(PCM) Many may not know this, but Frank Sinatra, otherwise known as Ol’ Blue Eyes, had an obsession with dimes. However, he was not always a collector! His obsession with the ten cent coins began for much more sinister reasons.
Sinatra’s son, Frankie Sinatra, Jr was kidnapped on December 8, 1963 and the performer ended up paying out $240,000 dollars in ransom money to the kidnappers before his son was returned to him unharmed. While the kidnappers were eventually apprehended and most of Sinatra’s ransom payout was returned, he was certainly scarred for life over the ordeal.
During the time that his son was being held hostage, Sinatra was forced to communicate with the kidnappers via various payphones throughout the city. He always needed to have dimes on hand in order to make the calls, if not he feared he would never see his son again. Even after his son was returned, Sinatra was so traumatized that he always made sure to carry at least ten dimes in his pocket at all times, as he never wanted to run out of change.
It was later revealed that upon his death Sinatra was even buried with ten dimes in his pocket. His daughter Tina revealed that her father was buried with all of his favorite things which included not only the dimes, but a bottle of Jack, a Zippo lighter and a pack of Camel cigarettes. His children placed the dimes in his pocket to carry him on his final journey and ease his fears of not having enough change for the payphone calls.
There you have it! Definitely an odd obsession, but one that certainly makes a ton of sense given the circumstances.