Capped Bust Half Dime found in Michigan...gotta dig those trashy signals!!!

[Deerhunter24]

Was searching an old town site from an 1850's map. Now its just a wooded area.

This place was quite trashed and used as a dumping site in the 60's-70's so I decided on this hunt I was going to try to hunt behind the cellar holes more.

I was less than an hour into my hunt and about 100 feet behind an old cellar hole. You can walk 20-30 feet at a time before even getting a solid hit...so in this area I figured I would dig everything.

I got a repeatable signal about 4" deep, but it was bouncing around a bit on my Minelab SE with 8" Sunray Stealth Coil. I dig down and out pops an older brass shotgun shell top from the 1920's or so. I stand up and re-scan the hole just to double check. Just to the side I get a much weaker sounding, but also repeatable tone.

I decide to dig that as well. I was absolutely dumbfounded when this small silver coin saw its first glimpse of light in well over 100 years.

At first glance, I thought maybe it was a 3-cent silver or something as it was very small. Upon closer inspection, I noticed the Eagle on the back and 5 C for 5 Cents. Wow, I knew I had an old Half Dime then. For sure it was my oldest Silver Coin.


I went back and forth and worked the wooded area in the immediate vicinity. I ended up scoring an Indian Head Penny as well. This one was 1865 and within 20 feet of the Capped Bust Half Dime...and it was also in much nicer shape.

I honestly almost NEVER clean coins, but since I couldn't see much detail on either one I figure I'd give it a shot since I knew I'd be keeping them anyway.

My buddy lightly tumbled the Half Dime...no date, but has to be somewhere in the 1829-1837 date range. Also, it appears that it could have a counter stamp mark. Its a weird mark as well as it appears that BOTH sides have a mark punched inwards.

I used electrolysis on the Indianhead. I wish I hadn't have done that. I didn't realize that there was so much detail in that coin.

This is my oldest Silver Coin. My previous was and 1838 or 1839 Seated Dime. Those are pretty old for Michigan.


Thanks for looking. Here are some before and after Pics.


Deerhunter24 (Chuck)

 

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[Peyton Manning]

I'd pee my pants if I found an IH like that

 

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[tomhighland]

Congratulations. Two very nice finds for our state.

 

[Deerhunter24]

Thanks for all of the comments. Yeah, I was pretty pumped when I realized what it was!

 

[fistfulladirt]

Congrats on the bucket lister! And nice 1865 too!

 

[relic lover]

Congrats on some excellent coins and sticking it out in a trashy Ghost Town. Those marks on that halftime are from someone trying to put a hole in it with a square nail. That might even be how it got lost. I have found a few old coins with squared nail dents in them. I could just see the thing flipping through the air after one strike with a hammer.

 

[Deerhunter24]

Congrats on some excellent coins and sticking it out in a trashy Ghost Town. Those marks on that halftime are from someone trying to put a hole in it with a square nail. That might even be how it got lost. I have found a few old coins with squared nail dents in them. I could just see the thing flipping through the air after one strike with a hammer.

I thought that at first too. Someone else suggested they thought it was a counter stamp. Weird thing is that it has the same mark on both sides of the coin, but its not lined up at all. The coins I have with holes through them always appear to just been hit from one end...This one appears like it was hit from both ends.

 

[Bass]

Wow, fantastic fins

 

[scruggs]

What can one say...just beautiful finds!!!

 

[Gridwalker306]

Phew! Gorgeous IH cent, and the silvers are sweet too!