A story about a 1909 cent found in the wild: (a bit long)
nwcoast
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Back in the late 1970’s I was working as a house painter/fine woodwork refinisher and involved in the renovation
of an old house in Salinas, California.
It was summertime and it was an extremely hot and difficult job. I was painting the entire interior of the home as well as refinishing an elaborate array of built in cabinetry and book cases. The ventilation was terrible and the fumes and heat were suffocating. In order to expose some very nice wood flooring, we were tasked with the removal of some very old wall to wall carpeting and in the process of pulling up that old carpet, a brilliant- bright Lincoln cent was discovered, protected under that carpet for all those years! It was just as fresh and new as if it had come straight from the mint- in 1909! No s on it, but it was bright and flawless! It must have fallen out of a workers pocket when laying down that carpet in 1909. Not actively collecting at the time, I gave it to one of the younger guys I had working with me, a young strong local surfer- just 18. I must have been 21 or so and the elder of the group.
The fumes from the paint stripping solutions along with the dusts from all the sanding were not healthy and I encouraged all working with me there to wear their masks. This was before old paints were tested for lead content by the way. Those of us that knew enough just assumed all the old stuff contained lead. Being young, strong and somewhat invincible myself, I’d work in that 100 plus degree place all day, wearing my mask while drenched in sweat and then finish the day off with a couple of beers! Hydration? That’s what the beers are for- right? My young friend chose not to wear his mask, as it was already difficult enough breathing in the stifling heat.
Nearing completion of this project, during a routine dentist visit, my young pal was informed by his dentist that he had lead poisoning- as diagnosed by observation of very dark line visualized in his gums. Full blown lead poisoning!
Around the same time, I developed a fierce swelling, redness and pain in my right foot. No trauma, but the pain at the base of my large toe felt very much like the pain accompanying a fracture! I knew this from experience.
My doctors visit and some X- Rays offered a diagnosis of gout! A disease, which at that time, I had only read about in some history books.
Years later I heard that my young friend suffered decades of complicated health problems and had traversed a very difficult path in life.
Fortunately, my episode of gout was easily resolved with proper hydration, medication, luck, and just cleaning my body
out to give my kidneys a better chance to do their job.
Having rekindled my interest in collecting again these past years, I often find myself thinking back on that beautiful 1909 cent and wondering just what became of it. It really was beautiful!
Another little lesson here....
If you hire a crew of surfers, be prepared to be working alone if an epic- long interval swell comes charging in from distant storms.... unless, you too are a surfer, in which case, there will be hard choices and sacrifice all along the way!
Happy, humble, honored and proud recipient of the “You Suck” award 10/22/2014
Comments
Great tale
Thank you for being an audience, reading it and I’m really glad you enjoyed it.
It gets pretty lonely out here in retirement and semi isolation after having worked two plus jobs for several years.
Where else could I find an audience for a story about an old penny found under a rug?
The forum, where I can get lost in cool coins, sharp wit and humor and hide from the world!
Happy, humble, honored and proud recipient of the “You Suck” award 10/22/2014
Enjoyed it myself.
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Nice Story!
Interesting story... and surprised that the cent was so shiny after all that time under a carpet....made with all those old chemicals, plus the dirt that filters through.... Must have been extremely dry too.... Cheers, RickO
Did they have WTW carpet in 1909?
I am envisioning area carpets and rugs.
When I was visiting Hawaii a sign in a favorite lunch place warned that their hours were subject to change due to surf conditions.
That’s a good point on the carpets. I don’t know....
I don’t remember the specifics of the carpet edges and whether they were tacked down. I do recall that there was some layer underneath, though not a modern type pad.
I suppose it’s possible the carpet went down after 09. Hard to know really.
It was an old Victorian house right near downtown Salinas. We weren’t really involved in the floor work except in the help getting the old carpet out of there. What I do recall well were the fumes from the Methylene Chloride stripper and the burns to the skin with even the smallest splatter of that stuff!
As RickO said, it is odd that the coin didn’t tone much if at all. I just remember it being fully uncirculated and looking very new. I didn’t have the eye for coin color I have now. It may have been a bit redder. I do remember it being bright and new looking...
I wish I had been able to keep it, but I wasn’t collecting at the time and felt rhat the kid got a bigger kick out of it. It was indeed very dry. Salinas, in the summer is very hot and dry. It can get damp and somewhat wet in the winter- as immortalized by John Steinbeck in several of his written works.
Happy, humble, honored and proud recipient of the “You Suck” award 10/22/2014
Yes, I remember my surprise!
See my above comment to JBK on the subject.
As for the chemicals, I would venture to speculate that there were fewer chemicals under that rug than might be under modern rugs. I think it was perhaps wool, maybe cotton. The carpet was dark, and the owner/contractor wanted it out to brighten the place up. It was upstairs too- which likely helped with keeping moisture at bay.
The Salinas Valley can flood, near the River. I don’t believe this house was ever at peril for that though.
I lived out in Pacific Grove at the time, on the Monterey Peninsula.
Happy, humble, honored and proud recipient of the “You Suck” award 10/22/2014