Pine Tree Shilling

[Upham]

Ever since I was a kid I've wanted a metal detector. I used to work at Bass Pro and about three years ago I spotted a Tectonics 4000 in the store and bought it. I took it out a couple times in the yard really didn't know what I was doing. I knew where there was a very old granite quarry way out in the wood and decided I would metal detect it. I found shotgun shells, old metal fence posts tin cans. I soon realized I had to get going because I had to go to work. So I bee lined it through the woods swinging the detector at the same time. I got a nice tone knelt down and dug up some really thin piece that I thought was the cap of a champagne bottle so I stuffed it in my pocket and high tailed it back to my truck. When I got to my truck I emptied my pocket and took a better look at my find and still had no idea what it was. I have a buddy that did some metal detecting so I sent him a picture and asked if he knew what it was and he called me some bad names said I was a liar and that I didn't find it, I was just teasing because I knew he wanted to find one of them. Still not knowing what I had I told him I just dug it out of the ground. He wanted to meet me and look at it so we met at BPS and thats when he told me it was a pinetree shilling. I had no idea!
I took it to a coin show and had a couple coin dealers and they thought it was worth somewhere in the vacinity of $2500 to $7000. They said I should have it appraised. I sent it to PCGS and when all was said and done I paid $350 for them to tell me it was genuine, it has very fine details and it was environmentally damaged and wouldn't appraise it. I love this coin, it is an important part of our history. I will never sell it and it will some day belong to my grand son who I hope will value it as much as I do. I doubt I will ever top this find but I keep on trying.

 

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[FieldStone]

Damn, was hoping I had a new spot to harass smallmouth locally.

 

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[Megalodon]

The quarry i mentioned was in the Whittenton neighborhood at the end of Whittenton St, but before the RR tracks near the Mill River (that drains Sabatia Lake). I never caught a large smallmouth there but lots of small ones to 12-13". Its possible that food may have limited their growth. I haven't been there in nearly 50 years.

There used to be some good kettle ponds on the South Coast for smallmouths, but a lot changes in that amount of time...

 

[Megalodon]

No water!

There were a lot of drownings at "The Ledge", so maybe they plugged the breach, or the water table dropped on its own. There were other dangers there as well. In the 60's, it was a popular place to strip stolen cars - which were then pushed into the quarry. At the time it seemed as though auto theft was the chief industry of MA.

My father and a friend of his stocked the quarry in the late 1950's to early 1960's with smallmouth bass. The water quality and temp were very good for smallmouths, but the steep-sided quarry lacked hiding places for forage fish, so the fish may have become stunted as a response to inadequate food. There was a much smaller pit closer to the RR tracks that was my favorite place to collect golden shiners for bait, but that forage was unavailable to the smallmouths.

 

[Upham]

There were a lot of drownings at "The Ledge", so maybe they plugged the breach, or the water table dropped on its own. There were other dangers there as well. In the 60's, it was a popular place to strip stolen cars - which were then pushed into the quarry. At the time it seemed as though auto theft was the chief industry of MA.

My father and a friend of his stocked the quarry in the late 1950's to early 1960's with smallmouth bass. The water quality and temp were very good for smallmouths, but the steep-sided quarry lacked hiding places for forage fish, so the fish may have become stunted as a response to inadequate food. There was a much smaller pit closer to the RR tracks that was my favorite place to collect golden shiners for bait, but that forage was unavailable to the smallmouths.

Oh, no, that’s not the quarry I’m talking about. This is a granite quarry out in the woods I’m guessing around 1900. Out Wrentham way.

 

[Truth]

THE HOLY GRAIL OF COINS AND SHE’S ALL YOURS!!! Congratulations now excuse me while I go throw up.

 

[sheiswe]

Beautiful!! I've never sold anything I found, and it's great to you hear you'll be passing it down,

 

[eman1000]

Lets recap, I dig 20lbs of junk iron and fill five gallon buckets of cans and nails and spend way too much on metal detectors and nearly freeze to death and my whole family especially my wife thinks I'm crazy when I'm pumped about my one sliver dime for days and drive all over town for a few bucks in clad and Upham buys a delta 4000 and finds a tree coin (find of a lifetime) and doesn't even know what he has.

Yep, sounds about right.. I love this hobby. I'd say Upham is hooked now and I'm due.

 

[staninbji]

Holy cow, your first coin is a Pine Tree Schilling?!!! Keep hammering that area and I can't wait to see what else you find!

 

[Switchblade]

Awesome find!

 

[RustyGold]

What an incredible first coin find. That is awesome. In and of itself just that it’s the first and a pine tree schilling is banner worthy! Congratulations!
Please go buy a lottery ticket.

 

[Worm-Slicer]

Very nice looking coin! Would love to find one of those someday.

 

[steelheadwill]

I had a bit of beginners luck, but not this level., still don't have a small planchet shilling,
keep on diggin, there's doubtless more coming your way

 

[BLK HOLE]

What a beauty!! Congrats

 

[Professor of Engineering]

Congratualtions on the recovery of such a beautiful coin!

 

[A2coins]

That is so cool being my town was founded in 1817 I can only hope someone like you will come and accidently drop it lol kidding amazing coin Well done

 

[CTXAgGetter]

That is so cool being my town was founded in 1817 I can only hope someone like you will come and accidently drop it lol kidding amazing coin Well done

Haha! Can you imagine?! Beeping the local park in a suburb and digging a pine tree shilling... in a PCGS holder?

 

[gilmerman]

You did the right thing in getting the coin cleaned and rated. Worth is established in how you appreciate it. Truly a great find.

 

[Gaspipe]

Just saw this post . Great find. That’s why I always recommend NEVER get a dug coin graded and slabbed. It’s a complete waste of money since they always come back “Genuine “ or “Environmental Damage”. It can actually hurt the coin value.

 

[CRUSADER]

Stunning coin, but I have no idea why you would waste $350 to be told something you should already know. Your grand-son will never have the please of holding it either.

 

[xaos]

PCGS, what a joke...cant grade it due to environmental effects, and still charge you $350!?!

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