🥇 BANNER EPIC HUNT: 1788 COLONIAL PARYS MINES DRUID PENNY TOKEN AND MUCH MORE!

Erik in NJ

Silver Member
Oct 4, 2010
4,037
3,043
The Garden State
🥇 Banner finds
1
Detector(s) used
Minelab Explorer SE Pro & CTX-3030
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
I don't know where to start on this one. This is one of those hunts that dreams are made of. I had to wait a couple days to post it since we were on vacation and I had to clean, research, and photograph everything.

We vacationed in a part of Cape Cod that contained some history I was walking around drooling at some of the historic properties as I had no permissions. Passing a newer house that had a nice wooded lot next to it (and some old houses across the street) I happened upon an old woman who was outside in her driveway and I introduced myself. We got to talking and she was incredibly nice and interesting to speak to. We spoke for about an hour regarding various things and I asked if I might be able to search the wooded lot for historic artifacts. She replied "Sure you can, but you won't find much other than broken glass and pottery."

A couple days later I returned with my gear and knocked on the door and said hello again to the woman, then I proceeded to detect the wooded lot. It started out slow, and only lasted about 3 hours, but turned into perhaps my best hunt ever.

I finally got a nice deep hit and dug into the sandy soil to recover a thin copper disc about the size of a nickel. I knew it was something old and secured it in my pouch.

Upon cleaning and IDing it it turned out to be a Swedish Karl XII 1/6 Ore (Type 2) coin that was issued from 1715 through 1718. I can only read "171x" but it's extremely rare to find a Swedish coin in the US and especially one that is just beyond the 17th century!! I would have been happy with just this one!

Next I get another super deep hit that my Explorer SE Pro is so good at. After digging at least 10 inches, out pops a green disc that turned out to be a King George II! I filled the plug and it seemed that there was something even deeper, but I was not getting a clear signal. I was sure something was there and finally right next to my original hole I dug a second green disc. I believe it to also be a King George but it's quite worn. The most salient feature is a modification of a small circle of dots on the coin giving it some Colonial character! This was a milestone for me as it was my first Colonial Copper coin spill!

Not to be outdone, about a foot away (and perhaps part of the same spill) I get another nice hit, though not as deep. At about 8 inches comes a coin (I initially thought it was a modern quarter as it had a strong rim) I have never seen before. It's about the size of a quarter and has a coat of arms on the obverse and what appeared to be Hindu or Arabic writing on the reverse inside a wreath of lilies.

This coin when cleaned turned out to be a very rare and incredibly interesting find for the US: An East India Company 2-Pice coin not from India, but from Penang, Malaysia with a date of 1828! The land composing what is now Singapore and Malaysia were once known as the Straights Settlements. The East India Company has a very rich and interesting part to play in British history and this is a rare and significant find. If only this coin coin talk!!

Having achieved four large coppers in about an hour and a half had my head spinning, but I pushed on to see what other secrets this land held.

The next signal was strong, but quite deep. My depth meter was almost maxed out. I dug down into the sandy soil about a foot and was rewarded with a HUGE copper disc--bigger than any coin I'd seen before. I thought perhaps it might be a British Cartwheel Penny, but it turned out to be something of an extremely rare find in this country and one that is even much rarer than a gold coin!!

After researching the huge disc bearing the head of a hooded Druid on the obverse and and the three large ornate script letter PMC on the obverse, it turned out what I had was a 1788 Colonial Parys Mine Company Anglesey (Druid) Penny "Conder Token." The Parys Mine Company was the first company to privately issue tokens in 1787 to pay workers while official copper coinage was in short supply. Many other companies followed suit and these token became known as "Conder" tokens.

You can ready about Conder Tokens here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conder_token

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Conder

I have seen one or two of the halfpenny versions of this token posted but never the larger PENNY variety before and especially never in the US! This coin is a MONSTER in size weighing in at 24 grams which is a few grams shy of 1 ounce of copper. The inscription around the circumference of the coin reads “WE PROMISE TO PAY THE BEARER ONE PENNY”. This huge coin even contained an early anti-counterfeit device which took the form of an edge inscription “ON DEMAND IN LONDON LIVERPOOL OR ANGLESEY .X.” The date on the token is 1788 and is still quite strong.

