The E-Sylum:  Volume 4, Number 24, June 10, 2001, Article 2

HUNLEY LUCKY GOLD COIN 

   David Cassel reports: "I, for one, saw the bit on The History 
   Channel, a sad but interesting piece of romantic history." 

   David Gladfelter writes: "Yes, I did see the History Channel 
   segment on the Dixon-Hunley coin.  They resisted the 
   temptation to make it sappy, and best of all, they had excellent 
   photos of the coin including a close-up of the engraving.  They 
   also had archival illustrations to go with the story." 

   Photos of the famous "lucky coin" recovered from the 
   Confederate submarine Hunley are available on the salvage 
   organization's  web site (http://www.hunley.org).  Go to 
   "Excavation", then "May 25, 2001".  The photos also 
   appeared this week in a cover article by William T. Gibbs 
   in the June 18th issue of COIN World.  From the web 
   site: 

   "The long-awaited treasure of the H. L. Hunley, Lt. George 
   Dixon’s gold coin was found inside the submarine.  Dr. Robert 
   Neyland, Project Director says, “the coin was found by Dixon’s 
   remains and in the middle of some textiles, possibly he kept it in 
   his pants pocket.” 

   The coin is bent, true to the story that a bullet hit the coin and 
   saved Lt. Dixon’s leg and life.  The story goes  that his 
   sweetheart, Queenie Bennett gave him a 20-dollar United 
   States gold piece for luck, he kept it with him in his pants 
   pocket.  On April 6, 1862, in the Battle of Shiloh, Lt. Dixon 
   was shot in the leg.  Luckily when he was shot, the bullet hit 
   the gold piece, in essence saving his life.  It was told that 
   Dixon always kept that lucky coin with him and it now appears 
   that he truly did. 

   The coin was minted in 1860 and one side has lady liberty, it 
   was the side the bullet hit.  The other side has the Federal 
   shield and eagle symbol.  That side appears to be sanded and 
   has an inscription in cursive script that reads in four lines: 
   Shiloh April 6, 1862 My life Preserver G. E. D. (Lt. Dixon’s 
   initials) 

   The coin has been removed from the Warren Lasch 
   Conservation Center and is now in a secured location." 
   http://hunley.org/html/frame.htm 

  Wayne Homren, Editor

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