Low mintage

[MikesDiggins]

I went to a site last weekend that I haven't been to in three years. It's quite a long drive. One of my buddies dug a gold coin on the previous trip. This time it was my turn. As you can see by the picture I have not cleaned it, nor do I think I will. When I got home I found that it is a low mint and the detail looks like it may grade pretty good. What do you think?
Thanks for looking and HH

Mike

 

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[kuger]

Great find!Mine is the 1863"S" $10...........Good YEAR!!!!I am in the Motherlode as well

 

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[kuger]

If it was mine, it would already be cleaned. I mean....c'mon people......Lets use some common sense. I know it's a VERY high dollar coin, but warm water, with a VERY SOFT brush would do the trick. NOT A TOOTHBRUSH!!! Gold cleans very easily, but it also scratches easily. Take your time and this thing looks like EF grade at least. Depending on what is underneath it could go AU-50. That's $4,000 bucks chief! Just be careful and take your time. It will look like new! Congratulations on a definite Banner Find! Hogge

A brush of ANY sort would MURDER this coin! Gold picks up "whizz marks" like no other metal! NO Brushes. The only cleaning that might be advisable is a soak in something like oxalic acid (wood bleach) or lemon juice perhaps--but given the rarity, I think I'd pony up a few bucks and have it professionally conserved.


One OUTSTANDING find there!


-Buckles

Exactly!!Thanks Buckles,I know from experience and cringe when I see someone even TOUCH the surface of a G.C.Gold is super soft and micro scratches very easy(I know it was in the ground,but why add to it)Mine has very minute scratches(cant be seen with the naked eye)from the ground shifting when I dug it.I have not cleaned mine,and have heard of coins being rejected for that type of scratch(enviro damage)

 

[pepperj]

Very nice! Congrat's on the Banner

 

[Roger Mn.]

Congratulations on the Gold coin and the banner.

 

[rocko dogg]

great find by the way what was the vdi on the xlt

 

[CHAINCHOMP]

NNNNNNNNNNNNIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIICCCCCCCCCCCCEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[HISPAN]

Nice coin ...congrats !!

 

[TORRERO]

I personally would like to see this after its been cleaned, because I have never seen gold
come out of the ground looking like copper with what appears to be corrosion on the bottom... (back)
King Tut's gold looked just as good after 5000 years as it did the day it was made...
So clean this and then give us an updated picture, it would be great.

 

[p2c]

If it was mine, it would already be cleaned. I mean....c'mon people......Lets use some common sense. I know it's a VERY high dollar coin, but warm water, with a VERY SOFT brush would do the trick. NOT A TOOTHBRUSH!!! Gold cleans very easily, but it also scratches easily. Take your time and this thing looks like EF grade at least. Depending on what is underneath it could go AU-50. That's $4,000 bucks chief! Just be careful and take your time. It will look like new! Congratulations on a definite Banner Find! Hogge

A brush of ANY sort would MURDER this coin! Gold picks up "whizz marks" like no other metal! NO Brushes. The only cleaning that might be advisable is a soak in something like oxalic acid (wood bleach) or lemon juice perhaps--but given the rarity, I think I'd pony up a few bucks and have it professionally conserved.


One OUTSTANDING find there!


-Buckles

Exactly!!Thanks Buckles,I know from experience and cringe when I see someone even TOUCH the surface of a G.C.Gold is super soft and micro scratches very easy(I know it was in the ground,but why add to it)Mine has very minute scratches(cant be seen with the naked eye)from the ground shifting when I dug it.I have not cleaned mine,and have heard of coins being rejected for that type of scratch(enviro damage)

First Great Find That is a rare jewel that few of us in our lifetimes will match.

Secondly I concur with above. Send it to a professional service like NCS. It may cost a little to get professionally cleaned and preserved (plus you can have NCG grade and slab the coin directly from NCS), but it will be nothing compared to the value you could remove from the coin by attempting to clean it yourself. This is a 1 in 81 coin, and its at least in EF condition (maybe better). Why rob yourself of $100's of dollars in coin value by saving a few $10's cleaning it yourself?

 

[hogge]

If it was mine, it would already be cleaned. I mean....c'mon people......Lets use some common sense. I know it's a VERY high dollar coin, but warm water, with a VERY SOFT brush would do the trick. NOT A TOOTHBRUSH!!! Gold cleans very easily, but it also scratches easily. Take your time and this thing looks like EF grade at least. Depending on what is underneath it could go AU-50. That's $4,000 bucks chief! Just be careful and take your time. It will look like new! Congratulations on a definite Banner Find! Hogge

A brush of ANY sort would MURDER this coin! Gold picks up "whizz marks" like no other metal! NO Brushes. The only cleaning that might be advisable is a soak in something like oxalic acid (wood bleach) or lemon juice perhaps--but given the rarity, I think I'd pony up a few bucks and have it professionally conserved.


One OUTSTANDING find there!


-Buckles

I could have told you a cotton ball or a Q-tip with heated water and someone would have said that was wrong. The composition of gold and silver coins is relatively the same with copper. 90% to 10%. I've never had a problem with cleaning my silver coins and having them "Professionally" graded. Never seen any hairline or "whizz" marks on them. Never had one come back as "Improperly Cleaned" either. Dealt with PCGS and ANACS. As long as you be careful, with an ULTRA SOFT BRUSH, and don't scrub, you're all set. There is always a "better way". I'll post my response to this posting even before it comes out..............WHATEVER!

