Hollow spy coins

200810161559

Brian Dereu, a wonderful MAKE magazine contributor, has started a new business selling hollow spy coins.

During the Cold War, Spies from both the East
and West used Hollow Coins to ferry secret
messages, suicide poisons, and microfilms
undetected. On May 1st, 1960 U2 Pilot Gary
Francis Powers was shot down over the
Soviet Union and taken captive. In his
possession was a hollow silver dollar
containing a poisoned needle that was to be
used to take his own life in such a
circumstance. For one reason or another, he
did not use it and was held for 21 months by
the Soviets. He was then exchanged for
Soviet spy KGB Colonel Vilyam Fisher (aka
Rudolf Abel) at the Glienicke Bridge, in Berlin,
Germany. Colonel Fisher was also no
stranger to hollow coins…his original capture
by the United States FBI was directly related
to a hollow nickel that was used to transport
microfilm.

On the following pages are exact duplicates
of Cold War Spy Coins. They are all precision
machined from actual coins, and are
absolutely indistinguishable from a solid coin
to the naked eye. They can be safely handled
without danger of separation, and can easily
circulate without detection. These exact
replicas are proudly made in The USA.

Hollow spy coins