Help! Very Rare Coin!... Maybe?

[j.d. in the usa]

I found a coin last week with a bunch of
others... I found an 1832 capped bust half dime in
awsome shape... I also found an 1820 capped bust dime
"holed" from square nail that I have not posted yet I
am posting a pic of the 2 coins from the same
field about 10 ft. apart... they are exactly how I
found them no cleaning... the pic shows a big diff. in
the 2 coins what it doesnt show is how shiny the 1820
is its as shiny as a "mirror" I can clearly see my
reflection in it the only coins I have that come close
to it are proofs... could this 1820 dime be a proof?? or can you polish a reg. coin to a mirror shine without damaging the details? this one has me puzzled.
on the pcgs website it says that there may have been 5
proofs so even with a hole its in great shape and is
extremly rare if its a proof? please take a look at
the pic and let me know what you think the
possiblities are... jd

 

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[northeast hunter]

No clue but very nice finds congrats. H H

 

[Gypsy Heart]

Really nice JD...but I dont see your reflection WTG

 

[comfyinvermont]

Awesome coins JD. I don't think that is a proof, but more likely just a darn good looking coin. Those are real beauties. congrats...Lance

 

[jon43]

i have never seen a coin that you can see your on reflection on and i got proof sets in silver that i buy for my kids, for them to save.

 

[trk5capt]

JD, Don't Have A Clue, But Very Nice Finds, Congrats. trk5capt...

 

[Southcacalaky]

Not sure, but very awesome coin, Good Job, HH Art...

 

[Moonshadow]

I know what your talking about with the mirror finish. I don't think you have one there, but man what a find! 1820....are you kidding me? I would like to find a 1920! WTG man!! Keep diggin.

Happy Hunting,
Moon

 

[SHERMANVILLE ILLINOIS]

JD,

very nice.

have a good un.........

 

[hollowpointred]

did people even collect coins in 1820? i doubt it would be a proof. i dont think they were invented yet.its a hell of a coin though! ive never seen one like it. i would take it to a coin expert.

 

[j.d. in the usa]

SWR no proof sets were available in 1820 there are no known proofs for this coin but PCGS estimates possibly 5 were made I highly doubt the one I found is a proof I believe it was polished and worn as jewelry... a proof is a proof no matter what wear and tear it has, it was made dif. than regular coins, but if it was one of the proofs even holed and scratched it would be worth an ungodly amount of money!!!

I bet its worth between $5.00-$20.00

jon43 almost every proof coin is mirrored you can easily see a reflection in the coin In have a 1964,1965, and 1969 proof sets and you can see reflections in all the silver coins.
def. of proofs...
Not all proofs are the same. The most common understanding of proof is that the flat background parts of the coin have a highly polished "mirror" finish that shows a reflection I.E. mirror finish, and the raised parts of the design have a matt finish, giving a higher level of contrast between the two. This is achieved by sand-blasting the die, the hardened steel punch with which the blank coins are struck, to give a matt finish, followed by giving the raised parts of the die a highly polished surface, usually by polishing them with diamond powder. The coin blanks themselves are usually produced to a higher quality of finish before striking. Proof coins are usually double struck at lower striking speeds, to give a higher and sharper definition. They are usually produced on a special machine, and may be hand, rather than mechanically fed into and extracted from the coining press. They are usually individually inspected, and packaged. A proof coin should provide an excellent specimen, and its quality should approach perfection.
Some proof coins are made with an all matt finish, as for example the 1902 Edward VII Coronation proof coins, while others are produced as "reverse proofs", i.e. with the raised parts polished and the background matt.

hollowpointred I thought the same thing about proofs and coin collecting check this out!!

While hoarding coins due to their value goes back to the beginning of coinage, collecting them as art pieces was a later development. Known as the "Hobby of Kings", modern coin collecting is generally believed to have begun in the fourteenth century with Petrarch. Notes of Roman emperors having coin collections are also known, but it remains somewhat unclear whether these coins were studied, considered curiosities or were merely hoarded.




thank you all for your commets this is always fun!!

 

[The Seeker]

Hey J.D. ....Nice stuff , looking at those coins ...I would almost say the 1820 looks like it,s been silver plated...Like the early silver buttons.....the half dime looks just like it should being in the ground for so long.... I have 2 large cents one is counterfit , and made of pewter or white metal dated 1832 ....and the other is a large cent that was plated with gold ....for what reason ? maybe to look like a 20 dollar gold piece.....just a thought !!! Great finds anyway..... 8) 8) 8)

 

[j.d. in the usa]

thanks seeker!!! silver plated def. a possibility!! thanks

 

[Monk]

Looks to me that you now own a poured counterfeit coin. At least to me it doesn't seem to have sharp detail anywhere. What the metal is? I dought silver. Anyway a nice find.

 

[tsgman]

Thats quite a find! Nics going JD. Now lets go look for some more! Tsgman

 

[Bavaria Mike]

Nice finds JD, it is unusually shiney! HH, Mike

 

[rvbvetter]

Interesting. If it's plated it should be fairly easy to tell around the hole in it.
Maybe you can find proofs of that era on the net. and see if they have a similiar finish to them. Since it seems that it's been in the ground for so long, it seems highly unlikely, but Mercury can make a coin really shine. But other than that, and unless they sold TARN-X back then, I have no idea. Cool find!!! HH

 

[JakePhelps]

Nice coin!! Could be plated with white gold or platinum, I find it hard to believe it would come out of the ground after all that time this shiney, maybe bring it to a coin store and have them test it?

 

[Charlene]

Nice find JD, proof or not, thats a beauty. Plus, its yours and you can call it anything you want to

 

[Whitewings]

My first thought was a charm bracelet made of coins that came apart......go back there again.

Someone help me, I posted my problem on the All Other part of the site under help, help