KING WILLIAM III HALFPENNY (1695 - 1701)

[Erik in NJ]

I was graciously invited to detect again with NJLargeCent again this Sunday in South Jersey and as usual he was a great host. We both made some nice finds. Near the end of the day I got a decent signal and dug about 5 - 6" only to recover a modern aluminum pop top (the darned round piece). After covering my hole I scanned it again and got a VERY deep sweet signal. I dug to about 10" and the X-1 on my SE Pro was singing. I dug another two inches and finally out popped a large colonial copper. I'd originally thought it was a Draped Bust, but soon realized it was probably a King George copper.

It's not the kind of coin you want to clean much as the outer layer of crud seems to hold all the the detail that's left. Today in looking at it in the the sunlight under a 10x loupe the shape of the head didn't seem right for a KG and there was an M in the name. I soon realized that it was in fact a William III halfpenny and not a KG!

William III coinage in NJ is RARE and the scans don't seem to do the coin any justice at all. I'll try to take some pics with a digital camera in natural light. This is now my oldest US dug coin and I was extremely pleased to be able to find a William copper.

Thanks again to my buddy NJLargeCent for a great outing and great company!

 

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[Evolution]

Congrats on the William III.

 

[NJLargeCent]

Was great to get out with you again. I knew that spot would produce. You've done it again with another harder-to-find copper. Let's schedule another outing soon!

 

[granthansen]

DUDE!!!! THAT'S AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[John Boy]

Awesome find Eric.good deal

 

[Sooper Dave]

Incredible old copper! Great job Erik!

 

[Erik in NJ]

Was great to get out with you again. I knew that spot would produce. You've done it again with another harder-to-find copper. Let's schedule another outing soon!

Yes, that site is amazing, it's yielded many of my earliest finds to date. Digging 17th century items in NJ is incredible. Looks like the "Jersey Boys" -- you, me, and Grant Hansen are gonna have to pound every square inch of that site! You and me were still in exploratory mode there and it's yielded some great stuff, not to mention the foundation you found at the mill site! Thanks again for a wonderful time with you and later on with your family -- we always have a blast no matter what we find...the cheese steak, wings, and beers later on were just icing on the cake!

 

[SouthJerseyJim]

Great coin Erik. You don't see many 17th century coins here in SJ period. Ive been fortunate enough find a nice few. Great digs!

 

[Erik in NJ]

Great coin Erik. You don't see many 17th century coins here in SJ period. Ive been fortunate enough find a nice few. Great digs!

Thanks Jim! Yes, you see a bit fewer in northern NJ, but we also have a lot of nice relics here, but it's always a treat to visit NJLargeCent as he's been gracious to share his sites and I certainly like to reciprocate when he's up my way. Have followed your posts and am always impressed with your finds! Best, Erik

 

[WHADIFIND]

yikes!!! 1701!!! Wow! A whole century older than any I have found.

WTG!

HH!

 

[JohnnyMac]

Great find Eric

 

[strateloss]

That's an awesome find Eric!! I love seeing old coppers in any condition. I've only dug 1 colonial coin so far and man what a feeling!!! Great job bud!


EDIT:
Great call on not touching her, I made a big mistake by attempting to clean mine up, although there was almost no detail left on it, it would've been better to leave it be. Lesson learned by me.

 

[vpnavy]

Another nice find Erik in NJ!

 

[Bill D. (VA)]

Congrats Erik on your William III, and for breaking into the 1600s. May this be the first of many.

 

[Erik in NJ]

Congrats Erik on your William III, and for breaking into the 1600s. May this be the first of many.

Thanks Bill! This is definitely my earliest US dug coin and a thrill to break into the 1600's. Wish the NJ soil was kinder to it, but the name "GVLIELMVS" is fairly clear as is the shape of the bust and the raised arm on the reverse. I think I'll be hardpressed to try and get an exact date off it unfortunately as it seems that most of the detail is in the crusty exterior. I was elated however to find something pre-Georgian on US soil. Any restoration tips are welcome.

 

[artyfacts]

Nice Jersey oldie... Glad you can ID it... Congrats... Art

 

[JustinNH]

Nice find! Nice and old

 

[BuckleBoy]

FANTASTIC job on finding a WmIII!

 

[Wildcat1750]

Congratulations on the Half Penny, especially since it turned out to be a rare one!