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May 25, 2013: Gold, Silver, Copper, Nickel, Lead, Tombac!

pcgs69pcgs69 Posts: 4,258 ✭✭✭✭
Yesterday's weather was just nasty...cold, windy, rainy...just raw. Since it was still a day off, had to take advantage of it. Got out to a new place that had some potential, but has supposedly been hit for a while. The very first signal was some kind of white-metal ring... solid low tone that screamed "dig me!" Not sure how deep, seemed about 5 inches... but it was a surprise. Took a video right after coming out: Link to Video here

Turns out to be a 14k white gold wedding band 4.7 grams. First gold of the year, and hopefully not the last.

Also picked up a 1947 Roosie, and a 1935 Merc, and two Wheats- 1916 and 1942.

Got a gold plated ring with clear stone. Looked like gold for a second, but it started flaking off. It's stamped 14kHGE (heavy gold electroplate). I can easily see how someone who didn't know may think it's gold.

Got a dateless buffalo nickel. Now I know you're thinking, "yeah, so?" But it's the best preserved one I think I've ever found. Very smooth surfaces.

Sometime in the hunt, I had just dug a regular ol' Jefferson nickel. Cover the plug and 4 inches away is a deeper quarter signal. Hoping it was going to be the first silver quarter of the year... it was a surprise to see a large copper sitting in the dirt. This meant this area was used much earlier than originally thought. Turns out to be a Draped Bust Large Cent! Dateless unfortunately. Almost looked like the outline of a Liberty Cap, but 99% sure it's a DB.

Also picked up a couple older buttons, one is tombac. There is also at least one musket ball... but are the other two musket balls too?

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All of the clad
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out of focus buffalo
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Comments

  • rickoricko Posts: 98,724 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Great hunt.... quite a broad selection...Cheers, RickO
  • johnny9434johnny9434 Posts: 27,411 ✭✭✭✭✭
    you did real good today, wtg image
  • DorkGirlDorkGirl Posts: 9,994 ✭✭✭
    image
    Becky
  • lordmarcovanlordmarcovan Posts: 43,194 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>Almost looked like the outline of a Liberty Cap, but 99% sure it's a DB. >>

    I agree. That profile is certainly intriguing, ain't it? I do think it is a dateless DB cent. Which makes me wonder what silver sisters of hers could conceivably be sleeping in the dirt nearby, eh? image

    Yep, I think your smaller two lead balls could also be called "musketballs" in a general sense, though it's possible they're technically pistol balls. It may be that the term "musket" could be applied to any smoothbore firearm (i.e., one without rifling), so yeah, I'd call those musketballs.

    Looks like a very appealing site, and one with several centuries' occupation. Congratulations on the nice array of finds. Gold and silver and 18th century stuff all in one day? Wow. I'd love to follow you around.

    Explore collections of lordmarcovan on CollecOnline, management, safe-keeping, sharing and valuation solution for art piece and collectibles.
  • pcgs69pcgs69 Posts: 4,258 ✭✭✭✭


    << <i>

    << <i>Almost looked like the outline of a Liberty Cap, but 99% sure it's a DB. >>

    I agree. That profile is certainly intriguing, ain't it? I do think it is a dateless DB cent. Which makes me wonder what silver sisters of hers could conceivably be sleeping in the dirt nearby, eh? image

    Yep, I think your smaller two lead balls could also be called "musketballs" in a general sense, though it's possible they're technically pistol balls. It may be that the term "musket" could be applied to any smoothbore firearm (i.e., one without rifling), so yeah, I'd call those musketballs.

    Looks like a very appealing site, and one with several centuries' occupation. Congratulations on the nice array of finds. Gold and silver and 18th century stuff all in one day? Wow. I'd love to follow you around. >>



    Keep hoping some Spanish silver is hiding nearby! Who knows... but we can hope.

    Thanks LordM one the musketball info. I've always just called every round lead ball as a musket ball, so good to hear it's kind of right, haha.

    These kind of places are pretty cool... long forgotten original usage, covered almost entirely by a newer construction... only to have its history unearthed by metal detecting. That's why we love this hobby so much... you never know what could come up next
  • lordmarcovanlordmarcovan Posts: 43,194 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I only wish I could match your results!

    Wow, wow, and wow!

    As to Spanish silver, we find more of that than early US material down here on the Southern frontier. But both are rare finds for me personally. I do a lot more urban coinshooting, so my better coin finds tend to be late-19th and early-20th century stuff... basically anything silver. I've found coins dating back to the fourth century AD here in Georgia (that Roman was a fluke eyeball find), and a small smattering of Spanish colonial silver, but that's not everyday hunting for me by any stretch.

    I have found exactly one Draped Bust cent, and it looked sorta like your coin, there, when I dug it (you could make out the hair bow), but I ruined it when I tried cleaning it with electrolysis and burnt it to a featureless slug. image

    My buddies, on the other hand, have found some pristine Draped cents with very little corrosion and VF-XF, even AU details, most dated 1798.

    Explore collections of lordmarcovan on CollecOnline, management, safe-keeping, sharing and valuation solution for art piece and collectibles.
  • pcgs69pcgs69 Posts: 4,258 ✭✭✭✭


    << <i>I only wish I could match your results!

    Wow, wow, and wow!

    As to Spanish silver, we find more of that than early US material down here on the Southern frontier. But both are rare finds for me personally. I do a lot more urban coinshooting, so my better coin finds tend to be late-19th and early-20th century stuff... basically anything silver. I've found coins dating back to the fourth century AD here in Georgia (that Roman was a fluke eyeball find), and a small smattering of Spanish colonial silver, but that's not everyday hunting for me by any stretch.

    I have found exactly one Draped Bust cent, and it looked sorta like your coin, there, when I dug it (you could make out the hair bow), but I ruined it when I tried cleaning it with electrolysis and burnt it to a featureless slug. image

    My buddies, on the other hand, have found some pristine Draped cents with very little corrosion and VF-XF, even AU details, most dated 1798. >>



    Oh no! Sorry to hear your only DB LC got toasted upon cleaning. I tried using warm hydrogen peroxide, but at least for me, it seemed to make the coin porous, and almost "dry" feeling. Usually now I just rub it with some mineral oil.

    Think I remember you posting your buddy's 1798 LC. Wasn't that put on eBay?
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