Found one coin while detecting yesterday along the St.Lawrence river....
kevinstang
Posts: 1,517 ✭✭✭
I had posted last time about my failed chance to hunt some dirt moved along side a camp on the St.Lawrence river here in upstate NY, well yesterday (Sunday) me and my friend finally made it to the site. The river has been at historic highs all spring and remains well above average even now- I'd say still 2 to 3 feet higher than normal- this camps dock leading out to the boat house is still a foot underwater when it should be 2 feet above. Lots of devastation along shoreline with wrecked docks and debris all over. We couldn't hunt the normal beach front because it was still submerged and even though my Garrett AT pro could- know way I was going into that low 50 degree water!
The site we hunted was basically shallow dirt on a rock ledge with a slope leading down to the river. The camp was a recent purchase of an older camp that looks to have sat idle for a while- the new owners had over 50 trees cut down to clear the area and they had moved some dirt and stumps to make it a much more open area - I suspect to cut down on the bugs (lots of black flies about-I'm feeling the bites today) and improve the overall view of the river. Now sometime in the past - I forget which war- revolutionary or 1812 a British contingent of soldiers had supposedly landed nearby in an effort to outflank some American troops on the nearby point- this camp was in a small bay among the cliffs- I suspect by terrain a good area to land and ascend the rock ledges.
Well to say the least the hunt between was basically a disappointment except for my one find. The finds amounted to one coin, several old silicone tubes, a 1969 NY state dog license tag and lots of tin foil ( i suspect from shoreline fish dinners in the past). But, on my second target of the day I did get a really strong shallow signal and I was expecting to see a clad quarter pop out. I knew at first sight I had something really old by size and shape and thought it was possibly an early large cent- then I recognized the bust outline of a George III half penny! Knew right off this was going to beat my other George half penny of 1806 as the oldest coin I had ever found! It wasn't until after getting home that the date was revealed and the hole- it was filled in with dirt and I hadn't noticed it when dug out. I am pretty sure it got scraped and dug out while removing the trees and stumps on the hillside - because it was so shallow. Believe me we hunted top and bottom of that hillside for a couple hours and found nothing else. The dog license was found on the walk out in the driveway.
All in all it was a beautiful day to be along the river (except for the bugs), just wished we could have found more! I'll see if I can post some pictures of coin.
Comments
Wow.... what a great find....is that a '75 or '76? It looks like a 5..... Cheers, RickO
Looking at the picture better now, it may be a 75! Even one year older!
Congrats! That's a nice coin with good detail. A lot of slicks out there and nice when a good planchet comes out.
Thanks for checking.... wow... 1775... what a great year/coin... I would be a happy camper with that one..even with a hole in it...that just adds to the history - was it nailed to a doorway? - That was an old custom to 'Welcome money in'..... Cheers, RickO
Cool write up and if you're going to find just one coin, nice that it was a very old one. Congrats!
thats a cool find
Since few people had pants pockets back then, many were sewed into the coat or such lining, 'eh? Adds a jingle to your step if you have more than a few!
bob
Fun find! Well done!
ANA LM
USAF Retired — 34 years of active military service! 🇺🇸
I'm late but Congrats on that find
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