Colonial Copper, Buttons and...GOLD BROOCH or WATCH FOB???!!!

West Jersey Detecting

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Oct 23, 2006
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Well, finally the weather broke this week and most of the snow is gone. I was originally supposed to hook up with some fellas about an hour drive from home, but some domestic issues put the kibosh on it.

I was, however to get out with my buddy Dale close to home for a few hours. He just got an Etrac and was anxious to give it a go vs. my V3.

We hit a spot that I last detected back last summer with my DFX so this was a good comparison to see how the V3 performed. Certainly no complaints on the V3!!!

My first find of the day was another toasted colonial copper, my first for 2010. Then I found some nice deep small buttons, also toasted. The V3 is very sensitive to small deep targets.

A while later I got a deep signal that seemed like iron, but occasionally bounced up into the low end of the coin range. I was thinking it would be another rusty old square nail that tend to be scattered about the site. Before I dug, I called over Dale to see what the Etrac said, and he said it was bouncing all over. "Shotgun shell", he said. I said six inches was too deep at this site for shotgun shells, so I dug a nice plug and still in the hole a bit deeper than 8 inches came the most beautiful thing a metal detecting enthusiast can imagine....Gold! The dirt just fell away from the thick solid coin-like button. At first I though it was a gold coin, but when I looked closer I saw the design. When I flipped it over I saw the inscription "Jh B, or Hr B". It must have been mounted to a piece of jewelry at one time. The corrosion on the back is from contact with the impure metals used to mount it.

Judging from the dates of my other coins found at the site I would have to date this from the 1760's when the site was first settled to about 1840, which is the date of the most modern coin found at the site.

Any help with the ID on these types of tokens/buttons is appreciated!

Happy Hunting!
Neil
 

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Upvote 0

Swingit

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Apr 29, 2007
671
9
Southwestern, MN
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Re: Colonial Copper, Buttons and...GOLD!!!

SWEET!!!
Love Token :icon_scratch:
HH!!
 

pinebarrens1

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Dec 20, 2007
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bayville nj
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Re: Colonial Copper, Buttons and...GOLD!!!

sweet find ............ gold is gold .........and it is old.........what does it weigh ?
 

Scottso

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May 8, 2009
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long island new york
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Re: Colonial Copper, Buttons and...GOLD!!!

I say B-A-N-N-E-R wtg :wav: :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy:
 

HEAVYMETALNUT

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Dec 8, 2008
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Re: Colonial Copper, Buttons and...GOLD!!!

:icon_sunny: :thumbsup: WOW :thumbsup: :icon_sunny:
THAT'S GORGEOUS! congrats neil!
 

OP
OP
West Jersey Detecting

West Jersey Detecting

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Re: Colonial Copper, Buttons and...GOLD!!!

pinebarrens1 said:
sweet find ............ gold is gold .........and it is old.........what does it weigh ?

It measures 19.8 mm , slightly smaller, but a bit thicker than a US nickel and weighs 3.94 Grams.

I am not so sure about it being a love token, most love tokens I have seen are silver and made from US coins. But I guess it is possible!
 

Iron Patch

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Re: Colonial Copper, Buttons and...GOLD!!!

Very interesting find and super condition!

I assume the E-trac is close enough to the Explorer for me to say a shotgun shell is usually a good diggable sound, so you have you chase em all where you are digging old targets. (Maybe your friend is, but if not he should) You might remember this coin from a couple years back, it was found the same hunt as my banner button. I had just dug two shotgun shells and it sounded the same. (was deep on edge, or at least on an angle) I was very surprised to see silver.
 

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OP
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West Jersey Detecting

West Jersey Detecting

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Re: Colonial Copper, Buttons and...GOLD!!!

Iron Patch said:
Very interesting find and super condition!

I assume the E-trac is close enough to the Explorer for me to say a shotgun shell is usually a good diggable sound, so you have you chase em all where you are digging old targets. (Maybe your friend is, but if not he should) You might remember this coin from a couple years back, it was found the same hunt as my banner button. I had just dug two shotgun shells and it sounded the same. (was deep on edge, or at least on an angle) I was very surprised to see silver.

I shutout the etrac today, but I had the advantage of experience on my side.

Update on post: Last spring I a silver plated watch case back with the name H. Bailey on it. It was found a few hundred yards away from this find. I do not see any record of Bailey's owning property here, but there were many living in nearby towns suring the 18th and 19th century. Here is the link to that post:

http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,231772.0.html
 

Sniffy

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Re: Colonial Copper, Buttons and...GOLD!!!

WOW :o
 

cntrydncr1

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Feb 23, 2007
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Re: Colonial Copper, Buttons and...GOLD!!!

Wow Neil that is awesome!!! congrats
 

GopherDaGold

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Re: Colonial Copper, Buttons and...GOLD LOVE TOKEN???!!!

Would a love token have at least two or three obvious solder spots on the back? Did this object begin life as something else but fashioned into a token after being broken? I ask because I'm not convinced it is a love token. Admittedly I know very little about them but something just isn't clicking for me on this being a love token. The stylized cornucopia or fruit basket on the front also does not speak love token to my eyes.
 

Silver Surfer

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Re: Colonial Copper, Buttons and...GOLD LOVE TOKEN???!!!

Did it test as gold, and if so, what karat? That is a wonderful find, and darn pretty too!
 

Con

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May 21, 2006
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Re: Colonial Copper, Buttons and...GOLD LOVE TOKEN???!!!

Nice Neil,
I would of most likley have found it before you but that's the way the meal Neil works things :)

Just kidding, congrats on the find I will see if I can find anything on this piece too.

Hope you feel better

P
 

Colonial Copper Zeus

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Jan 6, 2007
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Re: Colonial Copper, Buttons and...GOLD LOVE TOKEN???!!!

Very good Neil. Wonderful to see you liking your V3. Will be getting out tomorrow with mine. Can't wait. It's been a long winter. I hope it turns out to be a love token. Mine was a 1890 Seated dime. :thumbsup:
Chris
 

VERMONTPACKRAT

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Aug 6, 2007
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Re: Colonial Copper, Buttons and...GOLD LOVE TOKEN???!!!

Holy crap...... Thats one fancy hunk of gold right there ! Strange that there are three poins of attachment on back. One or two seem to be the norm, but not three :icon_scratch:


VPR
 

hogge

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Mar 13, 2008
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Re: Colonial Copper, Buttons and...GOLD LOVE TOKEN???!!!

Nice Neil. Waiting to get out for the first time this week. Probabaly Tues. Congrats on your find(s). Hogge :headbang:
 

Curious The George

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Re: Colonial Copper, Buttons and...GOLD LOVE TOKEN???!!!

Don't think you have a love token. You have the face of a ring. The two oval spots are where the band of the ring was soldered to the face.

What ever, it is a great find.
 

Kanyontreasures

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Jan 13, 2010
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idaho
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Re: Colonial Copper, Buttons and...GOLD LOVE TOKEN???!!!

that gold thing looks like a old ring with out band?
 

bookfisher

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Jun 18, 2005
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Long Island, New York
Re: Colonial Copper, Buttons and...GOLD LOVE TOKEN???!!!

Wow, Neil you must of freaked when you saw that in the hole, cause needless to say, nothing else looks like gold when it comes out of the ground. Love token or whatever, it's a fabulous find, and judging from the motif and the initials in script, in my opinion it's much earlier than 1840. Probably late 18th century or very early 19th century to about 1810. I also say banner!
 

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