African magic in Wild West Saloon

These two coins were found beneath the floorboards of the Boston Saloon, an African American establishment operated by William Brown, a freeborn black from Massachusetts. who came to Virginia City, Nevada at least by 1863. Brown operated his business on D Street in Virginia City between 1866 and 1875. The 1865 half dollar would have been new when it was altered and placed beneath the floorboards. This practice is consistent with damaged coins found beneath slave cabins in the south, including at lease one associated with someone who reputedly practiced magic.

The custom of altering coins for good luck was an element of folklore brought to the New World from West Africa by abducted people who were sold into slavery. Before the discovery of this coin in 2000, the most western example of an altered coin hidden beneath floorboards came from Texas. This Virginia City example extends to practice into the Wild West.

Hiding material in the foundation or in the walls of a building is common internationally. In Europe, this often takes the form of a shoe. Elsewhere, people often left a sacrificed animal to act as the guardian for the structure. Alerted coins are more typical of West African and African American culture.