This episode of Curiosity Trek! dives into the history behind the legendary “Life Preserver” of Lieutenant George Dixon – a gold $20 coin which saved his life at the Battle of Shiloh in the American Civil War. He carried this coin with him everywhere he went - even during the Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley’s fateful run in February 1864. This tale was originally thought to be legend, but myth became fact when the coin was discovered among Dixon’s remains inside the Hunley.

Hunley expert Mike Scafuri of the Warren-Lasch Conservation Center in Charleston joins host Andrew Davis to elaborate on this fascinating artifact!