The coins that stopped a bullet...

moursund

Apparently there are several examples of coins that have deflected bullets, saving the owner.
Do you believe this tale?

Full article: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/for-sale-a-penny-that-stopped-a-bullet-and-saved-a-life

Modern coins are probably to wimpy to take a bullet for you. I advise carrying a pocketful of Ikes.

SaorAlba

How about Capt George Dixon's $20 that was found with his body in the CSS Hunley:

https://hunley.org/golden-treasures-from-the-past/

JBK

If the provenance is solid then the coin is worthy.

But ebay is riddled with coins with bullets partially through them, all fantasies or counterfeits. And some of them even have the battle name stamped on on the coin.

The most famous example I can think of is the dented $20 gold coin that saved a Confederate officer's life. He had it with him when the CSA's only submarine sank. It was recovered when the submarine was raised not too many years ago. (The officer was known to have this memento with him.)

moursund

Google isn't telling me about any coins that failed to stop a bullet. You would think that the coin would fail to save a life at least as often as it succeeded... Where are the "also ran" coins?

moursund

@moursund said:
Google isn't telling me about any coins that failed to stop a bullet. You would think that the coin would fail to save a life at least as often as it succeeded... Where are the "also ran" coins?

... and for those the coin should be slabbed, and the owner as well.

JBK

I know that Teddy Roosevelt's folded speech stopped an assassin's bullet in 1912.

PerryHall

@JBK said:
If the provenance is solid then the coin is worthy.

But ebay is riddled with coins with bullets partially through them, all fantasies or counterfeits. And some of them even have the battle name stamped on on the coin.

The most famous example I can think of is the dented $20 gold coin that saved a Confederate officer's life. He had it with him when the CSA's only submarine sank. It was recovered when the submarine was raised not too many years ago. (The officer was known to have this memento with him.)

Check the link in the post just above your post. Captain Dixen was at the battle of Shilo, and a double eagle was in his pocket that deflected a bullet that would have killed him. He had it engraved with "My life preserver. Shiloh." with the date of the battle. Later, he was the Captain of the CSS Hunley and died when it sank. The CSS Hunley is considered to be the first modern submarine. When the Hunley was found, Captain Dixon's body was identified by this coin in his pocket.

BryceM

You'll probably find more of these stories in the days before high-velocity projectiles. Musket balls weren't terribly energetic by today's standards and they basically didn't pack enough punch to get through a coin. Some handgun rounds today might not get through a solid coin but some might. Today, even a little .223 projectile (typical AR-15 US military round) will punch through1/2" steel plate (regular steel - not the hardened stuff).

JBK

@PerryHall said:

@JBK said:
If the provenance is solid then the coin is worthy.

But ebay is riddled with coins with bullets partially through them, all fantasies or counterfeits. And some of them even have the battle name stamped on on the coin.

The most famous example I can think of is the dented $20 gold coin that saved a Confederate officer's life. He had it with him when the CSA's only submarine sank. It was recovered when the submarine was raised not too many years ago. (The officer was known to have this memento with him.)

Check the link in the post just above your post. Captain Dixen was at the battle of Shilo, and a double eagle was in his pocket that deflected a bullet that would have killed him. He had it engraved with "My lifesaver. Shilo." with the date of the battle. Later, he was the Captain of the CSS Hunley and died when it sank. The CSS Hunley is considered to be the first modern submarine. When the Hunley was found, Captain Dixon's body was identified by this coin in his pocket.

He must have posted it as I was typing.

Yes, the Hunley. Author Clive Cussler was somehow involved in the search. He and I exchanged a round of letters at the time.

Steven59

@SaorAlba said:
How about Capt George Dixon's $20 that was found with his body in the CSS Hunley:

https://hunley.org/golden-treasures-from-the-past/

I have that coin in my possession - disregard the word "COPY"

JBK

On your replica the text looks like it is raised?

moursund

@BryceM said:
You'll probably find more of these stories in the days before high-velocity projectiles. Musket balls weren't terribly energetic by today's standards and they basically didn't pack enough punch to get through a coin. Some handgun rounds today might not get through a solid coin but some might. Today, even a little .223 projectile (typical AR-15 US military round) will punch through1/2" steel plate (regular steel - not the hardened stuff).

Makes sense. But if I have e.g. an Ike in the front pocket of my hoodie, and I get hit with a .223, will enough of the bullet's energy be spent driving the coin into my flabby gut, so the bullet won't pass through? (And it it does get through, will it be slowed enough to be less dangerous, or perhaps fragmented and more dangerous?)

Swampboy

Thread title put me in mind of member @mrpaseo's avatar...

