$1 gold piece - Updated now with the "after" pix.

[Tom_in_CA]

Got this love-token $1 gold piece on a beach in central CA today. The zone where this came from produces coins back to seateds, barbers, etc... when it erodes. Even Spanish reales at times have come from here There's a beach cut that's going on 2 months old at this location, that ....... every few week's ..... mother nature readjusts the sand back and forth here, revealing a few more zones each time.

This is my 12th gold coin (not counting jewelry) and my second of the $1 denomination size. Even though this was technically made into jewelry, I'm counting it in my coin's count, d/t the phenomenom of love tokens seems to be strictly a mid 1800s thing. Ie.: you never see love tokens done on coins past seateds, if I'm not mistaken. And also because the stretch of beach is known for coins of the era means it's not a modern loss. Other targets this morning were a 1900 barber dime, another as-yet unknown silver coin, a few wheaties, skeleton key, suspender clip, etc.....

[Blacksheep]

Great find, the artwork is awesome on that coin.

[Narthoniel]

Wow, thats a beauty! Looks like the initials read USN to me. VERY cool find!!
Anthony

[godisnum1]

Wow... that's really unique! This is the first time I believe I've seen a Love Token made from a gold coin!!?
Congrats on the great find!!!

Bran <><

[dwayne sueno]

great love token! doubly great that it's gold. well done.

[RELICDUDE07]

Niiiiiice!Very nice.....

[Don in SJ]

Super find Tom, a $1 gold would be alright for you but to get it as a Love token is what makes it special. I believe you might get more of the same in that area possibly, since I think when the holes are like that it was part of a bracelet with perhaps and half dozen others on it!! (Can alway hope )

Don

http://www.geocities.com/lovetokensociety/

Love Tokens were the rage in the 1890's, the one I found is inscribed with the date 1890 on it, and I have read that at the Amusement parks of the 1890s that there would be a stand where an individual would make a Love Token on the spot for you...............(Mine was found in the lake where such a Amusement park was in the 1890s).

[Gypsy Heart]

That is a very sweet find!

[hikeinmts]

Great find.....and REALLY GREAT GOLD FIND. By all means, count it. It still is a coin, even tho having been reshaped/tooled
to become a love token. Have found a few of those, when in the States, but never never even heard of a gold coin being
remade. And, sounds like that place you are hunting could continue to give for a long while. Keep us posted on what else
comes out of the sand.

[HISPAN]

Awesome find token/Dolar

[BuckleBoy]

Killer find! Some wood bleach (oxalic acid) will remove the staining on that piece and leave every bit of gold. It's what they used to clean the rusty stains off of that San Francisco cache of gold that is posted in "Best of Tnet"--and also what rtde used to clean the gold coin from the Shark Pit.


BIG congratulations on such a beautiful piece!



Regards,



Buckles

[allen]

wtg on that aweome coin/love token !!

[N.J.THer]

Great love token...I've seen silver coins made into them but this is the first gold I've seen.

12 gold coins...wow. How many years of detecting to find all of them

Congrats and I hope you find many more.
NJ

[X-Terra70_TreasureHunter]

Yes a Love Token and the initials are L. H. S.
according to a friend of mine who deals in
these type of coins.

Indian Princess Head, Large Head (1856-1889)
Designer James B. Longacre
Weight 1.672 grams
Net weight .04837 pure gold
Type 3
90% Gold 10% Copper
15mm

If not altered in very fine condition value $165.00 low....$9,500 high side
all according to date and mint mark.

Dave

[history hunter]

Awesome gold coin,I'm still looking for my first.

[Ed-NH]

That is a great find. I love tokens and yours is very unique.

[CRUSADER]

Yes a Love Token and the initials are L. H. S.
according to a friend of mine who deals in
these type of coins.

Indian Princess Head, Large Head (1856-1889)
Designer James B. Longacre
Weight 1.672 grams
Net weight .04837 pure gold
Type 3
90% Gold 10% Copper
15mm

If not altered in very fine condition value $165.00 low....$9,500 high side
all according to date and mint mark.

Dave

I would say SLH (only because they normally made the top letter the first), or did they do the Surname in Caps?

[garthbfan169]

WTG on a great looking find. Can't wait to find my first Gold coin!!

[Tom_in_CA]

thanx everyone for looking

Don in SJ, thanx for the link. Nice to read that site!

NJ, I've been md'ing since the mid 1970s as a school age kid. But for gold coins, only found the first in late 1994. So I'm averaging 1 per a little over a year so far on them

Buckles, thanx for the recommendation. It actually came off with ezest and a little picking with a wooden toothpick persuasion.

4 of us were furiously working this section of beach again at this morning's low tide (1am to 5am-ish). Some seateds and barbers were found, and tons of lead junk, but no more gold coins durnit

[Silver Searcher]

Stunning find must be a good chance of another