Wacky Hawaii Law – No Coins in The Ears

photo by iMorpheus

In Hawaii it is illegal to place coins in one’s ears.

The state motto of Hawaii is “the life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness”, taken from the royal motto of Hawaii when it was its own kingdom.  Maybe the reason it is illegal to put coins in the ears is because some of the Hawaiian coins are so rare.

In 1900, when Hawaii became part of the United States, the order came down to destroy all Kingdom of Hawaii coins and for Hawaii to move to the US’s monetary system.  That’s why silver coins minted between 1883 and 1884 are so hard to find.

An interesting fact about these coins is that although they were Kingdom of Hawaii coins, they were actually minted in the United States.  January 29, 1874 marked the day that the US Mint was granted permission via an Act of Congress to mint coins for foreign countries.  These silver coins minted between 1883 and 1884 (but all stamped 1883) were produced at the Philadelphia and San Francisco Mints.

So, if you happen to run across one of these rare coins, be aware that a coin collector would pay a pretty (pun TOTALLY intended) penny for them.

But if you happen to go to Hawaii with them, just keep them out of your ears.