Annie Oakley Gunshot Napoleon Coin

By Mike Unser


PBS’ History Detectives is dedicated to exploring historical mysteries that will, on Monday, investigate whether a 1853 French Napoleon coin was split by sharpshooter Annie Oakley.
Annie Oakley was a superstar attraction in Buffalo Bill Cody’s Wild West Show who became famous by performing daring shooting feats.

Annie’s marksmanship skills dazzled audiences by edge-splitting playing cards, snuffing out candles, and, of course, shooting coins.

Legendary Native American and Sioux warrior Sitting Bull, also in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show in the 1880’s, called Annie "Little Sure Shot."

And here’s where we return to Monday’s first History Detectives episode of season 6. Host Elyse Luray will take viewers through an investigative journey to try and uncover whether an inherited Napoleon coin full of family lore was indeed shot by Oakley.

Imagine the value of the Napoleon coin should evidence support the lore.

A video sneak peak of Season 6 highlights a portion of the show, where Luray "conducts ballistics tests, scours the Buffalo Bill Historical Center archives and recreates one of Oakley’s sure shots."

A contributor from Bath, Maine has an 1853 French Napoleon coin with a bent, split edge and a great bit of family lore: it’s said that the coin was shot by Annie Oakley and that Annie herself gave the coin to two of the contributor’s great-grand uncles.

It doesn’t look like any of the souvenir coins the Wild West icon typically handed out to her many fans. Can we prove that the sharp-shooting star of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show shot up the coin for the two brothers – and turn family lore into bona fide bragging rights?

To find out, History Detectives conducts ballistics tests, scours the Buffalo Bill Historical Center archives and recreates one of Oakley’s sure shots.