I just bought a coin that very few of you would have bought

Discussion in 'US Coins Forum' started by lordmarcovan, Jan 25, 2026.

  1. ksparrow

    ksparrow Coin Hoarder Supporter

    I think I'd drill a hole in the holder and pin the (w)hole thing to the board!
     
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  3. lordmarcovan

    lordmarcovan Eclectic numismatist Moderator

    That was suggested on Collectors Universe. Haha. I thought about it, but think I'll just do a crackout and save the slab label, like I would if I were putting the coin into an album.
     
    ksparrow likes this.
  4. Conder101

    Conder101 Numismatist

    Two holes can also be a button, or a humdinger.
     
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  5. CoinCorgi

    CoinCorgi Well, butter my butt and call me a biscuit!

    https://www.cointalk.com/threads/the-moby-dick-coin.376400/

    Melville:
    "...Look ye! d’ye see this Spanish ounce of gold?”—holding up a broad bright coin to the sun—“it is a sixteen dollar piece, men..."

    ...

    It so chanced that the doubloon of the Pequod was a most wealthy example of these things. On its round border it bore the letters, REPUBLICA DEL ECUADOR: QUITO. So this bright coin came from a country planted in the middle of the world, and beneath the great equator, and named after it;

    Wikipedia:
    Known in the numismatic world as a "Moby Dick Coin", the Ecuadorian 8 Escudos doubloon, minted in Quito, Ecuador, between 1838 and 1843, is the one ounce of gold "sixteen dollar piece" Captain Ahab nails to the mast of the Pequod, promising it to the first man who "raises" Moby-Dick.
    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Feb 5, 2026
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  6. fiddlehead

    fiddlehead Well-Known Member

    Very interesting and creative collection concept!
     
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  7. johnmilton

    johnmilton Well-Known Member

    You really have a thing for holed coins. I only like holes in 19th century political where the hole was necessary to wear the piece to show either your political position or your support for a particular candidate.
     
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  8. playpossum0985

    playpossum0985 Global Cooling Protester

    When I come across a holed coin, I just have one thought... Well bless it's heart!!!

    Kinda like an ugly puppy ending up on your front porch, ya gotta keep it.
     
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  9. rte

    rte Well-Known Member

    I would put a white piece of paper over the top of the slab with your description and a cutout of the coin.
     
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  10. lordmarcovan

    lordmarcovan Eclectic numismatist Moderator

    It is my "road less traveled" pursuit. Some people do lowballs. I do holeys.
     
  11. johnmilton

    johnmilton Well-Known Member

    Here's a few political pieces which are always or almost always holed.

    These two pieces are listed with the Hard Times tokens. This is a rare one which is hard to find in any grade. See if you can figure out what kind of animal is guarding the safe.

    LOW 57 All.jpg

    This is much more common.

    MVB 1840-6 All.jpg

    This political piece still has its ribbon.

    MVB 1840-1 All.jpg

    And here is one of "Temple of Freedom" varieties. DeWitt attributed this to the 1836 presidential campaign. It took me several years to find one of these pieces.

    MVB 1836-1 All.jpg

    All but two of these 1864 Lincoln tokens is holed. This is listed as a Civil War token. This piece was issued with a gold colored wash, which is faded on most pieces. This is the brightest one I have seen.

    133 Obv All.jpg

    This piece is made of a "composite material" sometimes called "lava." I have seen these pieces with a ribbon. This one was certified.

    AL 1860-46 All.jpg

    Die sinker, Benjamin True, included a little circle in his designs which was intended to be a guide for the piece to be dilled so that it could be worn. Most pieces were made for collectors during the war and were not holed. Here are examples with and without the hole. This piece was probably struck in 1860 for use in the presidential campaign.

    506A - 512 bpi All.jpg

    Note the little circle at the top of the design. This piece was probably made for collectors during the war. Another token maker, John Stanton, acquired True's dies and mixed them together, to create many varieties, most all of them rare and expensive. This is a Stephen Douglas piece.

    Douglas CWT All.jpg
     
    Last edited: Feb 13, 2026
  12. Barney McRae

    Barney McRae Supporter! Supporter

    I always thought holed coins were mostly to be for Mr T starter kits. I just never liked jewelry for wearing. In fact, when I first got my first cell phone, I stopped wearing my watch. All of that bling just bothered me and was a nuiscance.
     
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  13. Mr.Q

    Mr.Q Well-Known Member

    Unless the coin or medal is gold I stay away from holed coins.
     
  14. KeyHunter

    KeyHunter Supporter! Supporter

    Your discussion thread title screamed "nonconformist" and attracted me like a bee to honey. I love the content and perspectives expressed in this discussion. Numismatic Misfits putting history and human nature above condition count me in but don't shout it too loudly or it will suffer the same fate as collecting lowballs. ;)
     
  15. -jeffB

    -jeffB Greshams LEO Supporter

    Yeah, I worry enough already about people "helping along" potential lowball coins. The last thing I want is to give people incentive to drill new holes in otherwise-intact coins...
     
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  16. Michael K

    Michael K Well-Known Member

    The lines from the film are not the same as the written word in the book.
    I read the book, but it is around 1050 pages and you only get to the whale for the last 50 pages. By then, I didn't care anymore.
     
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  17. lordmarcovan

    lordmarcovan Eclectic numismatist Moderator

    Thankee, Sir. I take that as a compliment. :)

    "Misfit"? Yep. I wear the badge proudly. As previously mentioned, I am a walker of the road less traveled (while following the beat of a different drummer, if we're to pile on the metaphors).

    Mind you, this collection is my "walk on the wild side". I'm a bit more "normal" and conformist in my other collections, though I'm still drawn to the occasional esoteric piece in those as well.
     
  18. lordmarcovan

    lordmarcovan Eclectic numismatist Moderator

    You needn't worry about that with me. I only accept "original" holes that are over a century old. I'd never drill my own.

    Back when I had my "Holey Gold Hat", however, I did "cheat" a little bit on this one, by drilling out an unsightly plug. The coin had been holed in the 19th century but later crudely repaired, with a blackish-colored plug of some unknown metal (lead solder, probably).

    So I drilled out the ugly plug to restore it to its earlier "holeyness". But that's not the same thing as if I had drilled a hole in an undamaged coin.

    [​IMG]
     
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  19. Heavymetal

    Heavymetal Supporter! Supporter

    I resemble that!
     
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  20. Jeffjay

    Jeffjay Well-Known Member

    Nice. I've got a holed type set as well. Wouldn't be able to afford my set without holes! IMG_20260224_204726651.jpg IMG_20260224_204735948.jpg
     
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  21. SensibleSal66

    SensibleSal66 U.S Casual Collector / Error Collector

    I see three holes. One on the obverse and two on the reverse, sort of anyways. :rolleyes:
     
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