BryceM

An Ike might slow a bullet, but no chance it will stop one from a .223. I'll try it out and report back next time I go to the range. As for what exactly will happen to you, your flab, and your hoddie...... it depends. The study of terminal ballistics is fabulously complicated and difficult to predict.

moursund

@Swampboy said:
Thread title put me in mind of member @mrpaseo's avatar...

PMD. No numismatic premium

moursund

@BryceM said:
An Ike might slow a bullet, but no chance it will stop one from a .223. I'll try it out and report back next time I go to the range. As for what exactly will happen to you, your flab, and your hoddie...... it depends. The study of terminal ballistics is fabulously complicated and difficult to predict.

Don't try this at home, kids...

JBK

I am reminded of the company that some years ago introduced sunglasses that would stop shotgun pellets.

I am sure the lenses did stop the pellets, but they certainly didn't cancel the force of the projectiles. I imagine that the lenses would have become projectiles themselves as they were pushed into the wearer's face.

Namvet69

I have a piece of shrapnel from a ChiCom rocket that exploded behind me during an early morning barrage. I didn't have any coins on me, just a pocket full of mpc. Great toilet paper but not bullet proof. Peace Roy

Veep

An old-timer once showed me a V Nickel that he said was shot by Annie Oakley. It couldn’t be proven but she was known to do that in some of her shows.

Onastone

Waiting for a "Gun guy" to weigh in...calling @ricko !!!

@moursund said:

will enough of the bullet's energy be spent driving the coin into my flabby gut

I agree, the coin may stop the bullet but what will stop the coin? All that energy gets transferred to the next thing in line...

Jzyskowski1

22 short. Or 25. I have witnessed a 25 bounce off a genuine navy P-coat. Sorry, can’t provide more details than that. 🙀

Steven59

@JBK said:
On your replica the text looks like it is raised?

No, it's incuse.

ricko

It is possible....All depends on the caliber and the distance..... Many possibilities. Cheers, RickO

moursund

@Onastone said:
Waiting for a "Gun guy" to weigh in...calling @ricko !!!

@moursund said:

will enough of the bullet's energy be spent driving the coin into my flabby gut

I agree, the coin may stop the bullet but what will stop the coin? All that energy gets transferred to the next thing in line...

Sure, but big Ike-shaped bruise and maybe a cracked rib is better than a bullet going through you...

dbldie55

I have a Jefferson Nickel that stopped a bullet. See if I can find it.

relicsncoins

@Onastone said:
Waiting for a "Gun guy" to weigh in...calling @ricko !!!

@moursund said:

will enough of the bullet's energy be spent driving the coin into my flabby gut

I agree, the coin may stop the bullet but what will stop the coin? All that energy gets transferred to the next thing in line...

Depending on the size of the coin, that energy would be dissipated over a larger surface area.

moursund

@dbldie55 said:
I have a Jefferson Nickel that stopped a bullet. See if I can find it.

Is it embedded deep in your flesh somewhere? 🤔

ChangeInHistory

ricko

@ChangeInHistory ... It would appear that the cent did not stop the bullet.... Cheers, RickO

keets

Captain Dixen was at the battle of Shilo, and a double eagle was in his pocket that deflected a bullet that would have killed him. He had it engraved with "My life preserver. Shilo

if that's how he had it spelled, then somebody flunked English in school. Shiloh was a pretty historic Battle that took the lives of many brave Americans, we should at least spell it properly.

crito_is_baaack

If it was in a vest pocket then it passed through a couple layers of cloth and leather before hitting the coin. I've seen a misfired bullet just sitting on top of a pillow. It passed through the couch on the way there but technically I guess you can say the pillow stopped it.

Zoins

Can a Pocket Full of Change stop a Bullet?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ujBy3nxxNc

JesseKraft

Here is a Lincoln Peace medal that stopped a bullet from killing a member of the Ute tribe in Colorado in 1873. While it saved his life, he still considered it "heap bad medicine" because he felt that it should have kept the bullet away from him altogether. He sold it and, in 1917, it entered the ANS Collection. The lead bullet is still stuck to the reverse.

American Numismatic Society, 1917.161.1

Zoins

@JesseKraft said:
Here is a Lincoln Peace medal that stopped a bullet from killing a member of the Ute tribe in Colorado in 1873. While it saved his life, he still considered it "heap bad medicine" because he felt that it should have kept the bullet away from him altogether. He sold it and, in 1917, it entered the ANS Collection. The lead bullet is still stuck to the reverse.

American Numismatic Society, 1917.161.1

That's very interesting and I can appreciate the owner's perspective. I'd much rather not be shot at all!

