy was hurting for money! It seems that back in the early days clothes had no pockets, so folks came up with their own methods of securing money as they traveled. By making a hole in the coin, they could secure the coins on a string or necklace. Often the holes were created using a square nail. At some point in our history, people stopped holing coins. I'm guessing this coincided with the time that dependable pockets became a part of clothing. I've often wondered when people stopped making these holes. Your 1882 Indian head is the most recent coin I recall seeing with a hole in it. In any event, I enjoy finding a holed coin more than one without. I think they have character!

 

[echodog]

When a home or building for that matter was built it was a common practice to nail a coin over the door. It was a luck thing. They did also wear them to keep noise down, when hunting and stalking. West African slaves wore a silver coin with a X struck through it, it was a religious thing. Guys would use them as washers in a pinch. There are a lot of reasons for holes, just wish it weren't always through the date!

 

[Faust]

nice find !

 

[ace1968]

Why did you drill hole in it? I have 1889 without a hole Nice old coin

 

[grasshopper]

Why did you drill hole in it? I have 1889 without a hole Nice old coin

The person who dropped it probably drilled the hole!