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Gallery of Holed Coins - Various Times and Places

My holed ancient coins page gives an overview of different types of holed coins. This page shows a scattering of coins over 2,000 years. These are my other holed coin galleries:

Hellenic CoinsRoman Republican and Augustan CoinsFirst Century Roman CoinsSecond Century Roman CoinsThird Century Roman CoinsFourth Century Roman CoinsFifth Century Roman CoinsByzantine or Romaion Coins of Later Centuries — Other Holed Coins of Varying Origins and Times (this page)

Click on the image to see more about the coin.
Bronze prutah of Judaea showing an amohora and a vine leaf. Bronze prutah of Judaea, 67-68 CE.
17mm x 18mm,
3.38 grammes.
Judaean coins are often lumped in with Greek coins for the purposes of classification, but they probably deserve their own grouping. This bronze coin is from the second year of the first Jewish revolt against Rome. The reverse legend is "The Freedom of Zion" in Hebrew, and that is very likely the reason this coin has been holed and used as a token of the struggle.
Bronze AE26 of Olbia in Sarmatia showing Apollo and a sea eagle, with two countermarks. Bronze AE26 of Olbia in Sarmatia, c. 2nd century CE.
23mm x 24mm,
6.85 grammes.
This is a coin of a semi-autonomous town in Roman times. The obverse shows a wreathed head of Apollo, and the reverse has a sea-eagle grasping a fish. Although it is rather crude in execution, it is interesting in that it has two countermarks. A winged caduceus in an oval punch was applied first, then later a large delta in a triangular punch. Countermarks typically re-validated a coin, and were in use in many parts of the east. (This is a little vague because I know little about them. I will firm up this comment as I learn more.) The coin was holed to display Apollo.
Holed silver drachm of the Sasanian Hormazd IV. Holed silver drachm of the Sasanian Hormazd IV,
589 CE.
31mm,
3.5 grammes.
A silver coin from the Sasanian empire that ruled Persia and the surrounding territories after the downfall of the Parthians. It was holed to display the King of Kings rather than the fire altar with its two attendants on the other side. These coins were made very flat and thin, to give the most imposing display for the least expenditure of silver. There are several similar coins on my Fire Altar Coins page.
Holed bronze dirhem of Husam al-Din Yuluq Arslan. Holed bronze dirhem of Husam al-Din Yuluq Arslan,
1184-1201 CE.
32mm,
11.7 grammes.
This bronze coin is the same diameter as the silver Sasanian coin above, but weighs four times as much. I like the bold design, which don't look quite like any other sort of coin, though there are definite influences from elsewhere. The large figure in profile looks like something from an early Roman bronze, the facing figure is a little Byzantine. The reverse is typically Islamic.
Holed and plugged bronze dirhem of Husam al-Din Yuluq Arslan. Holed and plugged bronze dirhem of Husam al-Din Yuluq Arslan,
1184-1201 CE.
32mm,
11.9 grammes.
Another from the same ruler, but the hole in this one has later been plugged. This type is sometimes known as the "Mourning of Saladin," but that is likely to be a fanciful explanation.
This has a similar style to the previous coin, with large and loosely defined figures even when unworn. Sharp, fresh specimens are hard to find. Perhaps the alloy is softer than most, like the later Alexandrian tetradrachms which contained a proportion of lead and had a similar soapy feel.
Holed copper fals of al-Kamil Muhammad. Holed copper fals of al-Kamil Muhammad,
1180-1238 CE.
27mm,
2.9 grammes.
A low denomination copper coin with a pleasant geometric design intertwined with the legends. One side references the ruler al-Kamil Mohammed, and the other the Caliph al-Mustansir Billah. When this coin was made into an amulet, the hole was punched from the side naming al-Kamil, so it is likely to have been honouring him rather than the Caliph.
Holed silver banales denarius of Stephen V of Slavonia. Holed silver banales denarius of Stephen V of Slavonia,
1270-1272 CE.
15mm,
0.66 grammes.
This small silver coin is of Stephen V of Hungary. His realm included Slavonia for the years 1270-1272 CE. The obverse shows a marten, a weasel-like carnivore whose fur provided decoration on many royal robes of the period. Unlucky creature! This is a pretty little coin (though a bit grubby now) which has clearly been used as jewellery.
