Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.
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| 1960 Philippines One Centavo Coin with Hole. |
I know I've found a variety of "holed" coins, including everything from a half reale to a 1982 penny. Holed wheat pennies seem to me to be fairly common.
Below is what the centavo would have originally looked like. Actually, the reverse side would be upside down when the obverse is right side up. It is oriented like a US coin, not a Canadian coin. That means the hole will be at the top of one side and on the bottom of the other side.
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| 1960 Philippines One Centavo. |
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| Other Side of Same Centavo Shown at Top of Post. |
You can often tell which side was thought to be most important and made to show. You can also tell which side was facing up when the hole was made. The hole will most often be top center on the side that is most important.
Often there will be metal that was pushed through the hole on the opposite side and often the coin will be bent a little by the pressure. This one doesn't show excess metal from the hole, but the coin is bent in from the pressure of making the hole.
I'm talking today about coins that were holed by an individual after the coin was in circulation, but some coins were minted with a hole.
Ancient Chinese coins were made with a square hole in the middle. That permitted insertion of a square rod that facilitated filing the shape of the coin. It also allowed coins to be strung on a rod much like modern coins are rolled or bagged.
I noticed one dug coin from Denmark (below) this morning that was created with a round hole in the center. I don't know if there was is any functional reason for that hole. I doubt it.
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| 25 Ore |
I'm interested in the story behind why a person would select a particular coin and put a hole in it. There is often an interesting story there.
People obviously sometimes put holes in coins so they can be used as charms or worn as lucky pieces or jewelry.
I suspect that sometimes coins are chosen because of the date, which coincides with a birthday or some other important date.
Holes were made so that coins could be sewn into clothing for safe keeping during dangerous times or situations.
I've also posted information provided by Laura Strolia concerning the often "holed" heart shaped cobs of Potosi and their significance.
Except for special cases, a "holed" coin will often be considered a damaged coin and the hole will diminish any collector value.
There was a time when coins were used as washers for slate roofs or as buttons for clothing.
There are many other reasons that coins were holed. I've heard of "hate" tokens, for example. And sometimes coins were nailed to walls, and had a significance or just a decorative function. The examples are too many to mention.
This centavo from the Philippines is more interesting to me because of the hole. Somebody selected that particular coin for a reason. I don't know how it got to Florida from the Philippines I don't know if it was the date or something else that made it significant, but it has a story. I just don't know what it is.
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Evidently there are other people who find "holed" coins interesting. There is a site that buys and sells "holed" US coins. They have quite a variety for sale, including some very old and beautiful coins.
Here is the link.
http://holeduscoins.com/product-category/indian-cents/
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A front will be moving into the Treasure Coast and we'll get some cooler air and bigger surf. Here is the MagicSeaWeed surf chart.
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| Source: MagicSeaWeed.com |
TreasureGuide@comcast.net
