Quick hunt yields 2 cut coins.. I think?

[Dan]

Hey rain day but warm. Quick hunt after work.. usual garbage and some zinc pennies. Then these 2, I thought they where trash and just stuck in my pocket. Can these be identified? I don't think they are silver, as they are not shinny like other silver change I found. However heavy in the hand. These might be the oldest coins (or partial coins) to date. Any advise on cleaning?

sorry for the poor pics.

 

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[Dan]

 

[CASPER-2]

nice cut coins - I leave most of my as is now - not gonna hurt those much - try a little water and baking soda (wet coin - sprinkle a little bake soda on them - rub - then rinse) - should shine up nice for you
no baking soda - try tooth paste

 

[Dan]

thanks Casper,, any idea how old they are? Or where they are from? Its two different coins but found them very close to each other.

 

[ATpro5]

Definately 1700S Silver Spanish Cut Reales. Great Finds!

 

[ATpro5]

 

[Bill D. (VA)]

Those are definitely cut spanish silver coins. It appears from your pics that both are the bust/pillar style which were first minted in 1772 if my memory serves me well. I usually like to clean those up with light electrolysis if you have that option available. Personally I don't like to use a baking soda paste as it gives it a fakey shine unless you're very careful (sorry Casper!). Lemon juice might work too although I haven't tried that myself. Why don't you wait until you hear from more folks here on the forum before making a decision. Congrats on some very nice finds!

 

[smokeythecat]

Definitely 1700's Spanish silver. Cut pistareens from the 18th century. When I find one, I put it in lemon juice for about 10-20 minutes, then wipe. Should do the trick. If it's silver, it will clean up nicely. If copper (as in a contemporary counterfeit) you won't hurt it either. DO NOT soak overnight, your coins are pretty clean as is.

 

[Dan]

WOW! I was hoping to beat my oldest find of 41 mercury.. I can't believe it! Thank you all.
Would an ultrasonic cleaner damage them. By far my oldest find! AWESOME! I thought this was going to be my last hunt of the year.. I might have sneak some time in if the ground doesn't freeze.

 

[Bill D. (VA)]

Definitely 1700's Spanish silver. Cut pistareens from the 18th century. When I find one, I put it in lemon juice for about 10-20 minutes, then wipe. Should do the trick. If it's silver, it will clean up nicely. If copper (as in a contemporary counterfeit) you won't hurt it either. DO NOT soak overnight, your coins are pretty clean as is.

Those are not pistareens. You can clearly see the pillars which indicate post-1772 minting. Actually its rather unusual to find a cut pillar coin. Out of my 70 cut coins only 2 or 3 are of the pillar variety.

 

[Msbeepbeep]

You have arrived in the 1700's ! Very nice cut coins congrats!!!

 

[NHBandit]

OK I'll be "that guy" and say that they look fake to me. Like replicas that fell out of some kids pocket when he was playing pirate. I'm no expert so please take that into consideration but the "cuts" look too perfect and almost have a cast look to the edges. Like they were made that way, not cut after being minted. Color looks wrong, etc. Greenish patina also ? If they are real it's an awsome find ! Waiting on Mackaydon or one of those guys to take a peek and give an opinion.

 

[jewelerguy]

beautiful cut coins. congrats!

 

[Bill D. (VA)]

OK I'll be "that guy" and say that they look fake to me. Like replicas that fell out of some kids pocket when he was playing pirate. I'm no expert so please take that into consideration but the "cuts" look too perfect and almost have a cast look to the edges. Like they were made that way, not cut after being minted. Color looks wrong, etc. Greenish patina also ? If they are real it's an awsome find ! Waiting on Mackaydon or one of those guys to take a peek and give an opinion.

Although the color may appear to be a little off I firmly believe these are the real deal. Period counterfeits were usually made from pewter, and their brittle nature would make it very difficult to cut them cleanly and leave nice straight edges. I'd be curious to know how they rang in on the finder's machine. Cut silver of this size will generally register a bit below zinc penny range, but a counterfeit would read much lower.

 

[terpfan]

Although the color may appear to be a little off I firmly believe these are the real deal. Period counterfeits were usually made from pewter, and their brittle nature would make it very difficult to cut them cleanly and leave nice straight edges. I'd be curious to know how they rang in on the finder's machine. Cut silver of this size will generally register a bit below zinc penny range, but a counterfeit would read much lower.

Great news, Dan. If Bill firmly believes your cut silver pieces are authentic, I'll bet they are. Bill has found more Spanish silver than most experienced detectorists have found Mercury dimes. Congratulations on finding your oldest coins, and for skipping the 1800s altogether. Not many people have done that. Now that you know that your site has some history to it, its time to get back there. Go real slow and you just might add to your collection of oldies.

 

[Wldbil]

Nice finds... Congrats

 

[smokeythecat]

Yes, not pistareens, yours are from cut pillar coins. There really isn't much need to clean them, really. Look pretty nice as is. Congrats.

 

[Dan]

I am still on top of the world. I've been hunting this park for sometime with my F2 and thought it was played out by others long ago. I;ve been finding only modern coins and lots of pull tabs etc.. I did find half a mercury dime(cut in half by mower) and a buffalo nickel(also cut by mower) so it motivated me to keep going back to this park.

I have been only been in the hobby for about a year and only have gone through about 4 sets of batteries and have not found any coins older than 1941. How do I top 18th century silver? I really have to say the sniper coil did come through. I was able to get back to the park for a couple of hours since Friday but no luck.. Ice on the ground today.. doesnt look much more hunting for the rest of year.

 

[N.J.THer]

Although cut coins are much more common in the southern states I would say they are real. Congrats on two awesome finds...I would pound that site.

Here is an interesting read about cut pistareens. Your's are not pistareens but I think you will still find it relates to your finds.
http://numismatics.org/wikiuploads/CNL/Pistareens.pdf

Good luck on future hunts.
NJ

 

[MUD(S.W.A.T)]

I'd say they are reale too... This is not the type of coin I think you should be cleaning very much... Don't use baking soda or toothpaste on them, to corrosive if its not to late... They put hairline scratches on the coins... If your going to clean it, I'd use light electrolysis and shine it up a little with just distilled water after electrolysis... Make sure you watch it close and check it often, electrolysis can cause coins to pit. Great finds !!

Keep @ it and HH !!