Holed silver double dirham of the Mongol Mahmud Ghazan. Holed silver double dirham of the Mongol Mahmud Ghazan,
c. 1301 CE.
25 x 26mm,
4.27 grammes.
I do not know a great deal about coins in Arabic or other Eastern scripts, because I cannot read them. This one is in Arabic on the obverse and has Mongolian Uighur and Chinese Pagspa scripts on the reverse. But I do know that some of them are quite beautiful. This one is a good example, with beautifully balanced design and calligraphy. The hole, on the other hand, is quite crude, and the flattening of the surface and bending of the coin surface near it suggest that the coin was nailed up somewhere without a great deal of care.
Holed silver penny of Edward I or II. Holed silver penny of Edward I or II,
1301-1310 CE.
18mm,
1.22 grammes.
An English silver penny of Edward I or II, minted in London. The style and obverse legend carried over into the new reign, so the coin could have been minted under either monarch. The face of the king is more rubbed and worn than the rest of the coin, which seems to be quite common on English hammered coinage.
Holed silver penny of Edward III. Holed silver penny of Edward III,
1327-1377 CE.
18 x 19mm,
1.01 grammes.
An English silver penny of Edward III, minted in London like the last coin. This shows the style of the time very nicely, with the king's youthful and fashionable flowing locks. The reverse is a long cross type, which replaced the short cross which had been in use previously. This design was intended to help prevent the coins being clipped; if part of the long cross was missing, the clipping would be immediately obvious. Though, this coin does appear to have suffered a minor clip.
Holed grosso of the Doge Andrea Dondolo of Venice. Holed silver grosso of Andrea Dondolo,
1342-1354 CE.
19 x 20mm,
1.64 grammes.
A Venetian silver grosso. Venice was prosperous at this time, and its coins were well-known. This particular one is rather light and has an odd spelling error on the obverse (DONDILO instead of DONDVLO for the name of the Doge), so it might be an unofficial eastern imitation, though expert opinion is that the style looks right.
Several Doges struck coins that looked very like this. Their type and style was copied by the Paleologus dynasty in Byzantium for their official coinage, but this is definitely not one of those.
This coin looks clipped, like the last one.
Holed grosso of the Doge Andrea Contarini of Venice. Holed silver grosso of Andrea Contarini,
1367-1382 CE.
21 x 22mm,
1.84 grammes.
This grosso from a few years later is definitely in the official style, and you can see a difference in the way it has worn, though not such a big difference as to brand the other one an certain imitation.
It is quite common to find these coins pierced, so these will serve as examples and I will show no more on this page.
Holed silver penny of Henry VII of England. Holed silver penny of Henry VII of England,
1485-1509 CE.
15mm,
0.64 grammes.
This English penny is worn and looks clipped, even though it had the long cross which was supposed to protect against clipping. Despite the wear, the portrait of the king shows up rather well and I like it, though a serious collector would avoid it for its imperfections.
The style hasn't changed much since the Edward III penny above, over 100 years earlier.
Holed silver penny of Charles I of Britain. Holed silver penny of Charles I,
1625-1649 CE.
12 x 14mm,
0.38 grammes.
This penny of Charles the First was less fortunate. It has been trimmed completely out of shape, and has lost the outside of its legends and part if the crown. If a coin like this could circulate, it shows that clipping was an important problem. Perhaps that was why this coin was chosen for use as jewellery.
Holed silver penny of Charles II of Britain. Holed silver penny of Charles II,
1678 CE.
17mm,
1.43 grammes.
Milled coins like this one were much more regular in shape and size than hammered coins, so clipping was not a problem.
This coin has three holes. The two at the top and bottom are well made, and are typical of a coin that has been strung with others into a bracelet. The third hole is a crude square punch, and was probably made before the others to hang this coin as a pendant.
Holed silver penny of William III. Holed silver penny of William III,
1701 CE.
12mm,
0.50 grammes.