To round out the hunt I finally dug an 1831 US Large Cent that oddly has been holed right through the middle with a small hole. And finally an 1874 Indian Head Cent which is a nice find in and of itself. This gave me SIX (!!) large coppers and an 1870s IHC in less than 3 hours--by far a new record for me and perhaps one I will not achieve again. In addition the rare Swedish Karl XII 1/6 Ore, very rare the East India Company 2-Pice coin, and the ultra rare Druid Penny made for a truly unique and EPIC hunt and one I will never forget.

While I was detecting the old woman came out to see if I'd found anything. She was truly amazed that I had found these old copper coins and she was very happy for me. I hunted the property again finding some nice relics and a solid Sterling silver spoon (will be posted in a follow-up post), but no more copper coins. As I like to do whenever a property owner is kind to me, I gave her a nice bottle of Chardonnay on my last day as a thank you gift (I would have done this even if I had found nothing at all) and we had another nice talk. She invited me into her house to view her late husband's military decorations. Hopefully we will keep in touch and I feel as though our friendship was the best discovery of them all. :thumbsup:

N.B. I have included reference coins for the Karl XII 1/6 Ore, the East India Company 2-Pice, and the Parys Mine Company "Druid" Penny token. I also added a group picture of the six coppers and the 1874 IHC, all as of yet only brushed with a dry toothbrush and rubbed between my fingers.
 

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  • Parys Mines Co Anglesey Penny (obverse).jpg
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Last edited:
Upvote 82

Scrappy

Gold Member
Mar 6, 2014
9,204
14,019
17th century
🥇 Banner finds
7
Detector(s) used
Minelab CTX 3030 & XP Deus
Primary Interest:
Other
Beauty hunt. Epic is a good description!

Congrats

Steve
 

BigWaveDave

Gold Member
Nov 22, 2013
9,307
16,929
Mountain Maryland
🥇 Banner finds
2
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
4
Detector(s) used
Garrett AT Pro, AT Max, Minelab
Equinox 800
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Absolutely incredible finds!

Congrats to you :occasion14:
 

Loco-Digger

Gold Member
Jun 16, 2014
11,825
17,742
Northern O-H-I-O
🥇 Banner finds
1
Detector(s) used
F75 LTD, 1280X Aquanaut, & a Patriot (back-up/loaner)
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Who could ask for more? Nice day Awesome hunt, rare coins and a new friend. :notworthy: Gonna be hard to beat that hunt...
 

pepperj

Gold Member
Feb 3, 2009
37,007
136,896
🥇 Banner finds
1
Detector(s) used
Deus, Deus 2, Minelab 3030, E-Trac,
Primary Interest:
Relic Hunting
Congrats on the epic hunt, and making the new friendship.
 

Dirtwisher

Hero Member
Nov 1, 2013
513
882
MA
🥇 Banner finds
1
Detector(s) used
XP Deus 9" and 11", AT Pro, Propointer
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Insane hunt. You just gotta love tokens, especially the mystery of finding out what they are and how the suspense builds when you start to realize you got something awesome! What town on the Cape? I'm thinking the Sandwich/Barnstable area. I spend weekends in Harwichport but I have drooled at all the old houses on the North side of the Cape.
 

OBN

Gold Member
Dec 30, 2008
6,527
7,004
Maryland Waters
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1
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"Excalibur"..
"AQ" Impulse
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Other
Dag those are some old coins! Very good time out!
 

cjon455

Gold Member
Jun 4, 2012
9,207
11,541
Northeast PA
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
Minelab Etrac
Garrett Propointer
Garrett Propointer-AT
Sampson T handle shovel
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
wow a fun hunt filled with old/foreign/colonial goodies!, man that's awesome to find such a variety In one hunt!, might be a bit early but im voting banner!
 

OP
OP
Erik in NJ

Erik in NJ

Silver Member
Oct 4, 2010
4,037
3,043
The Garden State
🥇 Banner finds
1
Detector(s) used
Minelab Explorer SE Pro & CTX-3030
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Insane hunt. You just gotta love tokens, especially the mystery of finding out what they are and how the suspense builds when you start to realize you got something awesome! What town on the Cape? I'm thinking the Sandwich/Barnstable area. I spend weekends in Harwichport but I have drooled at all the old houses on the North side of the Cape.

