A
Anonymous
Guest
I was out hunting last Sunday with my 1500, on a farm near my house. This farm was first settled in about 1750 and has been farmed ever since. I have been hunting it all summer and have scads of musket balls, some ox shoes, buckles off of horse harnesses, broken plow blades, a few silver coins and lots of other stuff like that.
Anyway I got a really weak signal and decided to cut a plug off to see what it sounded like with some of the dirt removed. It hit about 2 or 3 notches below a penny. I thought it was probably another musket ball and so decided to dig it up.
I dug up a very corroded coin, or at least it was a copper disk. Neither me or my hunting buddy could make anything out of it. After I got home I started cleaning it and after a couple of soakings in hydrogen peroxide and a treatment in boiling water, washing soda and aluminum foil I started to be able to make out some details. I kept at it and gave it a few more baths and a little more detail came out. Anyway I think that the coin is about as good as it is ever going to get.
I have looked at this coin under my 20x to 40x stereo microscope and seen some detail you can't see in this picture and here is why I think this coin is a 1720 George the first, halfpense.
Below is a picture of the coin I found along with pictures of a George the 1st copper from a coin site.
First if you look at the bottom on the coin in the top picture you can see a faint double line going across the coin.
Second if you look below the double line you can just make out a "20" where the last 2 digits of the date is on the example coin. Using the microscope really makes the 20 easy to see. I think I can just make out some of the 7 under the microscope too, but it is pretty far gone to be sure.
Third, if you look at the 1 o'clock position on the coin you can see a faint diagonal line heading towards the first digit of the date and if you look at the underside of this line up near the top you can see a thicker line of metal there. I think this is Britiania's spear or staff whatever it is - and her hand holding it.
Fourth, if you look towards the 4 o'clock position you can see on the good coin a raised part of the coin that is supposed to be some of her dress I guess. The highest spot on the coin I found is a match for this area.
Fifth - if you look up towards the 10 o'clock position you can see some very faint remains of some lettering. Although you can see them under the microscope they are too far gone to be able to make them out for sure, but I think one of them is an A that matches to the A in Britania.
Sixth if you look at the other side of the coin with King George you can see on the right hand side where the bust starts to go out for his nose. If you look just above the spot of corrosion you can see what remains of the bust on the coin I found start to go out there as well. This is easily seen under the microscope.
All in all I can't really be 100% sure, but it looks like a good possibility. Too bad the coin wasn't in just a little bit better shape. The 0 in the "20" is starting to fade as I clean it now so it is time to call it quits with the hydrogen peroxide.
What do you guys think is it close enough to call it a match ? <img src="/metal/html/tongue.gif" border=0 width=15 height=15 alt=":b">
Anyway I got a really weak signal and decided to cut a plug off to see what it sounded like with some of the dirt removed. It hit about 2 or 3 notches below a penny. I thought it was probably another musket ball and so decided to dig it up.
I dug up a very corroded coin, or at least it was a copper disk. Neither me or my hunting buddy could make anything out of it. After I got home I started cleaning it and after a couple of soakings in hydrogen peroxide and a treatment in boiling water, washing soda and aluminum foil I started to be able to make out some details. I kept at it and gave it a few more baths and a little more detail came out. Anyway I think that the coin is about as good as it is ever going to get.
I have looked at this coin under my 20x to 40x stereo microscope and seen some detail you can't see in this picture and here is why I think this coin is a 1720 George the first, halfpense.
Below is a picture of the coin I found along with pictures of a George the 1st copper from a coin site.
First if you look at the bottom on the coin in the top picture you can see a faint double line going across the coin.
Second if you look below the double line you can just make out a "20" where the last 2 digits of the date is on the example coin. Using the microscope really makes the 20 easy to see. I think I can just make out some of the 7 under the microscope too, but it is pretty far gone to be sure.
Third, if you look at the 1 o'clock position on the coin you can see a faint diagonal line heading towards the first digit of the date and if you look at the underside of this line up near the top you can see a thicker line of metal there. I think this is Britiania's spear or staff whatever it is - and her hand holding it.
Fourth, if you look towards the 4 o'clock position you can see on the good coin a raised part of the coin that is supposed to be some of her dress I guess. The highest spot on the coin I found is a match for this area.
Fifth - if you look up towards the 10 o'clock position you can see some very faint remains of some lettering. Although you can see them under the microscope they are too far gone to be able to make them out for sure, but I think one of them is an A that matches to the A in Britania.
Sixth if you look at the other side of the coin with King George you can see on the right hand side where the bust starts to go out for his nose. If you look just above the spot of corrosion you can see what remains of the bust on the coin I found start to go out there as well. This is easily seen under the microscope.
All in all I can't really be 100% sure, but it looks like a good possibility. Too bad the coin wasn't in just a little bit better shape. The 0 in the "20" is starting to fade as I clean it now so it is time to call it quits with the hydrogen peroxide.
What do you guys think is it close enough to call it a match ? <img src="/metal/html/tongue.gif" border=0 width=15 height=15 alt=":b">