1761 Two Reales, 1803 Draped Bust dime, and a heavey dose of heartbreak
I started hunting a new field this past winter/spring. The finds were scattered, but there was enough to encourage me that I might find a nice piece of early silver in this field. The first two short hunts had yielded 7 buttons and 4 toasted coppers. The only identifiable copper was a Draped Bust large cent. Last week I finally got a text from a member of the family that owns the field saying that the hay had finally been cut. I made plans with my buddy Tom to visit the field on Saturday. Saturday was hot and humid, the bugs were swarming us, the ground was dry and hard as a rock, and the hay stubble was making it difficult to get the coil close to the soil.
After 3.5 hours we had enough and called it a day. I had recovered 5 buttons (one of which I lost), 3 musketballs, and a well worn 1761 Two Reales. The Spanish silver was tarnished pretty dark. Since it was already so worn, I used a little baking soda and water to lightened it up. Tom ended up with a couple buttons, a couple musketballs, and a worn, unidentifiable copper.
Sunday morning, I had about and hour and half to kill. I had planned to hit a lot in town where they had just torn down a house, but the property owner wasn't home. Since we had some heavy thunderstorms Saturday evening, I though maybe the hay field had been softened up some. When I got to the field it was overcast and misting. I grabbed my gear out of my jeep and headed into the field. I walked out to where I wanted to start hunting, turned on my machine, and within a few feet I had a signal that was bouncing around some, but definitely good enough to investigate. I removed some dirt and the signal improved to a constant mid 70s on my F75. At this point I thought it would turn out to be another thin corroded copper. The ground in this section of the field is very rocky, almost like digging in a gravel parking lot. I finally had the target in the dirt pile beside the hole and saw it was a silver coin. I picked it up and took a look. I could see part of the date 180_, and also the bottom of the bust. I knew it wasn't bust profile of a Spanish coin. Now I'm getting excited, but I didn't want to do a field cleaning. I slipped it into a little plastic zip lock bag and put it in my finds container. Before I could fill in the hole, the heavens opened up and I had to high tail it out of the field. That was my hunt - one target, one hole dug, one silver coin in my pouch. I returned to my parents where I was staying over the weekend, and rinsed the dirt of the coin in the kitchen sink. When I saw the the Federal eagle on the back I knew for sure what I had and let out a loud, BOOM BABY!!! When I turned it over and saw the obverse, I started to cry - there was a recent scuff across the face. I thought how could I have hit this coin with my shovel? I thought I had given the target plenty of room as I dug my plug. Then I thought it might be a recent plow strike. This would be at least a $900 coin without this damage. Anyway, it's not perfect but I'm happy as heck to have dug another Draped Bust dime. I dug a 1797 two years ago.
Last edited by Steve in PA; Sep 04, 2012 at 10:03 AM.
Steve, there sure is no disapointment with those finds! Wow, a Draped Bust dime is on my wish list for sure and glad to see you get one! A 2 Reale would always be a welcomend find, so you had two great hunts!
"The mantra has always been don't clean a (copper) coin or it will lose value.
For undug coins this is true. For dug coins this is untrue.
The value will increase with judicious cleaning."
G Grandfather John Taliaferro Stevens.
Enlisted May 1st, 1862 with Co.B/E 51st VA Infantry.
Taken Prisoner at princeton WV May 16th 1862, found shot in the back May 17th 1862.
G Uncle John J.L. Stevens.
Enlisted Feb. 10th 1863 Co. B, 8th Va Calvary
WOW Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't this your second DB dime? That's something probably VERY few can say
btw, I agree DB silver needs to be on the banner regardless of value, they come up about once a year on the forums
Jeff, you are right. Here is the first one. Although the date is gone, you can tell by the small eagle and number of stars that it was a 1797. So after this weekend I'm up to 48 Spanish silvers, 2 Draped Bust dimes, and I still have only dug one Seated silver - go figure! Thanks for the Banner comment.
Jeff, you are right. Here is the first one. Although the date is gone, you can tell by the small eagle and number of stars that it was a 1797. So after this weekend I'm up to 48 Spanish silvers, 2 Draped Bust dimes, and I still have only dug one Seated silver - go figure! Thanks for the Banner comment.
Congrats on the old Silvers.
"go figure" yeah, those are some pretty strange numbers, and lucky for you.
I got a similar large site, where finds are sparce, can only manage one or two per hunt, but there always seems to be just one more.
I know how you feel about maybe marking the coin. We like to think of ourselves as self appointed custodians of history. We like to think we're rescuing these coins from being lost forever. We try to tell ourselves that the aspect of what their worth in the market is a consideration, but only a minor, side one. We're more upset by having the opportunity to recover and preserve a coin like this and then to cause more damage to it then happened over a century buried in the ground. Feels a bit like we've failed our responsibility when we nick one.
But, also, sometimes our own behavior, (in private), gives away a bit of our "REAL" quest. I find the following two statements a bit disheartening :
"I saw the the Federal eagle on the back I knew for sure what I had and let out a loud, BOOM BABY!!!
This would be at least a $900 coin without this damage."
I know, we can't ignore the "money" aspect. BUT, if it were me, I would be upset by the marking, especially if I thought it was my own hand. But, even if it wasn't marked, I would be ECSTATIC! Just to have this in my collection and knowing that I recovered the coin.
Great finds!
You did good!
HH!
"A good day has no rain. A bad day; is when I lie in bed and think of things that might have been." -Paul Simon
I know how you feel about maybe marking the coin. We like to think of ourselves as self appointed custodians of history. We like to think we're rescuing these coins from being lost forever. We try to tell ourselves that the aspect of what their worth in the market is a consideration, but only a minor, side one. We're more upset by having the opportunity to recover and preserve a coin like this and then to cause more damage to it then happened over a century buried in the ground. Feels a bit like we've failed our responsibility when we nick one.
But, also, sometimes our own behavior, (in private), gives away a bit of our "REAL" quest. I find the following two statements a bit disheartening :
"I saw the the Federal eagle on the back I knew for sure what I had and let out a loud, BOOM BABY!!!
This would be at least a $900 coin without this damage."
I know, we can't ignore the "money" aspect. BUT, if it were me, I would be upset by the marking, especially if I thought it was my own hand. But, even if it wasn't marked, I would be ECSTATIC! Just to have this in my collection and knowing that I recovered the coin.
Great finds!
You did good!
HH!
Thanks for your comments, most of which are right on spot. The BOOM BABY was a tongue in cheek joke. As far as the value of the coin, that was included as a measure of it's rarity. I'm not in this hobby for the money. I don't sell my finds.
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Originally Posted by umrgolf
