TheGeorgiaCanuck
New member
Went out on a field hunt with a buddy today. The original house site was only supposed to be pre-1948. Nothing there but open corn fields now. The hunt started at about 8:30am and I got 5 pennies in the 1940's and 1950's, then I moved off the house site and started wandering the corn field. It's been harvested and ploughed under, but the ground was flat and free of stubble.
Wandered the field for awhile digging some 50's wheat cents and then got a target. At first I had no idea what it was, it was bigger than a large cent. So I put it in my bag and kept hunting. Awhile later while talking with Rudy and the other fellow I got a scratchy 12-31 and dug it. Out pops an 1918 large cent in bad condition.
We got to talking about that and I showed them the other coin. I wasn't wearing reading glasses and I didn't have my loupe so I couldn't make out anything. I can't remember the other fellows name atm, but he goes to England on the Colchester hunts alot. He said, "I don't believe it, this looks like a George III half penny!" He showed me Britannia sitting on the back and said he could not see a date under her, so it would be on the bust side. Unfortunately someone mashed the date flat under the bust, that side of the coin is thin, the rest is normal. He said if the date is on the front then it's a 1805-1807. And I cannot make out if it's got berries on the branch Britannia is holding, the coin is pretty well toasted.
Two shots of the bust.
Britannia on reverse.
This makes the oldest coin I've found to date and we are stunned at it being in this field. All I can think is either it was a good luck coin a farmer lost or someone lived here on this land a lot longer than the land owner is aware of.
Wandered the field for awhile digging some 50's wheat cents and then got a target. At first I had no idea what it was, it was bigger than a large cent. So I put it in my bag and kept hunting. Awhile later while talking with Rudy and the other fellow I got a scratchy 12-31 and dug it. Out pops an 1918 large cent in bad condition.
We got to talking about that and I showed them the other coin. I wasn't wearing reading glasses and I didn't have my loupe so I couldn't make out anything. I can't remember the other fellows name atm, but he goes to England on the Colchester hunts alot. He said, "I don't believe it, this looks like a George III half penny!" He showed me Britannia sitting on the back and said he could not see a date under her, so it would be on the bust side. Unfortunately someone mashed the date flat under the bust, that side of the coin is thin, the rest is normal. He said if the date is on the front then it's a 1805-1807. And I cannot make out if it's got berries on the branch Britannia is holding, the coin is pretty well toasted.
Two shots of the bust.
Britannia on reverse.
This makes the oldest coin I've found to date and we are stunned at it being in this field. All I can think is either it was a good luck coin a farmer lost or someone lived here on this land a lot longer than the land owner is aware of.
