I've heard of that coin before and it was what initially popped into my head when I read the title of the OP. I remember when it was discovered. You beat me to the punch though.
I often give out gifts of lucky coins. One time it was 1967 Canadian nickels with the rabbit on the obverse. Other times it has been lucky cents (pennies), with the message "keep me and never go broke." Sometimes folks tell me about their good luck after receiving the lucky coin. One woman met her husband shortly after getting their lucky coin, another person made a bunch of money in the stock market after receiving their luck. I did have one person complain that their luck turned a lot worse, so I told that person to leave the coin somewhere for someone else to find, and maybe it would bring that next person better luck.
Dixon's double eagle was only good for one lifesaving, unfortunately. Didn't help him the next time around.
But to me it is the quintessential American treasure.
I would rather own that than an 1804 dollar. Of course it is in a museum where it belongs.
Luck with a lucky coin? Why, yes, as a matter of fact. These lucky finds both brought me luck. In each instance, they were in very close proximity to other goodies when I dug them.
Here are two of the ones I've found while detecting. I think finding them rather than buying them makes the luck stronger.
The third piece is not a "good luck" piece but was found right next to the second one, so you might say it was a result of the luck working immediately. I'd love to learn more about it.
DD-114- "Swami" Good Luck token (ca. 1933); found 2/15/1995, Brunswick, GA. I believe these were associated with the 1933 World's Fair somehow, or so I have been told. Found in one of my favorite "hotspots", this piece was astonishingly shallow in the ground and remarkably well preserved. If my finds from the immediate vicinity were any indicator, its lucky magic worked well for me. Note the swastikas, which were still in use as a good luck symbol. Ironically, 1933 was the year the Nazis took power in Germany. The swastika on the crystal ball is counterclockwise, as the ancient Zoroastrians rendered it, while the one on the reverse of the token is clockwise, like the Nazi version. Though not really rare, this is a favorite find of mine.
DD-284- Green River Whiskey "Good Luck" token (ca. 1935); found 7/31/2005, Ridge Spring, SC. I don't know if it is lucky to drink Green River Whiskey, but it is lucky to find their tokens! While we visited a nice old bed & breakfast inn, the innkeepers graciously let me detect the yard. I found this token very near another old token (see below), around the base of an old pine tree, so perhaps they were dropped by a child playing. A 1908 Indian cent (DD-283) was found not too far away, that same night. A previous visit to the same yard in October 2003 had produced an 1893 Indian cent (DD-265). The innkeeper's husband took a liking to this, so I bought him a nicer example online and had it shipped to them.
DD-285- Company M, 6th Infantry token- 5c (ca. late 1800s/early 1900s, octagonal); found 7/31/2005, Ridge Spring, SC. Found the same night and under the same tree as DD-284, above, I suspect this piece is a bit older, though it was likely dropped around the same time. I have a hunch it could be from the Spanish-American War era, and suspect it does not date much later than WW1. I've been unable to find out much about it, though, short of the guess that it is a military post exchange or sutler's token of some kind.
Comments
Lucky coin a/k/a Dixon's lifepreserver
www.brunkauctions.com
it is a great story thx savoy
But to me it is the quintessential American treasure.
I would rather own that than an 1804 dollar. Of course it is in a museum where it belongs.
Luck with a lucky coin? Why, yes, as a matter of fact. These lucky finds both brought me luck. In each instance, they were in very close proximity to other goodies when I dug them.
Here are two of the ones I've found while detecting. I think finding them rather than buying them makes the luck stronger.
The third piece is not a "good luck" piece but was found right next to the second one, so you might say it was a result of the luck working immediately. I'd love to learn more about it.
DD-114- "Swami" Good Luck token (ca. 1933); found 2/15/1995, Brunswick, GA.
I believe these were associated with the 1933 World's Fair somehow, or so I have been told. Found in one of
my favorite "hotspots", this piece was astonishingly shallow in the ground and remarkably well preserved.
If my finds from the immediate vicinity were any indicator, its lucky magic worked well for me. Note the swastikas,
which were still in use as a good luck symbol. Ironically, 1933 was the year the Nazis took power in Germany.
The swastika on the crystal ball is counterclockwise, as the ancient Zoroastrians rendered it, while the one on
the reverse of the token is clockwise, like the Nazi version. Though not really rare, this is a favorite find of mine.
DD-284- Green River Whiskey "Good Luck" token (ca. 1935); found 7/31/2005, Ridge Spring, SC.
I don't know if it is lucky to drink Green River Whiskey, but it is lucky to find their tokens! While we visited a nice old bed & breakfast inn,
the innkeepers graciously let me detect the yard. I found this token very near another old token (see below), around the base of an old
pine tree, so perhaps they were dropped by a child playing. A 1908 Indian cent (DD-283) was found not too far away, that same night.
A previous visit to the same yard in October 2003 had produced an 1893 Indian cent (DD-265). The innkeeper's husband took a liking to this,
so I bought him a nicer example online and had it shipped to them.
DD-285- Company M, 6th Infantry token- 5c (ca. late 1800s/early 1900s, octagonal); found 7/31/2005, Ridge Spring, SC.
Found the same night and under the same tree as DD-284, above, I suspect this piece is a bit older, though it was likely dropped
around the same time. I have a hunch it could be from the Spanish-American War era, and suspect it does not date much later than WW1.
I've been unable to find out much about it, though, short of the guess that it is a military post exchange or sutler's token of some kind.
Other interesting old tokens I've found
Everyone has luck with a lucky coin
It's just not always good luck