Odd coin embedded table found at town dump -
MaineJim
Posts: 749 ✭✭✭✭✭
I found this table tossed in the metal pile at our town dump today and thought it was worth rescuing before they crushed the pile. Anyone ever seen anything like it? World Coins and tokens with a few US large cents from 1798 and 1820's & 30's in mostly cull state embedded in it with a scene that looks to me like a treasure chest with a ship in the distances. The table is quire heavy.
Jim
Tagged:
49
Comments
Very cool!
YES, Very Cool
Mike
My Indians
Danco Set
Cool, maybe it can be restored without damaging what’s left of the coins. That could be a fun project.
Mr_Spud
Some of those coins look like old silver. Are you able to remove them from the table without destroying them?
I'd keep it as is. It's a pirate and his booty, with the pirate ship in the background.
Really cool unique item with wrought iron base. Probably worth a few dollars to the right person.
Maybe Polyurethane would be an easy way to restore it to a protective and usable state? Some type of clear coat. I think I'd leave all the coins in there. There is one 1/2 cent bank token that is interesting. Anyone have any idea on age with something like this?
Jim
I see lots of 19th century coins, especially French.
There are French, Canadian, US, German and others that I haven't identified yet. Some are worn completely flat and others easy to identify. The 1799 US cent is just a guess as the last digit is partially worn. I'm going to leave as is also.
Jim
Interesting find!
My YouTube Channel
One man's trash is another pirate's treasure!
Considering the value of a 1799 cent, I'm guessing that it's a 1798.
I hadn't looked the values up so you could be right. From the quick look I just thought it looked like a couple 9's but it could just as easily be a 1798.
Jim
If a 1799 that would be a huge score. Cna you add close ups of the other coins sections. You seem to have a 1 Peso Maximilian as well from Mexico.
I could not help myself I would find a way to get the coins out if that is even possible. Acetone the silver ones and go from there.
NFL: Buffalo Bills & Green Bay Packers
You seem to have some coins from Mexico in there not only that Peso us Mexican collectors would love to see up close images of section to see what you really have.
NFL: Buffalo Bills & Green Bay Packers
Okay - here are some more. There about 50 coins in the table and I didn't take photos of them all but here are ten more. As I mentioned many are now pretty toasted...but interesting to look at. A work of art really.
Jim
Okay - one more group of photos.
Jim
I think those coins are meant to be in the table at this point. I'd be afraid that if you removed them you'd end up with a ruined table and wrecked coins.
I agree - I'm not taking them out. The only thing I wonder is what do the other sides of those slicks look like and what exactly are they! Still they are staying in the table at this point.
Jim
You could treat it like a coin hoard, archaeologically: get a latest-possible-date for each of the coins. The table might be younger but can't be older than the youngest coin.
Another consideration is the material its made from. I can't tell what the grey stuff the coins are embedded in is - looks like concrete but might be fiberglass or some kind of resin.
Looks like the outer border where most of the coins are was originally painted red, though this could be a later alteration.
You could also check with antique furniture people, to see if they can date it based on the style of artwork, or the form of the legs. "Early 20th century" would be my guess.
Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, "Meditations"
Apparently I have been awarded one DPOTD.
I'm guessing mid to late-50's.
I'd leave it as is. A lot of work went into it. Good conversation piece. Wonder what Antique Roadshow would think about it
Wonder if the pirate is waving goodbye or waving for help.
Very cool, very unique as-is. Whatever its ultimate fate, kudos for rescuing it.
If we were all the same, the world would be an incredibly boring place.
Tommy
Another thing I wonder about is if you put all that work into it - why put in some coins worn beyond recognition. It does add to the mystery of the thing. Here is a photo from underneath. It appears to be a rusted metal base with hand drawn lines marking where they drilled. The table weighs about 30 pounds.
Jim
Looks like the coins are embedded in cement that used to be painted. Perhaps clean the red paint off the cement, patch it here and there, polish the inlaid scene to a nice shine, and then cover the whole thing with a clear epoxy. Some sanding and Rustoleum will take care of the base.
Edit: A power washer might clean up the cement nicely.
Keeper of the VAM Catalog • Professional Coin Imaging • Prime Number Set • World Coins in Early America • British Trade Dollars • Variety Attribution
Was there ever a pirate themed restaurant in your town?
What part of the country are you from?
