Do you own any holed coins?

[ComicMan]

Coins with a banker's mark, a countermark, just some scratches, they all "deface" our coins to some extent, but I also think that they are cool to some extent. I am looking at a Roman Republican coin, well actually two of them. One in really nice condition and the other with a hole in it that looks worn and shabby, but I think that owning both might be fun.

So do you have any coins with holes in them? Do you know of any interesting literature related to coins with holes? Feel free to share I would love to see some ancient (or in some unfortunate cases not so ancient) jewelry!

Coin below from my personal collection, found it in a coinstar, it is crazy what people leave in a coinstar at your local Walmart!

😉

[Heliodromus]

I've got a couple ...

I quite like holed coins because it seems often they tell us something about the coin and/or the type.

The top coin here (legend: VIRT EXERC) is somewhat of a mystery in that there are numerous theories as to what the "X" design represents or means, but this seems to be one of the most commonly holed (hence worn) Constantine reverse types, which tells us the design must have had some significance back in the day.

The gold coin is interesting since these double holes are usually found on coins from India, where they were pierced in this way to wear as some type of jewelery/adornment (an Indian custom which still persists), so it's interesting to imagine the travels this coin has been on!

 

[ComicMan]

9 minutes ago, Heliodromus said:

I've got a couple ...

 

The top coin here (legend: VIRT EXERC) is somewhat of a mystery in that there are numerous theories as to what the "X" design represents or means, but this seems to be one of the most commonly holed (hence worn) Constantine reverse types, which tells us the design must have had some significance back in the day.

Ooh, really cool info, since that is not exactly the most common type for him or anything. What are the theories about the X? Very nice gold coin too by the way.

[JayAg47]

I got this holed denarius of Commodus for cheap, and added the silver jump ring.

[ambr0zie]

I have a Severina antoninianus with 2 small holes. I like the coin because of style, silvering and general aspect. 

The coin came with this ticket - never heard about this dealer. 

[Ocatarinetabellatchitchix]

This one is a holed fourrée aureus imitating a Probus’ victory issue from Serdica in 290 AD, and probably produced by uncertain Germanic ( gothic ?) tribes. Here is also the aureus it supposed to copy:

[ComicMan]

8 minutes ago, JayAg47 said:

I got this holed denarius of Commodus for cheap, and added the silver jump ring.

Have you worn it as jewelry? Or did you just add it for completeness?

4 minutes ago, ambr0zie said:

I have a Severina antoninianus with 2 small holes. I like the coin because of style, silvering and general aspect. 

The coin came with this ticket - never heard about this dealer. 

Nice coin! And it looks like you have a phone number to call then 😁

[ComicMan]

Just now, Ocatarinetabellatchitchix said:

This one is a holed fourrée aureus imitating a Probus’ victory issue from Serdica in 290 AD, and probably produced by uncertain Germanic ( gothic ?) tribes. Here is also the aureus it supposed to copy:

Very interesting that whoever was making these copies /counterfeits would have seen the original aureus! Thanks for sharing.

[John Conduitt]

I don’t ever go for holed coins because I’m never sure when or why they were holed. Otherwise it could be interesting, like countermarks, graffiti and test cuts, especially if it was for something other than jewellery - coins nailed to the door to ward off spirits or fixed to armour for protection. But I suspect most were part of Victorian jewellery.

[JayAg47]

10 minutes ago, ComicMan said:

Have you worn it as jewelry? Or did you just add it for completeness?

 

I never intend to wear any ancient coin as jewellery, (I'm just superstitious, but you never know where this coin has been). As you said it's for completeness. 

[Heliodromus]

29 minutes ago, ComicMan said:

Ooh, really cool info, since that is not exactly the most common type for him or anything. What are the theories about the X?

o The most commonly cited is from RIC and says it's a ground plan of a roman army camp ... which appears to be nonsense !

o Another is that this represents Constantine's cross-in-the-sky vision before the battle of Milvian bridge, which also appears a bit random

o I used to consider possibility it's just a stylized "X" meaning 10, celebrating 10 years of Sol on Constantine's coins (which had just ended, with Sol never having otherwise appeared on his bronze from this mint of Thessalonica)

o My personal theory is that it's riffing on Probus' Sol in quadriga design, but stylized into a sort of Chi-Rho (with Sol as the Rho). A deliberate blurring of symbolism

Not sure what others there are.

 

Edited April 8, 2023 by Heliodromus

[CPK]

I've got a couple holed coins. Here is one of them. I like to think that whoever holed this might have been in attendance at the celebratory Games held by Philip I, and carried this piece around as a memory of those great events.

[Ryro]

[shanxi]

some holed coins

 

Argos
AR-Obol, 330-270 v.Chr
Obv.: Av: Head of wolf right
Rev: Large A; Π-P across upper field, club right below; all within incuse square.
BCD Peloponnesos 1085, SNG Copenhagen -; BMC Peloponnesus pg. 143, 93.

