E-Trac finds my first capped bust half dime, but....:sadwalk:

[EladSwerdna]

I decided to detect an area that has produced many colonial coins, buttons, and other artifacts. I was swinging through the mindfield and came across a deep signal - really close to another dug hole. 12-37/38. I was delighted because in my experience trash is never these numbers. Digging a nice deep plug, there was nothing in the hole. The coin was actually in the plug, really shallow (about 3 inches). For whatever reason the SEF coils give inaccurate depth readings on small objects.

How my friends and I missed this target for so long is a mystery...

When I picked it up out of the soil... I thought I had found another 3 Cent piece... but boy was I happily wrong! However....

Half of the coin, on both sides, has some kind of hard plaster on it. It makes me so sad because the parts that are not covered have good detail.

I managed to "peel" away some of the encrustation but I could only get so far. I ended up performing a quick low voltage electroysis on it and all the stuff that wasn't part of the metal fell away, and underneath the encrustation was a pitted (maybe melted?) mess. I can barely make out the stars on the right. I think the date reads 1837.

The metal detecting gods truly hate me. Will I ever find pre 1850's US silver in decent shape? :|

The picture is the way it came out of the dirt...

 

[NebTrac]

Great story! Thanks for the pictures. Congratulations on the coin.

NebTrac

 

[markg]

I'd be happy with that.
nice.

 

[detectorfreak74]

great job thats a find
also if you soke the coin in olive oil for a while meaning 1 month it should come off

 

[Flambeaux]

Great find. Maybe you are just warming up and you will pull a beauty next time. Thanks for sharing

 

[EladSwerdna]

Thanks for the replies...

I wish olive oil would do the trick but the metal (that you cannot see) underneath the encrustation is forever changed. Sadly it will never look like it did when it was lost. Interestingly enough, the 2 Reale I found a few weeks back has a similar problem... it must have something to do with the dirt in the area, accompanied by constant moisture?

Oh well, I will keep searching and never give up.

 

[CT Todd]

Are you really bitchin while your digging up Capped Bust Silver ? good going

 

[Goes4ever]

still a sweet find, but I would feel the same as you, it stinks to find something awesome but it is messed up in some sort of way