Home Metal Detecting

It took a year to find out what I had found

Yes, you read it correctly...a year. A year or so ago, I found what I thought was a coin covered with crud. I found it while hunting around what I am pretty sure is a foundation to a small house. It was about the size of a U.S. dime, but I could not see what it was. I took it home and cleaned it with a mild detergent and soft bristled brush, but no luck at all in figuring out what it was. I soaked it in olive oil since then. Every few weeks or so I would flip it over in the oil. Well, this weekend I decided to try and clean it again. Some of the crud came off and I could tell it was a coin of some sort...I decided to take the plunge and I built an electrylisis (?? spelling). After it "cooked" for a while, I took it out and cleaned it somemore with baking soda and a soft bristled brush. Much to my surprise it is a 1941 German 5 pfennig coin....complete with swastika. Here are a couple of pix that I took with my digital camera.

Comments

  • That is really neat. You have to wonder how a Nazi coin wound up in Wisconsin. Good work on your patience with this coin. When I find something weird, I want the crud off NOW. you probably saved the coin. Thaks for posting pics.
    imageimage
  • WillieBoyd2WillieBoyd2 Posts: 5,134 ✭✭✭✭✭
    "You have to wonder how a Nazi coin wound up in Wisconsin"

    Probably brought back by a US serviceman as a souvenir.

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  • SilverDreamsSilverDreams Posts: 427 ✭✭
    Nice find and cleaning job.
    I lust for silver.
    imageimageimageimage
  • patience is a virtue!....well done!
    "see ya at the beach"
    imageimageimageimage
  • I remember having one of those as a kid, i think I got it in a grab bag of foreign coins
    Love them busts!
    I am Looking to Buy California Tokens too.
  • Sorry everyone for the confusion, I'm from Virginia not Wisconsin...my screw-up. and thanks for the comments, I try not to be too impatient while cleaning a coin...HH everyone!
  • Silverbonanza, Wisconsin or Virginia doesn’t matter. I think WillieBoyd2 had it right; that coin was probably brought back by a serviceman. I like your coin. image
    imageimage
  • gripgrip Posts: 9,962 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Nice job cleaning the coin up.........Taking orders?..image

    Al
  • lordmarcovanlordmarcovan Posts: 43,530 ✭✭✭✭✭
    You cleaned a ZINC coin via electrolysis and it didn't burn up?

    Wow. Way to go!

    I gotta build another electrolysis rig. Made one years ago and lost it. For years now I keep saying I am gonna build another, but never get around to it.

    If it has that affect on Nazi zincs, I might just have to do it.





    Not very valuable, but VERY cool for a dug find! Almost certainly came home as a souvenir with some GI returning from Europe.

    Oh. WillieBoyd already said that.


    What's the mintmark? (Should be between the oak leaves, under the 5. A=Berlin, B=Vienna in Austria, D=Munich, E=Muldenhutten, F=Stuttgart, G=Karlsruhe, J=Hamburg. All are pretty common but G is the best for that year. A for Berlin is very common. E is usually a slightly scarcer mintmark on German coins but Muldenhutten did crank 'em out that particular year. )

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  • Thanks again for all of the comments...lordmarcovan....it looks like it has a D mintmark...Munich!! Like I always say....finding treasure is nice, but the hunt is priceless. HH
  • If only that coin could talk. I wonder where it's been.

    I have a few Nazi coins and i always wondered if they were souvenir that some GI took off a German soldier that had been killed in WW2?
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