1819 Large Cent, partially holed

Here's an 1819 Cent that I have, looks like somebody started drilling, then gave up...

 

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Back in the day, people would drive a nail into the cent and into a board over a door for good luck, I am thinking that whoever started this hit the wrong nail with the hammer on the second whack and threw the cent, Never finishing the job.

 

Interesting coin and weren't the nails square back then? When did nails become round?

 

Looks like it may have been shot at with a BB gun... how long have BB guns been around?

 

Interesting. I have a large cent coronet with the EXACT same marking in the EXACT same place! It was included in a larger lot of coins I purchased, and it is a filler in my type set right now as it is the only coronet I own.

John

 

These are some past large cents that I found detecting. You can see about 4 of em have holes of different sizes and shapes. Jim

 

^ sweet finds! How many different dates have you dug up?

 

Or maybe he hit his thumb on the third whack and threw the penny in anger, then never found it?

Ribbit

 

I don't think you could drive a nail thru a thick large cent without pre-drilling a hole first.

The drill bit obviously broke.

 

My theory is a kid decided to try out daddy's drill, and was about half way done with a hole in a penny when dad walked into the garage and caught him playing with dad's tools... Probably an old hand crank drill...

 

I'd read somewhere, that due to the technology of the day, using large cents much like a washer while roofing wooden shingled homes was less expensive than using the hardware they could produce at the time.....One reason so many holed large cents survive today.......Have no idea if it's true, don't know any 150+ year old carpenters..

 

Let's try! Who wants to donate a MS/AU large cent to this project?

I've got a hammer, and a bunch of nails... I might even be able to find a nail from the 1800's...

Why MS or AU? well we need to be authentic, I doubt you could go the corner store and get a AG cent in change in 1819...

In a related experiment, We can even see if you can drive a nail through a PCGS slab containing a large cent

--Paul

 

With all due respect, it is easy as pie to drive a nail through copper -- no drill needed.

 

BB guns, Lewis & Clark had

Believe it or not...a while back I saw in NRA magazine, an air pump action BB gun Lewis & Clark took on expedition. No foolin OT

 

I know why drilled

That coin reminds me of Grandma telling about drilling holes in coin for use as baby teething...however silver was prefered for that purpose... was tied with string around the childs neck... Something about carving, drilling goofing with coins during that era. OT