What a great find. My heart would have skipped a beat for sure!! 👍 👍🏻
Disclaimer: I'm not a dealer, trader, grader, investor or professional numismatist. I'm just a hobbyist. (To protect me but mostly you! 🤣 )
Please try and take a nice pic of that particular coin. Worth a lot of money even worn
Edited to add: Nevermind. It is a 1798. I didn't see the pics at first since they took a while to load. Still....super cool
siliconvalleycoins.com
I'm in Maine -
Jim
Too bad you can't clean them.
The pardon is for tyrants. They like to declare pardons on holidays, such as the birthday of the dictator, or Christ, or the Revolution. Dictators should be encouraged to keep it up. And we should be encouraged to remember that the promiscuous dispensation of clemency is not a sign of political liberality. It is instead one of those valuable, identifying marks of tyranny.
Charles Krauthammer
Very cool. Definitely worth rescuing.
"When they can't find anything wrong with you, they create it!"
What metal is the base?
Could it be copper?
Mike
My Indians
Danco Set
I can see several of these tables sitting on the patio of a waterfront restaurant. Handmade locally using random coins from a coin shop’s junk boxes.
Depending on when it was made maybe they weren’t super cheap coins (or nicer ones were more expensive). Or perhaps they wore down if the table saw a lot of use with things sliding over it.
The latest coins that I'm seeing are from the 1890s. The style of the pirate art is Nouveau or Deco, so probably early 1900s. The worn condition and selection of the coins strongly suggests personal souvenirs rather than a collection or group purchased for this piece. Those would be my thoughts.
Yes, a nice find-from one trash picker to another.
What an awesome find! I'd love to see how it turns out when you're done conserving it. (I think the 1798 cent is actually an 8 over 7, but that's not important at all) Just a tremendous find and I'm sure you'll treasure it.
Super cool. Thanks for sharing this. PCGS should send you a basket of muffins or something for posting this. James
Be funny as hell if you took it to Antiques Roadshow and they declare it a "National Treasure" found in the town dump. Definitely a good rescue.
Submit the table to PCGS and let us know the results…..😉
Totally cool! Heck so cool in fact I bet my wife would let me display it which is saying a lot! Thanks for posting...
K
You should go back to the dump to look for the matching acrylic toilet seat with embedded coins.
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
Very neat. I would leave as is.
Jim
When a man who is honestly mistaken hears the truth, he will either quit being mistaken or cease to be honest....Abraham Lincoln
Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.....Mark Twain
Pirate hand or lobster claw?
Our county landfill/dump will not let you take out anything at all. They have people watching on the trash side and the landfill side and they are always in a hurry to bury anything on the landfill side. I've seen some really nice things that I would have loved to have (radio antenna tower sections, enough for a 60' tower but it was hands off). It would grieve me to see something like that and not be able to take it.
I interpreted it as him holding/waving his pirate hat.
Jim > @Klif50 said:
That is so wasteful. Our's actually has a "no picking" sign but no one cares including the employees. They pick themselves so it is a bit of a free-for all. I think the sign is just for liability issues and covers their butts if someone gets hurt. They also have a separate shed where people place things they no longer need and have a value. It is only open when a volunteer will be there. I picked up three things of value that same day from the dump, the coin table, a Dahon folding bike and a pair of KLH 22 bookshelf speakers. The speakers I rescued were in the bulky trash pile, the bike at the shed. When I say rescue I mean it, they come and haul away or crush everything about once an hour! Last week I saw a perfectly good Cannondale road bike that was bent in half when they crushed the metal pile to make it smaller. I try not to bring much home but some things are hard to resist!
Jim
Thanks - my wife likes it also but said it was best in my office. I'm fine with that. Fits in perfectly in my music/coins corner.
Jim
Very cool find, thanks for sharing!
I recognize that table from the Oak Island Taco Bell! Nice find. Peace Roy
BST: endeavor1967, synchr, kliao, Outhaul, Donttellthewife, U1Chicago, ajaan, mCarney1173, SurfinHi, MWallace, Sandman70gt, mustanggt, Pittstate03, Lazybones, Walkerguy21D, coinandcurrency242 , thebigeng, Collectorcoins, JimTyler, USMarine6, Elkevvo, Coll3ctor, Yorkshireman, CUKevin, ranshdow, CoinHunter4, bennybravo, Centsearcher, braddick, Windycity, ZoidMeister, mirabela, JJM, RichURich, Bullsitter, jmski52, LukeMarshall, coinsarefun, MichaelDixon, NickPatton, ProfLiz, Twobitcollector,Jesbroken oih82w8, DCW
Good one - I couldn't handle the Oak Island series after the third season. Maybe I'll take a trip up there one day though. That would be fun.
Jim