Thanks for posting it along with the description

USMC_6115

@moursund said:

@BryceM said:
You'll probably find more of these stories in the days before high-velocity projectiles. Musket balls weren't terribly energetic by today's standards and they basically didn't pack enough punch to get through a coin. Some handgun rounds today might not get through a solid coin but some might. Today, even a little .223 projectile (typical AR-15 US military round) will punch through1/2" steel plate (regular steel - not the hardened stuff).

Makes sense. But if I have e.g. an Ike in the front pocket of my hoodie, and I get hit with a .223, will enough of the bullet's energy be spent driving the coin into my flabby gut, so the bullet won't pass through? (And it it does get through, will it be slowed enough to be less dangerous, or perhaps fragmented and more dangerous?)

I shot an IKE with my AR-15 .223 @ 25 yards. It went clean through it and the 3 2x4 boards behind it that I had standing against a stump. What was left of the bullet was lodged deep enough in the stump that I couldn't get it..

cmerlo1

I've posted this one before. It stopped a pellet from my air rifle when I was a kid. I thought it was cool that the pellet stuck, and I kept it.

JBK

@massscrew said:

@moursund said:

@BryceM said:
You'll probably find more of these stories in the days before high-velocity projectiles. Musket balls weren't terribly energetic by today's standards and they basically didn't pack enough punch to get through a coin. Some handgun rounds today might not get through a solid coin but some might. Today, even a little .223 projectile (typical AR-15 US military round) will punch through1/2" steel plate (regular steel - not the hardened stuff).

Makes sense. But if I have e.g. an Ike in the front pocket of my hoodie, and I get hit with a .223, will enough of the bullet's energy be spent driving the coin into my flabby gut, so the bullet won't pass through? (And it it does get through, will it be slowed enough to be less dangerous, or perhaps fragmented and more dangerous?)

I shot an IKE with my AR-15 .223 @ 25 yards. It went clean through it and the 3 2x4 boards behind it that I had standing against a stump. What was left of the bullet was lodged deep enough in the stump that I could get it..

I think the backing is critical.

With no support, in many cases the coin might get spun or tipped out if the way and suffer a huge dent. But when held in place in some form, it take the full force of the bullet, which is to say it gets holed.

USMC_6115

@JBK said:

@massscrew said:

@moursund said:

@BryceM said:
You'll probably find more of these stories in the days before high-velocity projectiles. Musket balls weren't terribly energetic by today's standards and they basically didn't pack enough punch to get through a coin. Some handgun rounds today might not get through a solid coin but some might. Today, even a little .223 projectile (typical AR-15 US military round) will punch through1/2" steel plate (regular steel - not the hardened stuff).

Makes sense. But if I have e.g. an Ike in the front pocket of my hoodie, and I get hit with a .223, will enough of the bullet's energy be spent driving the coin into my flabby gut, so the bullet won't pass through? (And it it does get through, will it be slowed enough to be less dangerous, or perhaps fragmented and more dangerous?)

I shot an IKE with my AR-15 .223 @ 25 yards. It went clean through it and the 3 2x4 boards behind it that I had standing against a stump. What was left of the bullet was lodged deep enough in the stump that I could get it..

I think the backing is critical.

With no support, in many cases the coin might get spun or tipped out if the way and suffer a huge dent. But when held in place in some form, it take the full force of the bullet, which is to say it gets holed.

Edited to post a pic

PerryHall

@keets said:
Captain Dixen was at the battle of Shilo, and a double eagle was in his pocket that deflected a bullet that would have killed him. He had it engraved with "My life preserver. Shilo

if that's how he had it spelled, then somebody flunked English in school. Shiloh was a pretty historic Battle that took the lives of many brave Americans, we should at least spell it properly.

It was a typo on my part. Thank you for pointing it out on a public forum. Hopefully I can return the favor some day.

keets

Perry, I think you already have in the past, so we're good.

1630Boston

I found this metal detecting
.
.

The Obv. says: "SHOT WITH REMINGTON RIFLE" and has a capital "A" in the center.
The Rev. says: "SHOT WITH REMINGTON CARTRIDGE" and says "KLEANBORE" IN THE CENTER.

I believe Remington UMC started using the "Kleanbore" trademark in 1926.

fiftysevener

@massscrew said:

@moursund said:

@BryceM said:
You'll probably find more of these stories in the days before high-velocity projectiles. Musket balls weren't terribly energetic by today's standards and they basically didn't pack enough punch to get through a coin. Some handgun rounds today might not get through a solid coin but some might. Today, even a little .223 projectile (typical AR-15 US military round) will punch through1/2" steel plate (regular steel - not the hardened stuff).

Makes sense. But if I have e.g. an Ike in the front pocket of my hoodie, and I get hit with a .223, will enough of the bullet's energy be spent driving the coin into my flabby gut, so the bullet won't pass through? (And it it does get through, will it be slowed enough to be less dangerous, or perhaps fragmented and more dangerous?)

