Coin-Based Apports: Advancements on Multiple Agency Anomalous Events

Introduction: In parapsychology, the term apport is used to describe the anomalous appearance or transference of objects to other locations (Cardeña et al., 2015), and presumable instances of this phenomena has been mainly documented in physical mediumship cases during the Spiritualism apogee, between 1850 and 1920 (Irwin & Watt, 2014). Even so, the phenomenon has also been studied in non-mediumistic settings in the last 100 years, although the number of well-documented cases (Krippner et al., 1996; Grattan-Guinness, 1999; Braude, 2007; Krippner, 2011; Gimeno, 2015; Braude, 2016; Gimeno & Burgo, 2017) is quite small. 

Methods: The case at hand develops in Mexico City, surrounding a married couple, including a man (56 years old) and a woman (45 years old) whom we will refer to as HM and LP, respectively, both unaffiliated to mediumship, and with presumably recurrent apports since 2016. The apported objects are usually well-preserved coins from Mexico and other countries, but medals, dead flowers, and even apples have been reported to appear as well. The phenomena seem to be mostly linked to HM, although apports have also been documented when only LP is present. 

Since the onset of the phenomena, HM has emotionally journeyed through fear, curiosity, and finally acceptance. He also has physically traveled to China, India, Turkey, and Japan, studying acupuncture and distant healing, in his search for answers. He even has taken parapsychological courses at the Rhine Education Center and the Koestler Parapsychology Unit. Finally, he has mentioned on multiple occasions that he has no interest in economic gains or fame; we believe he is truly driven by scientific inquiry. 

The case has been explored through two phases. The methodological approach and early results of the first phase were presented at the SSE-PA Connections 2021 convention (D’León, 2021), and involved several qualitative and quantitative measurements, especially with HM, including: 

1. The installation of six HD cameras, all with 15 meters infrared and audio recording capabilities and up to 10 days of continuous recordings on each device 

2. The video analysis of recordings and supplementary videographic material provided by HM and LP, including 30 minutes before and 15 minutes after each event 

3. A numismatic analysis of the Mexican coins 

4. Unstructured interviews with HM, LP, and their employees, regarding the social dynamic, cultural backgrounds, and family history 

5. Neurological, psychological, and clinical studies of HM, including electroencephalography (EEG), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), psychometric scales, and medical laboratory tests 

6. Documentation of most of the phenomenology of each apport, including the object’s picture, description, date, time, location, and subjective perception of the experience. 

The second phase was designed around a clinical parapsychological approach, requesting the help of three mediums (two certified by either the Windbridge Institute or the Forever Family Foundation) and a shaman, due to an additional agency seemingly unrelated to HM or LP. The characteristics of Ventola & colleagues Transliminal Dis-Ease Model of Poltergeist Agents (2019) were also considered. 

Results: The most relevant videos of the analyses include: 

• Three recordings where coins were barely out of range of the camera, 

• Three where the coin appears on camera, but the point of origin wasn’t covered, and 
• Two where a camera records the procedure of the coin being apported in real time, which can be seen at youtu.be/AWadO_amPZc and youtu.be/bdIjzUF6nXQ 

The initial studies didn’t include LP, as it was assumed HM was the main agent of the phenomena. Most of the neurological and clinical studies of HM were within normal limits: 

• EEG results were normal, without focal or generalized epileptic activity. 

• MRI exploration showed no evidence of intracranial hemorrhage, infarct, midline shift, or mass effect. 
• Clinical analyses were mostly normal, though a pre-diabetes diagnosis was found. 
• Complete blood count showed no relevant alterations. 
• Urine analysis and thyroid profile were within normal limits. 
• According to the Wechsler scale, HM has an average-brilliant intelligence. Further dfexploration revealed depressive episodes and the diagnosis of Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder. 

At least 61 apported coins have been documented inside their houses since the onset of the phenomena, and another 38 since the installation of the cameras. Nonetheless, fruits and withered plants have also been reported or recorded, as well as raps, whispers, scents, and orbs. Updated analyses, additional tests, and the results of the clinical parapsychological approach will be discussed at the convention.