Double colonial silver + LC today during a strange hunt

[Bill D. (VA)]

Went back to the site I hit for the first time last week, and where I dug about 30 buttons and other misc relics mostly dating from 1775 to 1825. I was still hitting random buttons away from the iron patch just before I left last time so I figured there would be plenty more to dig. But today I couldn't seem to dig a keeper no matter what I did. Finally I broke the ice after almost 30 min with a nice little late colonial buckle. But things were still slow after that so I decided to roam around between the iron patch and the woods which was about 50 yards back. Still no targets of any consequence until I finally got an overload signal which I figured was junk. But it turned out to be a coronet head LC just beneath the surface. I was happy with that as it was the first coin to come from this area. Then I walked maybe 10 feet and got a nice brass button signal, or so I thought. When I first saw the target I thought it was another one of those teaser silver gilted buttons, but I was way off base as it turned out to be a holed 1772 half reale. So after no coins in about 5-6 hours of hunting this site I get 2 on consecutive signals .... weird! After digging a button nearby I decided to start gridding that area, and went way off to one side to start. I hadn't walked 15 feet when I got a choppy, ugly sounding signal, and I was really surprised to see a piece of silver from what looks to be a 2 reale pistareen. Technically it's not a "cut" piece as its a bit on the irregular side, plus it looks like someone had driven a nail through it. So in the 4 targets I had dug in the last 10 min 3 of them were coins. As I continued gridding the targets again became almost non-existent. I must have hunted for another couple of hours with very little to show for my efforts. But near the end of the hunt I was finally able to pull out a small gilted navy cuff button similar to the one I dug on the last hunt here. About that time I noticed this strange glow in the sky well below the position of the sun. I thought it might be a sundog, but usually those are on either side of the sun and they usually come in pairs. Maybe it has something to do with the lunar eclipse tonight?? Anyway, as I was leaving the owner had just pulled up and offered to go talk to his neighbor about getting me into her field which is also part of the same 1636 land patent and borders the historic creek. But I have to hurry as the farm equipment is everywhere, and my season is very close to an end.

 

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[Rick (Nova Scotia)]

Good day of silver Bill.
That one must have been cut to make small change ?

Sun dogs, have heard of, but I admit not knowing what in the heck it is, I'll look it up myself some day I'm not so busy.

 

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[Bill D. (VA)]

Good day of silver Bill.
That one must have been cut to make small change ?

Sun dogs, have heard of, but I admit not knowing what in the heck it is, I'll look it up myself some day I'm not so busy.

Rick - the coin appears to have been cut in the vertical direction (through the middle of the date as is the usual practice), but broken off in the horizontal at an unusual location. And the square nail hole is strange as well. My friend Dan thinks that maybe the purpose of that irregular hole may have been to remove some silver to produce a coin of the proper weight. But who knows. Its always fun to dig something with an unusual feature.

By the way, here's a link about sundogs, but I don't think that's exactly what I saw. I've been a weather observer and storm spotter for the Nat'l Weather Svc here for many years, and just sent them the pic of that glow in the sky to see what they have to say. Generally sundogs occur in the late afternoon, and can be seen horizontally on either side of the sun as an iridescent glow. This one occurred much earlier in the day and was located well below the sun, and there was only one. Here's a link you can check out followed by a pic of a true sundog.

Sun dog - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Bill D. (VA)]

I concur with gwdigger on the mint mark for your Half Real, I checked the records of myself, son and Wayne S and out of over 70 Half Real found between us only Wayne has found 2 with the Guatemala mint mark, so scarce indeed. It would probably be wise to mark that note for the coin in case a researcher in the future would have a need to know. Great finds as always for you guys...............

Don

Thanks Don and gwdigger. I can barely make out the "G" mint mark and the "P" assayers initial in the posted pic, but it does appear to indeed be from the Guatemala mint. You can plainly see those marks in the better pic below at the 3 and 4 o'clock positions. I'll have to check my other coins as I may have others from this mint.

 

[johnnyblaze]

Nice variety there Bill that holed silver is sweet..

There are lots of strange things going on with mother nature lately eh...


Blaze

 

[toddsumm1]

Nice finds. I just was scanning through the posts and saw your coin. How cool is it I just pulled one of those out of the ground with the same hole! Sort of weird and neat. I've been told my is Guatemalan as well. 1776 1/2 real with a hole! Cool!