This is a British silver penny from the sole reign of William III, following the death of his co-regent Mary in 1694. You can see that the style is the same as the previous coin, but this one is considerably smaller and lighter. This small coin with a tiny hole may have been used as a charm on a charm bracelet, or attached to a watch chain, possibly when it was already an old coin.
Holed silver panjshashi of Shah Sultan Hussain. Holed silver panjshashi of Shah Sultan Hussain,
1716 CE.
20mm x 28mm,
8.58 grammes.
A five-shashi piece from the Persian Safavid dynasty, which established Shia Islam as the official state religion, an important development in the history of Islam. This coin is quite thick and has an unusual, almost rectangular shape, very unlike the usual Sasanian and Islamic coins from Persia. The two holes have been bored out from both sides. Perhaps it was hung round someone's neck, and perhaps something else was added to hang below from the smaller hole.
Holed silver coin of Mustafa III. Holed silver 10 para coin of Mustafa III,
1766 CE.
25mm,
3.83 grammes.
A silver coin of Mustafa III, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire. Smaller in diameter than the Mahmud II 1½ piastre below, yet considerably heavier, this coin is still thin by modern standards. Many Islamic silver coins are pierced like this. As they are very showy for their weight and value, they must have mde good jewellery.
Holed copper duit of Zeeland. Holed copper duit of Zeeland,
1792 CE.
22mm,
3.42 grammes.
This low value copper coin is from a province in the low countries which is nearly half water, and even much of the land is below sea level. Flooding is a hazard, and most recently, there was a great flood in 1953. The coin shows the motto and coat of arms of Zeeland, a lion emerging from the water and LUCTOR ET EMERGO (I struggle and emerge), and this was the side that was displayed when a square nail was hammered through the top.
Holed silver 3-piastre of Mahmud II. Holed silver 1½ piastre coin of Mahmud II,
1812 CE.
27mm,
2.46 grammes.
Another Ottoman silver coin. It is thinner and flatter than the coin of Mustafa III above, and in that way it follows the precedent of the Sasanid coins of Persia, very unlike the thick and chunky coins of the Indian subcontinent such as the next one down. It has been holed by punching rather than boring, but the hole is well shaped, so it must have been done carefully, and perhaps it was done this way so as not to lose any of the silver in the area of the hole.
Holed copper halfpenny of George III. Holed copper halfpenny of George III,
1813 CE.
27mm,
10.19 grammes.
Here's a copper halfpenny from the Isle of Man that is exactly as wide as the 1½ piastre coin of Mahmud II above, but weighs more than four times as much. This coin was one of the many which were machine-stamped in Birmingham for Great Britain. Being an Isle of Man variant, its reverse shows the island's triskelion, with the motto QVOCUNQVE IECERIS STABIT, meaning "Whichever way you throw it, it will stand." This same three-legged design had been used on Greek coins, for example from Syracuse and Aspendos, more than two thousand two hundred years earlier.
Holed silver eighth rupee of Hyderabad. Holed silver eighth rupee of Hyderabad,
1839 CE.
12mm,
1.38 grammes.
This Indian coin was issued by Nasir ad-Daula in the name of Bahadur Shah. It is typical of many Indian coins, with a flan that was clearly much smaller than the die used to mint it. It may be only luck that the mintmark is so clear on this example. Still, it is a nice solid little coin.
Holed silver peace dollar from the USA. Holed silver peace dollar from the USA,
1922 CE.
18mm,
26.5 grammes.
Most modern coins have quite unpleasant designs. Perhaps to stimulate their owners to spend them quickly? But there are exceptions, and I have included this 1922 peace dollar as an example of modern artistic design of a high quality. I like the art deco look of this and also a few other American coins of the early 20th century, such as the so-called mercury dime.

Hellenic CoinsRoman Republican and Augustan CoinsFirst Century Roman CoinsSecond Century Roman CoinsThird Century Roman CoinsFourth Century Roman CoinsFifth Century Roman CoinsByzantine or Romaion Coins of Later Centuries — Other Holed Coins of Varying Origins and Times (this page)


The content of this page was last updated on 11 August 2010.

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