Coin Slots: Real and Counterfeit (2024)

As body modifications change and evolve over time, piercings that started out as seeming extreme can begin to be seen as more common or even somewhat tame. Coin slots, a type of tissue removal of the ear, showed up on the internet in roughly the last decade and made a huge impact! However, not everyone can get one and the risk is far greater than with many other modifications. This doesn’t mean you can’t emulate a bit of the look though.

First of all, what is a coin slot? A coin slot is usually a narrow, vertical rectangle of tissue that the body modification artist completely removes from the ear and stiches the edges to create a permanent opening. It looks like the slot where you’d put your coin into a vending machine. It’s most frequently done next to the helix but can be performed wherever on the ear one has enough tissue and the artist is comfortable. As you can tell, this is indeed a bit more extreme than getting a piercing and requires an artist with vast experience and talent. (PLEASE do your research if you’re planning on getting one!!!!!) Also, this modification is not legal everywhere as it’s often considered minor surgery. So, you’ll need to check the legal statutes for your area and may have to travel if you decide to get one.

You may be wondering at this point why someone may want to get a coin slot….. in which case we encourage you to do an image search because they look AMAZING! They are generally filled with a variety of circular jewelry – captive rings, segment rings, horseshoes – all stacked on top of each other for a bohemian effect of studied carelessness. It’s one of those mods that will have people stopping you on the street to ask you about your ear.

Ok, so now you’re all fired up about coin slots and you love the look, but you are unable to get the mod…. right? Here’s a trick – you can get the look without the slot! All you need is a stretched piercing – most commonly used are earlobe or septum. The stretched piercing needs to be fully healed before you do this. How much it’s stretched is up to you and how many rings you want to use as well as what gauge they are. You simply insert multiple rings into the piercing. Ideally, you might want to use a larger diameter ring on the bottom and stack rings of increasingly narrower diameter on top for best visibility. You might find that with an earlobe, the weight of the rings may continue to stretch your piercing. In that case you can choose to add more rings or simply remove them and allow your piercing to shrink back a little.

Body modification is an ever-evolving art form that has truly expanded and blossomed over time. New piercings may come and go, while some remain eternal. A coin slot may be a simple shift in the sands of time – we’ll have to wait and see. That said, it is most certainly eternal in that it is very, very permanent once it’s done. So if you don’t want to run the risk or live in an area where a coin slot is not attainable, you can still get the look without getting the mod.

Happy piercing!