🥇 BANNER I LOVE THIS HOBBY.

Mi$terG

Hero Member
Jan 25, 2013
660
572
Eastern MA
🥇 Banner finds
1
Detector(s) used
Garrett AT Pro
I have only been at this for a little over a year and a half but I have been incredibly fortunate to be able to find some amazing old coins and some really nice jewelry while at the same time meeting some interesting and genuinely good people. I am also a big history buff and I love researching my finds. I have been working a 350+-year-old farm field that I was fortunate enough to get permission on- for about a month now. I have found some cool buckles and a few World War II era coins ('43 Merc, some wheats, etc) but what I've been really hopeful for is my first LC. So this past Sunday I got to the field at around 7 AM with my AT Pro. I was running in Pro zero mode with iron disc at 35 and wide-open- just listening for repeating mid and high tones. It's common for me to make my best finds of the day either in the first 20 minutes or my last 20 minutes of the hunt and this day was no exception. Only 15 minutes after I started sweeping the coil I got a solid silver dime hit at about 4 inches. As I dug the hole I was excited about the possibility of finding another Merc or maybe even a Barber. When I pinpointed the target it was an odd shape and bigger than a dime. It was also very thin. When I held it up to the sunlight I immediately recognized the Pinetree- then flipped it over to see "1652 XII." At that time I dropped to my knees and realized that I had a once-in-a-lifetime find- a colonial Massachusetts Pine Tree Shilling! Someone dropped this coin in this field a century before the Declaration of Independence! I will be going back to the farm again soon but I doubt that I will ever top this amazing piece of our history. I have already rinsed it off and put it in my son's collection where it has now taken over as the centerpiece. I wish you all the same luck that I had this past Sunday on your next hunt. Thanks for reading.
 

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Upvote 85

Msbeepbeep

Gold Member
Jun 24, 2012
15,787
24,131
MA
Detector(s) used
M-6, pro pointer, pistol probe
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Congrats on the find of a lifetime! We may have to rename the entire state of Massachusetts "the field of dreams"! I just have a feeling your not done surprising us, or making us drool! HH! BTW we want some happy dance video !
 

3 of 6 GMG's

Full Member
Oct 23, 2013
167
85
Detector(s) used
AP PRO
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Banner find buddy!!! Good things come to good people!!! I hope you find a truck load more of awesome rare items.

HH, thank you very much for sharing your finds and your story. Keep us all posted.

:-)
 

WHADIFIND

Gold Member
Apr 9, 2012
12,060
38,114
South of the Mason-Dixon Line
🥇 Banner finds
1
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
4
Detector(s) used
Garrett AT-MAX
Garrett AT-PRO,
Garrett Groundhog,
Pro-Pointer,

Jack Hammer!
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Wow would be appropriate.

So, just getting started and you find this?
Tell me, where does one go from up? ;)

Congrats!
 

Steve in PA

Gold Member
Jul 5, 2010
9,581
14,119
Pittsburgh, PA
🥇 Banner finds
4
Detector(s) used
Fisher F75, XP Deus, Equinox 600, Fisher 1270
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
My Banner vote is in, we should see your coin up there shortly. That sure is a nice looking classic early silver. Really captures the imagination. Makes me think of the Salem Witch Trials for some reason.

I must say I am surprised how many of these have been turning up lately.
 

Westfront

Silver Member
Jun 15, 2010
4,837
6,619
Germania Secunda
🥇 Banner finds
6
Detector(s) used
XP Deus
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Thats a really nice piece of silver! I think too it's an outstanding find and deserves a place on top. Vote is in.
 

Breezie

Gold Member
Oct 3, 2009
6,269
2,119
North Carolina
🥇 Banner finds
1
Detector(s) used
White's DFX & Spectrum~Garrett's Pro-Pointer~VibraProbe
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
OMGoodness what a find!!! And it's in beautiful condition.:icon_thumright: Congratulations on this OUTSTANDING find and for making the BANNER with an awesome coin!:icon_thumright:

:)
Breezie
 

Argentium

Gold Member
Feb 2, 2008
9,058
5,574
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Detector(s) used
Whites, MXT.
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Unbefreakinlievable find Amigo ! That's one of the sharper ones I've ever seen - you may want to consider purchasing a lottery ticket
the odds are probably similar . Cheers ! (I was late to the banner party but congrat's none the less )
 

oxbowbarefoot

Banned
May 25, 2011
2,268
1,850
🥇 Banner finds
4
Primary Interest:
Other
Are you kidding me??????????? Where the heck is mine!!!! Everyone else is getting Mass Silver. I've seen more Mass silver dug this year than in the past 5 years on this site. BANNER!

