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The US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has shared a photo of three Malaysian coins found at the base of a statue of an honoured American spy in front of its headquarters in Langley, Virginia
The post, part of the agency's regular social media series, reads 'Artifact of the Week: Coins Left at the Statue of Nathan Hale'.
In the photo, the three coins — 20 sen, 10 sen, and 5 sen — seem to be relatively new, minted in 2017 and 2018, and marked in black ink with drawings resembling a boy, a girl, and an animal paw.
Artifact of the Week: Coins Left at the Statue of Nathan Hale
— CIA (@CIA) July 15, 2025
Learn more: https://t.co/bhyUFYvkDC pic.twitter.com/koqZCPQZtS
The CIA included a link to its website explaining the statue and a longstanding tradition associated with it
According to the CIA, Hale, described as the United States' first intelligence officer, is commemorated with a statue outside the agency's original headquarters for his dedication to the country.
"The statue captures the spirit of the moment before Hale's execution — a 21-year-old man prepared to meet his death for the country with honour, hands, and feet bound, face resolute, and his eyes on the horizon," read the entry.
The agency said the statue is a "continuing reminder to its employees of the duties and sacrifices of an intelligence officer".
Over the years, it said a tradition developed where officers would leave coins at Hale's statue before being deployed overseas
"According to legend, doing so will bring good luck and ensure that Hale will keep the officers safe on their mission," it said.
Typically, officers leave a US quarter bearing the face of George Washington, whom Hale served under during the American Revolutionary War.
However, some would opt to leave 76 cents to commemorate 1776, the year Hale died, or "small foreign denominations with personalised markings like these", referring to the Malaysian coins.
The CIA did not elaborate on the featured coins
However, it added that all coins left at the statue are eventually collected by the CIA Museum and donated to the CIA Officers Memorial Foundation and the Third Option Foundation, which support injured officers and the families of fallen agents.