Yes, 18th century tokens are very special indeed! I'll tell you what town when I come up and hunt with you :thumbsup::laughing7:
 

RJ55

Bronze Member
Jul 2, 2014
1,449
1,186
western NC
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
XP Deus/Garrett Pro Pointer II
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Killer finds dude, congratulations.
 

Old Dude

Gold Member
Feb 20, 2013
8,799
9,849
Luzerne County, Pa
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
2
Detector(s) used
Fisher F75, Garrett ATPro, Garrett GTAx 500
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Very nice story! Well written and filled with info and pics. One thing I have always appreciated are the stories older people tell. Congrats on your incredible finds and a new friend.
 

Oct 5, 2014
31,886
35,424
Massachusetts
🥇 Banner finds
1
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
Garrett: AT Pro, AT Gold & Infinium; Minelab: Explorer SE, II; Simplex; Tesoro: Tejon & Outlaw; White's: V3i
Primary Interest:
Relic Hunting
Great hunt! The old coppers are excellent finds, congratulations.
 

OP
OP
Erik in NJ

Erik in NJ

Silver Member
Oct 4, 2010
4,037
3,043
The Garden State
🥇 Banner finds
1
Detector(s) used
Minelab Explorer SE Pro & CTX-3030
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
wow a fun hunt filled with old/foreign/colonial goodies!, man that's awesome to find such a variety In one hunt!, might be a bit early but im voting banner!

Thank you cjon455 for recognizing this as a special hunt! :thumbsup:
 

bonepicker

Bronze Member
Jan 5, 2012
1,348
3,012
MS, Lynchberg
🥇 Banner finds
2
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XP DEUS
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Relic Hunting
Nice hunt :thumbsup:. Quite the variety. I'd be happy finding just one of those coins.
 

OP
OP
Erik in NJ

Erik in NJ

Silver Member
Oct 4, 2010
4,037
3,043
The Garden State
🥇 Banner finds
1
Detector(s) used
Minelab Explorer SE Pro & CTX-3030
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Nice hunt :thumbsup:. Quite the variety. I'd be happy finding just one of those coins.

I was happy with just the thin copper that turned out to be the Swedish Karl XII 1/6 Ore! The 1788 Parys Mine Company Anglesey One Penny token and the East India Company Penang 2-pice coin were the Grand Slam for me! Goes to show just how varied Colonial and post-Colonial copper coins were!
 

Vino

Banned
Jul 7, 2013
3,801
5,045
Pa.
Detector(s) used
Ctx3030. Xp deus
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Holy cow!! Talk about rare finds???? They dont come along everday. I am going to cast my vote right after this post..
I love the write up you did and the hole story. Banner.
Way to go Erin!!! Lol
George
 

OP
OP
Erik in NJ

Erik in NJ

Silver Member
Oct 4, 2010
4,037
3,043
The Garden State
🥇 Banner finds
1
Detector(s) used
Minelab Explorer SE Pro & CTX-3030
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Holy cow!! Talk about rare finds???? They dont come along everday. I am going to cast my vote right after this post..
I love the write up you did and the hole story. Banner.
Way to go Erin!!! Lol
George

Thanks Vina :laughing7: Very kind of you to recognize it as a special hunt--seriously though I do very much appreciate it! --I kind felt like I was on one of your amazing properties!
 

Brother Al

Hero Member
Jul 23, 2013
636
565
Ohio
Detector(s) used
Three White's, one Fisher and a Minelab.....I'm beginning to wonder if I am a metal detectorist .....or a collector of metal detectors?
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Speechless.... Banner.
 

OP
OP
Erik in NJ

Erik in NJ

Silver Member
Oct 4, 2010
4,037
3,043
The Garden State
🥇 Banner finds
1
Detector(s) used
Minelab Explorer SE Pro & CTX-3030
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Speechless.... Banner.

Thank you Al for the Banner vote--I really appreciate it :thumbsup:! It was just one of those rare times for me when everything came together. The woman who owned the property was very happy to see the eclectic finds and I think it was almost as memorable for her too as it was for me.
 

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