A Fly(ing Eagle Cent) on the Wall

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The American Numismatic Association regularly receives valuable, interesting gifts and donations to its collections of coins, paper money, and exonumia. By the same token, the ANA also has the responsibility of curating and at times deaccessioning (selling or otherwise releasing) parts of its collection. The Edward C. Rochette Money Museum sells some of these items on eBay, but it generally gives the deaccessioned items to the ANA Education Department.

Last year, the ANA decided to deaccession a collection of holed cents it had received in 1972. To my delight, the Education Department saved them as rewards for young numismatists (YNs). I had the chance to bid on one of these special coins during the 2025 YN Auction. After examining it in the catalog, it soon moved up in my list as a high-priority item. After some competitive bidding with other young collectors, I successfully placed the winning bid. The coin, an 1858 Flying Eagle cent, has a fascinating backstory that I’ll recount below. I enjoyed the story so much that I bought a damaged coin due to it, so I hope you enjoy it too!

The Story

In 1972 Harry A. Prock donated a collection of holed cents to the ANA. In correspondence with ANA Curator Richard Long, Prock wrote:

These coins have an interesting history. They were collected by a York county, Pennsylvania, farmer who, after drilling holes in each coin from year to year, would nail them to the kitchen wall in his farmhouse. I doubt whether [the farmer] was a coin collector, but at least he selected those in the best condition from pocket change, there being some Unc. and A/U’s as I recall. He must have been a jolly person with a sense of humor. He passed on early in 1880, which is the end of the story. [I] am sorry I can’t tell you more of the origin of the holed cents. With them was the story told on a piece of paper or cardboard as I have already related. Having had them for years, I don’t recall where they came from nor their cost, but I am sure it was [minimum], at the time even B/U Indian Head Cents having little value. Those days I used to get around to out of the way places, often making purchases at little over face, now and then finding a sleeper.

Upon further reflection, Prock stated he was certain that he was the third owner. But who was the second owner? Why did the farmer nail the cents to his kitchen wall in the first place? These and many other questions remain unanswered. If only Prock had dug deeper when he had purchased these fascinating coins, more might be known.

The June 1997 issue of The Numismatist includes an intriguing tale about these coins. The article must have left several readers mesmerized. The August 1997 “Letters to the Editor” section contains several guesses as to why the cents were nailed to a wall. The late Ron Landis suggested that the first cent was nailed to the farmhouse wall to bring good luck. Supposing the farmer was superstitious, he presumably could have nailed a cent to his wall each year to continue the lucky streak! No matter the reason the coins were nailed to the wall, they remain captivating artifacts that get collectors talking.

Intriguing Stories

Have you ever added a coin to your collection because of the interesting story associated with it? I know I’m not the only one, as bill fragments from the infamous D.B. Cooper airplane heist and shipwreck pieces associated with the SS Central America or the Atocha, to name a few examples, sell for a small premium above coins or bills of similar age and grade. The next time you’re reviewing your collection, be sure set aside one of your “coins with a story” so you can share it with someone. Who knows—they just might become a collector too!

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Clark Davis is an enthusiastic young numismatist who loves learning about coins by studying them, reading books, conducting research, writing articles, and doing anything else related to numismatics. In 2022 he discovered the Wilma Mankiller quarter with the huge, bi-level die break and retained cud. Several publications, including Coin World, The Numismatist, and Errorscope, interviewed him about the discovery. He collects early American copper coins and numismatic literature.