 

Gaul, Massalia (Marseille)
AR Drachm or Tetrobol
130-121 BC
Obv.: Draped bust of Artemis right, wearing stephane, bow and quiver over shoulder.
Rev.: MAΣΣA/ΛIHTΩN H–A, Lion standing right
Ag, 2.62g, 16.5mm
Ref.: Depeyrot 41/20

 

Leo I. (457-474)
Au-Tremissis
Obv: D N LEO PE-RPET AVG, Bust of Leo I, pearl-diademed, draped, cuirassed, right
Rev: VICTORIA AVGVSTORVM: Victory, winged, draped, advancing front, head left, holding wreath in right hand and cross on globe in left hand; star in right field
Av, 1.49g, 14.5mm
RIC X Leo I (East) 611, p.286, 611

Edited April 8, 2023 by shanxi

[expat]

Not an ancient but a quarter anna from 1835. Children entertained themselves by threading two loops of string through the holes. Called a whirligig, they are simple spinning toys whereby two looped ends of twisting thread are pulled with both arms, causing the button to spin and the faster they spin, the louder the noise it makes.

Example from 19th Century using a metal button

[Heliodromus]

1 hour ago, expat said:

the faster they spin, the louder the noise it makes.

I used to play with these as a kid too. Sometimes bigger spinners made out of wood too. They made quite a satisfying "brrrr brrrr" noise!

Then there were these things - until they got banned on safety concerns. They were a tad scary!

 

[Ed Snible]

Square hole (from a square nail):

As, 1st century AD, 7.10g 24mm, three countermarks.  One countermark is probably retrograde and blundered TICA (Claudius, 43 AD) or TICAE (Tiberius).

Purchased from Donald Zauche, April 2002

 

Rectangular hole:

Seleukid Kings. Seleukos I. 312-280 BC. Æ 13.5mm (2.49g). Antioch.
ex CNG e-auction 349, April 2015, lot 730 (part of; unsold; John Mixter collection of coins modified in antiquity)

John Mixter wrote: "The hole has a rectangular shape which is most unusual in any size, but more so when it is this large on a relatively small diameter coin. It is uncertain what tool was used, though it is possible is was simply a large punch that was the only tool available at the time."

It's unclear if this was nailed to a wall as a decoration, modified to become a tool, or perhaps to become a button.  If this was a decoration, the bull side was the display side.

[Kali]

Edward VI (1547 - 1553 A.D.)
AR Shilling
O: (tun) ЄDWΛRD’· VI : D’· S’ ΛGl’: FRΛ’· Z : hIB’· RЄX :, crowned and mantled bust facing slightly left; rose to left, XII to right.
R: (tun) POSVI DЄVM ·’ : ΛDIVTOR Є’· MEV·’·, coat-of-arms over long cross fourchée.
5.7g
32mm
North 1937; SCBC 2482

[expat]

1 hour ago, Heliodromus said:

I used to play with these as a kid too. Sometimes bigger spinners made out of wood too. They made quite a satisfying "brrrr brrrr" noise!

Then there were these things - until they got banned on safety concerns. They were a tad scary!

 

That brings back painful memories. I chipped a bone in my wrist when I was 9 with those things.

[airhead1983]

This one first belonged to me and now my brother has it.  I hope to get another comet denarius some day. 😃

Erin

[septim]

holed and with a kind of serrated edge ... 

Nazir al-Din Artuq Arslan (597 - 637 / 1201 - 1239)

AE-Dirham from Mardin - 7,46 g - 29 mm - 1h

[Agrippa]

One from my main collecting area.

A Postumus quinarius with on the obverse the jugate busts of Postumus and Hercules.

[Edessa]

Migration Period, Taman Peninsula. Unknown Tribe. Circa 240-300 AD. BI Denarius (16mm, 1.36g, 12h). Roman Imperial imitation (Marcus Aurelius?), Kleshchinov Stage 4. Obv: Barbarized head of Roman emperor with beard facing right, rosette ending with dots, zigzag at the front of the face and below Rev: O low left field X right lower field, Mars standing right, holding a spear, head with one crescent on each side, crescents on the edge. Ref: Similar to Kleshchinov 115; Kazamanova type III; D. Faltin, “Taman Imitations - ‘Coins of the Unknown People,” The Celator 20, 7 (July 2006), pp. 22-26. Fine, pierced. Ex MedCoins, Nov 2003.

[Qcumbor]

Not so old but holed twice

James I (1603-1625) - six pence, troisième buste, 1605

Q

[Prieure de Sion]

Quote

Do you own any holed coins?

As of tonight yes... I just got this seltzer of Marcus Aurelius at Bucephalus.
I found the reverse so interesting. I have to look first, what I got there at all exactly. 

 

 

Description of the auction house:

MARCUS AURELIUS, 161-180 AD. AE, sestertius. Rome.
Obv: M ANTONINVS AVG GERM SARM TR P XXXI.
Head of Marcus Aurelius, laureate, right.
Rev: IMP VIII COS III P P LIBERALITAS AVG VII S C.
Aurelius and Commodus seated left on raised platform, each extending right hand, Liberalitas standing before holding abacus and cornucopiae, officer standing behind; citizen standing on steps holding out fold of toga.
RIC III 1208; MIR 18, 380-6/30; BMCRE 1606; Cohen 424. Rare.
Condition: Near Very Fine. Holed.
Weight: 23.08 g.
Diameter: 30.1 mm.