Hollow Spy Coins, Hidden Codes, and a Spy Swap with the Soviets

The following may sound like scenes from a James Bond movie.  However, they are real life occurrences of the mid 1900’s.

Part of this story begins with a 14-year-old newspaper boy, Jimmy Bozart, who was given a nickel in change in 1953.

Another part begins with a top-secret flight mission over the hostile skies of the Soviet Union in 1960.

These two stories meet up with each other and come to a close on February 10th, 1962, when the USA and the Soviets make an exchange of a Spy for a Spy.

You might be wondering how the two events, nine years apart, came to connect?

Let’s start with the nickel.  Innocently enough, Jimmy (the newspaper boy), was given a nickel and some other change by a woman while delivering the Brooklyn Eagle to her.  He later accidentally dropped the nickel and the coin fell apart. It split in half! Picking it up, he noticed it was a hollowed-out coin containing a tiny piece of microfilm hidden within the coin’s empty space.  He decided to take the coin and microfilm to the police. They later notified the FBI.

The FBI examined the microfilm and concluded it was a definite coded message of some sort.  Columns of numbers filled the small mysterious sheet hidden inside the coin.  Even though the FBI could not decipher and read the message, they did, however, deduce the typewriter used to print the code was of foreign make.  That was as far as they got.

It would be years before a break in the case came along.  It came in form of a call for help.  In 1957 the US received communication from a Soviet Spy wanting to defect.  His name was Reino Hayhanen.  Hayhanen is known to have provided the FBI with information on an operational Soviet Spy Ring based in NYC in order to be protected and safely defect. With his help, the FBI was finally able to decipher the message found inside the coin.  Incidentally, it had actually been a message to Hayhanen himself. For some reason he never received it and the coin ended up circulating New York to later be found by Jimmy.

It was learned the Soviet Spy Ring had used numerous hollow coins, bolts, and other hollowed out objects to pass information between each other.  And with Hayhanen’s assistance, Rudolf Abel, an active Soviet Spy of the time, was captured. He was charged with espionage, convicted, and imprisoned.

So from the discovery of a curious nickel, and its hidden message, a sinister Russian Spy, located in NYC, was able to be apprehended.

Maybe there are other stray coins out there to be found?  However, be careful when opening them.  Some of them conceal more dangerous material than hidden codes on microfilm. This is where the last part of our story comes in.

The Soviets weren’t the only ones using hollowed out gadgets to hide important items.  The US was in on it too.  In 1960, Gary Powers, CIA U-2 Pilot, was given orders to fly over Soviet air space in effort to photograph and document sensitive Russian sites.   Unfortunately, he was shot down on his mission.

Before setting off on his daring flight mission, however, he was given a half dollar.  This coin was hollowed-out and contained a suicide poison. Hidden within his Spy Coin was a needle laced with a deadly shellfish toxin.  He was to use this on himself if he was shot down or came into trouble.  Curiously, he didn’t, and was captured and imprisoned by the Soviets instead.

Relatively soon after, though, it was agreed upon by the Soviets and the USA, that on February 10^th, 1962, the two Spies imprisoned by each would be exchanged.  The USA decided to hand over Abel for the return of Powers.  The swap was a success.

The Hollow Coin of the interesting and historical FBI case has been re-produced by Spy-Coins.com.  It is complete with a replica of the tiny piece of Microfilm hidden within the coin.  It makes a great historical gift for anyone with an interest in spy or war memorabilia.

Spy-coins also fashions other Hollow Coins and Objects.  So fun!  Below is a video showing an example of the excellent Hollow Coins and Hollow Bolts Spy-Coins creates.  We also show how they work!

Check it out!