 

[hogge]

NCS and NGC are second rate grading "Coin Conservatory" companies, and do not command the premium prices, to coins that are graded and sold by ANACS or PCGS. It all depends on what the owner wants to do with the coin in question. I like to sell my stuff, as others on this site do not, or even frown upon this practice.

 

[Tuberale]

NCS and NGC are second rate grading "Coin Conservatory" companies, and do not command the premium prices, to coins that are graded and sold by ANACS or PCGS. It all depends on what the owner wants to do with the coin in question. I like to sell my stuff, as others on this site do not, or even frown upon this practice.

Mostly I agree. But the only brush that should be used with a coin, especially a gold coin, is a camel's hair brush, and most people on this thread will not have access to one.

I received a 1909 S VDB cent from an Ebay purchase. Had tape residue on it. Sent to PCGS for grading/authentication. They declined to grade it, saying it had "an altered surface." Apparently long-term exposure to adhesives such as scotch tape can microscopically affect a copper coin's surface.

Rarity of this coin is such it will likely get graded, no matter who grades it. And you have already stated it should be cleaned with only a VERY SOFT brush. Were I the owner (!), I would gently soak it in warm water to try to get any residual dirt loosened. But keep in mind it only takes a small speck of quartz on the coin to cause a hairline scratch that will remain the rest of its life.

I think there is something to be said for keeping the coin in its current state. Character, and a reminder of its history. After all, why does anyone collect coins?

 

[hogge]

THANK YOU Tuberale! PCGS is VERY picky. That is why I sent my 1616 Sommers Island Coin to them. (A.K.A.....Hogge Money) Even though I knew it would come back in a "body bag", I had confidence that it would be confirmed, with the PCGS label, as being an authentic piece. If there was ANY question of authenticity, PCGS would be the only company I would trust to confirm the validity of this. If it wasn't authentic, it would have come back to me with a code, and "Questionable Authenticity", on the label! You pay more through PCGS, but this company sets the standard through which, ALL coin professionals, and collectors want.

 

[Silver Searcher]

I personally would like to see this after its been cleaned, because I have never seen gold
come out of the ground looking like copper with what appears to be corrosion on the bottom... (back)
King Tut's gold looked just as good after 5000 years as it did the day it was made...
So clean this and then give us an updated picture, it would be great.

We have had this out Lot's of times on here, Gold doesn't always come out of the ground, in the same condition that it went in there are Lot's of factors to take into account.
There are plenty of ways to clean it without scratching it but spending a few Bob to have it done professionally would be the best route

SS

 

[CMDiamonddawg]

Mike must be diggin' , haven't heard from him since he found this beauty. Hope he found more !

 

[kuger]

I personally would like to see this after its been cleaned, because I have never seen gold
come out of the ground looking like copper with what appears to be corrosion on the bottom... (back)
King Tut's gold looked just as good after 5000 years as it did the day it was made...
So clean this and then give us an updated picture, it would be great.

Gold coins are not solid gold,I am pretty sure TUTs was

 

[kuger]

Too bad it didnt have CAL, stamped on it!!

I have seen several gold coins dug guys,and they do not all come out of the ground shining.They do stain

 

[JoeinMemphis]

Very nice find!!! I am sure we haven't heard any more from him because he can't reach the keyboard, his feet being 10' off the ground and all.. I would love to know what that would read on an Explorer SE. FYI I have a $5 1847 gold (not dug, yea I gave up on finding one and just bought the dang thing) and it reads 8-21 on the Explorer SE. I also have an 1851 type 1 one dollar coin on the way, I'll post the numbers when it gets here if anyone cares.
HH
Joe

 

[TORRERO]

I personally would like to see this after its been cleaned, because I have never seen gold
come out of the ground looking like copper with what appears to be corrosion on the bottom... (back)
King Tut's gold looked just as good after 5000 years as it did the day it was made...
So clean this and then give us an updated picture, it would be great.

90% gold, 10% copper.........I agree, something just does not look right.......but I could be wrong, I have yet to find a gold coin....but something just does not look right in my opinion. Also there is no excitement in his 'voice' in the post, and has he made another comment after such a fantastic find??

The comment was not made lightly or as an insult for sure,
I am only speaking from personal experiance with gold.
After more than 25 years digging everything from Roman artifacts to Civil war relics to Pocket change
in playgrounds I have found my share of gold rings, medalions, chains and 2 Gold coins I dug in Spain
that were Arabic.
10k gold has occasionally come out of the ground lightly discolored, but 14k and 18k items
I have dug, neather stain nor discolor in any circumstance I have ever dug them.
These coins are better than 18k and more like 22k in purity,
That is why I said I would like to see it cleaned and another picture.
Take a look back at all the gold coins dug on this forum and look at the pictures and the color and
show me other gold coins found here that look like that.
That's all...
No offense entended and I congradulate the man for finding this.
Richard

 

[MikesDiggins]

I want to thank everone for their comments, banner votes, and information. A great bunch of people here.
The other gold coin found at this site was also a $2.50 piece (1854 plain) it was found about 200 yards away. The reason we went to this area was I had done some research and found this area mentioned in a old article talking about the problem the shops were having making change for all of the gold coinage they had during the 1860's. 2 gold in 2 trips makes me a believer.
I still have not cleaned the coin, but I am showing a picture I took when I found it. In the sunlight you can see it looks more like gold than the indoor pics.
HH
Mike