You'll be digging proven ground this weekend ;)
 

GioTheGreek

Bronze Member
Sep 12, 2009
1,281
859
Hades
Detector(s) used
XP DÉUS, Minelab E-TRAC, Pro-Pointer, Hawk-like Vision, Receding Hairline
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
That's a stunner!!! :notworthy:
 

TNGUNS

Bronze Member
Jun 23, 2012
2,368
1,208
Evensville, Tennessee
Detector(s) used
Whites 5900, Fisher 1266x, Tesoro Eldorado, Tesoro Silver Sabre, Whites Eagle Spectrum, Teknetics G2, Teknetics T2, Vibra-Probe 580
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Congrats on getting "BANNER" on your find, and congrats again on the find.:icon_thumleft:
 

oxbowbarefoot

Banned
May 25, 2011
2,268
1,850
🥇 Banner finds
4
Primary Interest:
Other
If someone were to have only started looking at this site a year ago, it may seem like Massachusetts Silvers are popping up everywhere and aren't that hard to find. That is not the case at all. This year has been an anomaly with the burst of Tree Coins. Most years there are 1 or 2 found and posted about. Out of 60 pages of Banner finds, there are only 9 Tree Coins that I counted that have made it up top. Yours is definitely one of the nicest of those in my opinion. There are 5 tree coins that I can think of that were posted that didn't make the banner or were not qualified to make the banner. (SilverTreeChaser's Pine Tree and Cut Oak Tree, Bill Ladd's Cut Pine Tree, Bill.D's Cut Pine Tree, and my Cut Pine Tree). I'm sure there are some that I have missed, but 14 threads featuring Tree Coins out of 80,000 in the Today's Finds section should give you some perspective on how rare your find really is!
 

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Zodiacdiverdave

Silver Member
Mar 18, 2011
2,765
1,371
The North Atlantic Ocean
Detector(s) used
XP Deus, AT Pro, Sea Hunter II, JW Fisher Proton Magnatometer, Shovel, Hammer and chisel
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
BANNER..........Oh wait, it's already up there. A big congrats, not only did you make Banner but I think it was in record time.:hello2:
I would be lying if I said I wasn't jealous, if I don't have my silver tree by the end of next year I am moving to Mass.
ZDD
 

sliverofsilver

Full Member
Apr 23, 2011
236
60
howell , nj
Detector(s) used
eyes, whites classic SL ,Bounty Hunter Tracker I-D/505 ,
Discovery 1100, eyes,hatchet,shovel,scoop,for now
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
very nice find
 

Iron Patch

Gold Member
Sep 28, 2007
19,254
8,730
Dirtyville
🥇 Banner finds
3
Detector(s) used
Deus
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
If someone were to have only started looking at this site a year ago, it may seem like Massachusetts Silvers are popping up everywhere and aren't that hard to find. That is not the case at all. This year has been an anomaly with the burst of Tree Coins. Most years there are 1 or 2 found and posted about. Out of 60 pages of Banner finds, there are only 9 Tree Coins that I counted that have made it up top. Yours is definitely one of the nicest of those in my opinion. There are 5 tree coins that I can think of that were posted that didn't make the banner or were not qualified to make the banner. (SilverTreeChaser's Pine Tree and Cut Oak Tree, Bill Ladd's Cut Pine Tree, Bill.D's Cut Pine Tree, and my Cut Pine Tree). I'm sure there are some that I have missed, but 14 threads featuring Tree Coins out of 80,000 in the Today's Finds section should give you some perspective on how rare your find really is!


Then you figure in the varieties and I bet no more than two would be the same type.

I can only imagine the shock thinking you were digging a Merc or Barber and getting that. Wait a sec, I can imagine because my best silver coin by far was dug and I was expecting a bullet! (1000% true and a long story!) :laughing7:
 

JeffInMass

Silver Member
Jan 14, 2006
4,678
7,095
Cape Cod
Detector(s) used
Minelab Manticore, Minelab Equinox 600, Minelab Explorer SE Pro, Explorer XS, Fisher CZ6A
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Congratulations on that "Find of a Lifetime"!! I was blessed enough to find one in March of 2008 (check my Banner Find), made Western & Eastern's Find of the Year issue in 2009- get your info sent along to them- you'll be in that issue for certain. It's kind of difficult to describe that feeling isn't it?? I'm very happy for you and wish you continued good fortune!

Jeff in Mass
 

Deepdiger60

Silver Member
Jun 18, 2009
2,804
94
Long Island E-end
Detector(s) used
Minelab Sov GT,Sovereign xs2-pro Fisher CZ21 Custom Skullies , Stealth 720-i
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
That has to be the best Mass silver i seen dug here on T-NET beautiful coin Congratulations . Jim
 

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