When you think of coins, you probably picture shiny metal changing hands in a market. Yet the world of currency is full of oddball specimens that served purposes far beyond simple trade. In this roundup of 10 curious coins, we dive into tokens that acted as love letters, healing charms, brothel passes, and even special cash for leper colonies.
Why These 10 Curious Coins Matter
10 Spintriae
Spintriae were a set of erotic Roman pieces struck in bronze or brass during the early first century. One side showcased a sexual tableau, while the opposite bore a Roman numeral ranging from I to XVI.
The prevailing theory holds that they functioned as admission tokens for brothels: the illustrated side advertised the pleasures on offer, and the numeral indicated the specific chamber where those delights could be found. Some scholars argue the numeral might have represented the price, providing a language‑free way to convey cost. Because ordinary imperial coins bearing the emperor’s portrait were legally forbidden in houses of ill repute, Spintriae offered a loophole.
Nevertheless, a dissenting view questions the brothel‑token hypothesis, noting that Spintriae appear in bathhouse contexts but have never been recovered from actual brothel ruins. This has led to speculation that they may have served as game pieces for an unknown pastime.
9 Angel Coin
From medieval times until the early eighteenth century, a belief persisted that the disease scrofula could be cured by a monarch laying a hand on the afflicted lymph nodes. Monarchs, however, were reluctant to touch the sick directly, so they resorted to a symbolic alternative: touching a gold coin that could later be pressed against the infected area.
These royal touch pieces, often called “angel” coins, typically featured the archangel Michael triumphantly standing over a subdued Satan on the reverse, symbolizing the victory of good over evil. The coins were handed to the ill, who believed the monarch’s divine favor had been transferred onto the metal.
In 1714, King George I dismissed the practice as a Catholic superstition, ending the official ceremony of royal touch.
8 Leaden Hearts
Leaden Hearts were intimate love tokens crafted by British convicts transported to the Australian colonies of New South Wales and Tasmania during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. With sentences often ranging from seven to fourteen years, these prisoners sought a tangible reminder for the loved ones they left behind.
To create a Leaden Heart, a convict would smooth a coin on one or both sides and then engrave a heartfelt message using a series of tiny pin pricks. The inscriptions commonly included the names of the sender and recipient, the length of separation, and poetic verses or rhymes expressing longing and devotion.
These miniature lead love letters served as portable, personal mementos, allowing prisoners to maintain a connection across the vast ocean that separated them from home.
7 Hobo Nickels
Coins have long provided a convenient canvas for artistic expression, and the 1913 Buffalo nickel emerged as a favorite among hobbyist carvers. Its thick, sturdy profile offered more surface area than a quarter, enabling detailed relief work.
During the Great Depression, itinerant workers and hobos discovered that carving intricate designs into Buffalo nickels could generate a modest supplemental income. The resulting pieces, known as hobo nickels, were often produced aboard moving trains, where the rhythmic clatter provided a makeshift workshop.
These carved nickels became a distinctive folk art form, reflecting the resourcefulness of a transient community facing economic hardship.
6 Hard Times Tokens
Hard‑times tokens were privately minted between 1832 and 1844 as an unofficial remedy for the coin shortage that plagued the United States during the Panic of 1837. These privately issued pieces circulated alongside official coinage to ease everyday transactions.
The tokens fell into three primary categories. First, many bore political propaganda, taking sides in the heated debate over President Andrew Jackson and his vice‑president Martin Van Buren. Some illustrated a running jackass—symbolizing Jackson—leaving hoof prints, while others quoted Van Buren’s inaugural speech.
Second, a host of tokens served as store‑issued advertisements, promoting local merchants. The third group mimicked the size and composition of large copper cents, allowing them to function as practical cent‑look‑alikes in daily commerce.
5 Church Penny
In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, several churches in the northeastern United States commissioned special coin‑style tokens for exclusive use within their sanctuaries. These “church pennies” were intended to prevent counterfeit or heavily worn copper coins from entering the offering plates.
Congregations would purchase the tokens in bulk and then sell them to parishioners, who could donate the pieces with confidence that they were authentic and suitable for the church’s collection boxes.
For instance, the First Presbyterian Church of Albany minted one thousand such tokens in early 1790, each bearing a circular scallop design and the inscription “Church Penny,” while the reverse side remained blank.
4 French Trezains
Trezains were a set of thirteen marriage‑related coins struck in France from the sixteenth century onward. Though adorned with symbols of affection—such as double‑flaming hearts and clasped hands—these pieces were accepted as legitimate tender by merchants.
During the wedding ceremony, the groom presented the bride with trezains as symbolic compensation for her dowry or the goods she contributed to the union. A priest would bless the coins, and the total number—thirteen—represented Jesus and his twelve apostles. One to three trezains were given to the officiating priest, while the remainder were kept as a keepsake by the newlyweds, though they were often spent during times of hardship.
Thus, trezains blended the sacred and the secular, serving both as a marital token and a functional piece of currency.
3 Holey Dollar
Shortly after the establishment of the New South Wales colony in 1788, settlers faced a chronic shortage of circulating coinage. While foreign coins were abundant, most were quickly shipped out of the fledgling settlement for trade.
Governor Lachlan Macquarie devised a clever solution in 1812: he imported 40,000 Spanish reales and commissioned the convicted forger William Henshall to punch out the center of each coin. This process effectively doubled the number of usable pieces while simultaneously preventing their export.
The resulting coins were counter‑stamped and entered circulation in 1814. The outer ring became popularly known as the “holey dollar,” while the removed centre earned the nickname “dump.” By 1822, the colony transitioned to sterling coinage, retiring the distinctive holey dollars.
2 Saudi Arabian Bullion Coins
In the mid‑1940s, the Arabian American Oil Company (Aramco) faced a contractual obligation to remit three million dollars in annual royalties to the Saudi government, with the payments required in gold. At that time, the United States adhered to a gold standard, and Saudi Arabia had previously accepted U.S. currency, but by 1945 the kingdom insisted on gold payments.
To meet this demand without jeopardizing oil production, Aramco turned to the U.S. government, which responded by minting 91,210 large gold discs bearing the Great Seal’s eagle. Though they resembled conventional coins, these pieces were technically bullion and were thus referred to as Saudi Arabian bullion coins.
After delivery to Saudi Arabia, most of the discs were eventually melted down, their gold repurposed for other uses.
1 Leper Colony Coins
In the early twentieth century, leprosy—then feared as a highly contagious disease—prompted the creation of isolated settlements known as lazarettos. Residents of these colonies were required to use a special form of currency, as the public feared the disease could be transmitted via ordinary money.
Leper colony coins first appeared in Colombia and soon spread to other nations, including the Philippines, Japan, and Panama. Over time, such exclusive coinage also emerged in Brazil, China, Costa Rica, Korea, Nigeria, Thailand, and Venezuela, each designed to keep the disease‑suspected contagion separate from mainstream economies.
These tokens served both practical and symbolic functions, allowing isolated communities to conduct commerce while reinforcing the social segregation imposed by public health anxieties.
1 Further Reading
Money, coins, treasure! We’ve covered them all before and here are a few from the archives you’ll definitely love:
10 Of The Most Intriguing Coins Of All Time
10 Real‑Life Hidden Treasures You Could Still Find
10 Strange Forms Of Ancient Currency
10 Mysterious Lost Treasures Of The World
Laura is a student from Ireland in love with books, writing, coffee, and cats.