THE CASE OF THE HOLLOW NICKEL 上市 Deposited
The E-Sylum: Volume 5, Number 46, November 17, 2002, Article 6
THE CASE OF THE HOLLOW NICKEL
Ed Krivoniak found an interesting article on the FBI's
web site, about the famous spy case involving a hollow
nickel. Here are a few excerpts. Follow the link for the
complete article."After he collected for the newspaper, Jimmy left the
apartment house jingling several coins in his left hand.
One of the coins seemed to have a peculiar ring. The
newsboy rested this coin, a nickel, on the middle finger
of his hand. It felt lighter than an ordinary nickel.He dropped this coin to the floor. It fell apart! Inside
was a tiny photograph -- apparently a picture of a series
of numbers.Two days later (Wednesday, June 24, 1953) during a
discussion of another investigation, a detective of the New
York City Police Department told a Federal Bureau of
Investigation (FBI) Agent about the strange hollow nickel
which, he had heard, was discovered by a Brooklyn youth.
The detective had received his information from another
police officer whose daughter was acquainted with the
newsboy.When the New York detective contacted him, Jimmy
handed over the hollow nickel and the photograph it
contained. The detective, in turn, gave the coin to the FBI.In examining the nickel, Agents of the FBI's New York
Office noted that the microphotograph appeared to portray
nothing more then ten columns of typewritten numbers.
There was five digits in each number and 21 numbers in most
columns. The Agents immediately suspected that they had
found a coded espionage message. They carefully wrapped
the nickel and microphotograph for shipment to the FBI
Laboratory.Upon its receipt in Washington on June 26, 1953, the nickel
was subjected to the thorough scrutiny of a team of FBI
scientific experts. Hollow coins, though rarely seen by the
ordinary citizen, are occasionally used in magic acts and
come to the attention of Federal law enforcement agencies
from time to time. This was the first time, however, that the
FBI had ever encountered a nickel quite like this one.The face of the coin was a 1948 Jefferson nickel. In the "R"
of the word "TRUST", there was a tiny hole -- obviously
drilled there so that a fine needle or other small instrument
could be inserted to force the nickel open.The reverse side had been made from another nickel --
one minted sometime during the period of 1942 to 1945.
It was composed of copper-silver alloy, there being a
shortage of nickel during World War II.""An investigation which had started with a newsboy's hollow
nickel ultimately resulted in the smashing of a Soviet spy ring.
On February 10, 1962, Rudolf Ivanovich Abel was
exchanged for the American U-2 pilot, Francis Gary Powers,
who was a prisoner of the Soviet Union."- 2002-11-17
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