Lodge Scent
07-06-2015, 08:12 PM
Many of us have found holed coins at colonial era and pre civil war sites. I’m sure some of these holed coins were worn as jewelry around the neck or wrist. But many of the coins have holes in them would lead you to think they might have another purpose besides jewelry. Why drill a hole in a coin that would make the portrait hang sideways when hung from a chain or cord?
There is also a theory these holed coins were sewn into clothing for safekeeping. Seems to me you could sew the coins into a hem without having to drill a hole in it first. On one of the UK detecting sites I came across another reason for holed coins. They were used as bobbin weights when the women made their fancy lace stuff by hand back in the day. Apparently a large coin helped keep the lace bobbin from moving around on the work surface and it also made the bobbin easy to identify from the many other bobbins.
http://i1082.photobucket.com/albums/j364/jeffhdfx2/bobbin2_zpszscal1bx.jpg (http://s1082.photobucket.com/user/jeffhdfx2/media/bobbin2_zpszscal1bx.jpg.html)
I am sure there are other reasons for holed coins but this one made a lot of sense to me.
Jeff
There is also a theory these holed coins were sewn into clothing for safekeeping. Seems to me you could sew the coins into a hem without having to drill a hole in it first. On one of the UK detecting sites I came across another reason for holed coins. They were used as bobbin weights when the women made their fancy lace stuff by hand back in the day. Apparently a large coin helped keep the lace bobbin from moving around on the work surface and it also made the bobbin easy to identify from the many other bobbins.
http://i1082.photobucket.com/albums/j364/jeffhdfx2/bobbin2_zpszscal1bx.jpg (http://s1082.photobucket.com/user/jeffhdfx2/media/bobbin2_zpszscal1bx.jpg.html)
I am sure there are other reasons for holed coins but this one made a lot of sense to me.
Jeff