The Hollow Nickel Case
How did a coin expose a spy?
4.4 (34)
38 mins
Discover the bizarre Cold War mystery of the Hollow Nickel, a seemingly ordinary five-cent coin that was found to contain a tiny photographic message. Explore how a newspaper boy discovered the hollowed-out coin in Brooklyn in 1953 and how the hidden message eventually led investigators toward a Soviet espionage network.
Ep 1:
A Nickel That Shouldn't Have Split
A Brooklyn paperboy's dropped nickel splits open to reveal hidden microfilm, launching the FBI into a four-year standoff with an unbreakable Soviet code.
Ep 2:
The Spy Behind the Coin
Meet William Fischer, the master Soviet illegal who built the coin and ran a Brooklyn-based spy network—and the alcoholic, unreliable assistant whose defection would finally crack it open.
Ep 3:
Defection, Trial, and a Bridge in the Snow
A defector's confession decodes the nickel's secret, leads the FBI to "Mark," and sets off a trial, a razor-thin Supreme Court ruling, and a historic prisoner swap.
Ep 4:
What the Nickel Couldn't Tell Us
Beyond the courtroom lies an unanswered question: how much of Fischer's nine-year spy network was never found, and what makes a failed spy gadget a museum treasure?
Discussions (5)
Ward
Level 5 · 1 week agoThe part about the one-time pad being mathematically unbreakable hits hard. Four years of the best cryptanalysts getting nowhere, and one defector cracks it in a conversation.
Paddy
Level 6 · 1 week agoSo Hayhanen literally stole $5000 meant for a spy's wife and blew it on himself. What a clown.
Gus
Level 4 · 1 week agoThe part about Hayhanen spending the $5000 meant for Sobell's wife on himself got me. Dude was sent to do serious spy work and was basically just vibing and stealing money the whole time