I shot an IKE with my AR-15 .223 @ 25 yards. It went clean through it and the 3 2x4 boards behind it that I had standing against a stump. What was left of the bullet was lodged deep enough in the stump that I couldn't get it..

I shot a hole clean through a proof Ike with my .220 Swift. I'll see if I can find it.

AUandAG

Lots of things stop bullets....bibles, swords and coins. Just has to be the "right place at the right time".
I used to practice my quick draw with my .22 LR revolver on Kennedy Halves. I hit many of them but the bullet never went through that I recall as I spent them later.

JBK

@massscrew said:

@moursund said:

@BryceM said:
You'll probably find more of these stories in the days before high-velocity projectiles. Musket balls weren't terribly energetic by today's standards and they basically didn't pack enough punch to get through a coin. Some handgun rounds today might not get through a solid coin but some might. Today, even a little .223 projectile (typical AR-15 US military round) will punch through1/2" steel plate (regular steel - not the hardened stuff).

Makes sense. But if I have e.g. an Ike in the front pocket of my hoodie, and I get hit with a .223, will enough of the bullet's energy be spent driving the coin into my flabby gut, so the bullet won't pass through? (And it it does get through, will it be slowed enough to be less dangerous, or perhaps fragmented and more dangerous?)

I shot an IKE with my AR-15 .223 @ 25 yards. It went clean through it and the 3 2x4 boards behind it that I had standing against a stump. What was left of the bullet was lodged deep enough in the stump that I couldn't get it..

OK I'm on to you.

This post isn't really about a shot-up Ike, it's about you punching a hole in it at 75 feet.

moursund

@AUandAG said:
Lots of things stop bullets....bibles, swords and coins. Just has to be the "right place at the right time".
I used to practice my quick draw with my .22 LR revolver on Kennedy Halves. I hit many of them but the bullet never went through that I recall as I spent them later.

Quick draw, hitting a Kennedy half that has been spun into the air? Impressive!

moursund

@fiftysevener said:

@massscrew said:

@moursund said:

@BryceM said:
You'll probably find more of these stories in the days before high-velocity projectiles. Musket balls weren't terribly energetic by today's standards and they basically didn't pack enough punch to get through a coin. Some handgun rounds today might not get through a solid coin but some might. Today, even a little .223 projectile (typical AR-15 US military round) will punch through1/2" steel plate (regular steel - not the hardened stuff).

Makes sense. But if I have e.g. an Ike in the front pocket of my hoodie, and I get hit with a .223, will enough of the bullet's energy be spent driving the coin into my flabby gut, so the bullet won't pass through? (And it it does get through, will it be slowed enough to be less dangerous, or perhaps fragmented and more dangerous?)

I shot an IKE with my AR-15 .223 @ 25 yards. It went clean through it and the 3 2x4 boards behind it that I had standing against a stump. What was left of the bullet was lodged deep enough in the stump that I couldn't get it..

...

I shot a hole clean through a proof Ike with my .220 Swift. I'll see if I can find it.

.
.
Sounds like you have some hateful grudge against Ike...?

JBK

@moursund said:

@fiftysevener said:

@massscrew said:

@moursund said:

@BryceM said:
You'll probably find more of these stories in the days before high-velocity projectiles. Musket balls weren't terribly energetic by today's standards and they basically didn't pack enough punch to get through a coin. Some handgun rounds today might not get through a solid coin but some might. Today, even a little .223 projectile (typical AR-15 US military round) will punch through1/2" steel plate (regular steel - not the hardened stuff).

Makes sense. But if I have e.g. an Ike in the front pocket of my hoodie, and I get hit with a .223, will enough of the bullet's energy be spent driving the coin into my flabby gut, so the bullet won't pass through? (And it it does get through, will it be slowed enough to be less dangerous, or perhaps fragmented and more dangerous?)

I shot an IKE with my AR-15 .223 @ 25 yards. It went clean through it and the 3 2x4 boards behind it that I had standing against a stump. What was left of the bullet was lodged deep enough in the stump that I couldn't get it..

...

I shot a hole clean through a proof Ike with my .220 Swift. I'll see if I can find it.

.
.
Sounds like you have some hateful grudge against Ike...?

Or proof coins.

WillieBoyd2

Does anyone here have a bullet that stopped a coin?

moursund

@WillieBoyd2 said:
Does anyone here have a bullet that stopped a coin?

Or a bullet that stopped a con? (or ex-con)

ifthevamzarockin

None of these were stopped by a coin.

moursund

@ifthevamzarockin said:
None of these were stopped by a coin.

I didn't realize you collected old copper...