🥇 BANNER A Coin Spill for the Ages: Spanish Silvers, Large Cents, and a massive Old Silver!

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
The day started at sunrise with me hiking through the dark woods. You see, I snuck out at 6am and before any of my 15 Thanksgiving guests awoke. After a 3/4 mile hike I arrived at my target site. It turned out to be a complete bust full of beer cans and illegal dumping.

So instead of going home I hiked to a spot about a half Mile away I've had my eye on for quite some time. It had great features; next to a good river, had high ground, and fertile soil. There was no record of a home existing there according to 1841 and later maps, so this was a complete gut hunch. Upon arriving I find an indentation at the high ground, which turned out to be a cellar hole. It was hidden as you can see...

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Here's the well...

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I turned on the machine and I hear iron, dig a few and find hand wrought nails. Here's a hand-wrought rose head nail which were used up to about 1800. Bingo! Great sign...

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Without much luck with non-ferrous targets, I work my way around to the front, and then to the other side. I get a jumpy signal that was double hitting, and thought I had surface trash. I dig it and out pops a 1800 Spanish 1-real!

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A video:

I'm quite excited and after a 10 minute intermission I rescan and find another target...and out comes a 1/2 reale. Wow!
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A video:

Excited now, I swing around the hole and have another hit...a Large Cent! Nice...



Next hit brings the biggest surprise of them all. It was choppy and grunting, but a high was coming through. I open it up and almost fall right over...

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A crazy video:

Staring back at me was what looked like a Spanish 8-real! I pull it out and low and behold it's an equally large French coin: a King Phillip 5-Franc monster silver!!!! The size of this coin is amazing - about the size of a Spanish 8. I'm still shocked when I look at the coin.


Wow. If this isn't what dreams are made of I don't know what is...

A minute or two later I dig yet another large cent and this ended my best coin spill ever.

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If I learned anything from this, it's to go with your hunches. Cross your fingers and get out there and hunt.

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Good luck and good hunts everyone!

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Happy belated Thanksgiving!
Steve
 

Last edited:
Upvote 163

Steve in PA

Gold Member
Jul 5, 2010
9,584
14,149
Pittsburgh, PA
🥇 Banner finds
4
Detector(s) used
Fisher F75, XP Deus, Equinox 600, Fisher 1270
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Congrats on the awesome coin spill Steve :thumbsup:

This spill illustrates how common Spanish Silver was even in the 1830s. Would have been nice to see a Capped Bust in there.
 

OP
OP
Scrappy

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
Scrappy,
First of all, congrats. Now I didn't read every post so forgive if this was asked already, but what was the reaction by all of your guests when you finally came back?

I came in on a 10. They were mildly entertained, but really just my mother acted excited. Even then I believe I was placated. Lol

But the kids LOVED them!
 

JoeDirty

Full Member
Oct 7, 2016
216
202
Denver Colorado
Detector(s) used
Tesoro Tejón Black with a 5.75 concentric coil,
Tesoro Compadré 5.75 coil, Makro Pin Pointer
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
What an amazing hunt! Im speechless!
 

OP
OP
Scrappy

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
Congrats on the awesome coin spill Steve :thumbsup:

This spill illustrates how common Spanish Silver was even in the 1830s. Would have been nice to see a Capped Bust in there.

Thanks Steve. Isn't it amazing to see how coins circulated back then? Estimating the spill was 1835-1840 (house was not on the map in 1841), that 1790 1/2 reale circulated for 45+ years, and the 1800 1 reale for 35+ years. And the French silver was an interesting one - I'd assume it would be the equivalent today of carrying a big bill.

A capped would have been sweet. But get this. I still have a gap in my silver collection from 1800 to 1831. My only capped was a dime, 1834.
 

jimbonito58

Jr. Member
May 6, 2016
72
94
New York
Detector(s) used
Garrett ATPro w/stock coil , 8x5 & nels storm ,garret carrot
Makro racer 2 w/stock coil ,5" round & 9x5.5 Makro PinP
Mindlab CTX 3030 11'coil / 10x5 coiltek, Minelab 17" smart coil
Primary Interest:
Relic Hunting
Awesome sweetness epic ... Congratulatoin on some spill
 

Oct 5, 2014
31,886
35,425
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
Congratualtions on the Banner!
 

Loco-Digger

Gold Member
Jun 16, 2014
11,827
17,744
Northern O-H-I-O
🥇 Banner finds
1
Detector(s) used
F75 LTD, 1280X Aquanaut, & a Patriot (back-up/loaner)
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
I'm clairvoyant Steve, remember the text I sent you? "I heard rumors that you had another banner hunt" Congrats on pulling those 5 amazing coins from one spill. I bet you're still on cloud 9, well deserved Banner bro.

Welcome to the 5 Francs Club.:notworthy:

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xr7ator

Gold Member
Sep 2, 2011
5,206
7,212
Denver, Colorado
Detector(s) used
Garrett AT Pro, AT Gold, ATX, MH7 (oldie!) Minelab Explorer SE Pro, EQ800
Banner scraps from the woods. Awesome, just awesome, Scrappy! I hope to find a silver that old one day...soon!

Happy holidays to ya, sir!
 

Patriot 1776

Supporting Vendor
Supporting Vendor
Dec 9, 2014
442
474
MA
Detector(s) used
Whites DFX and V3i, Garrett AT Pro , ACE 350, Minelab CTX
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Nice Hammered coin
Happy Treasure Hunting
 

rreahard

Jr. Member
Mar 29, 2016
80
36
Hammond, LA
Detector(s) used
Garrett AT Pro,
White's Bullseye TRX
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Absolutely incredible finds! Big congrats!!
 

OP
OP
Scrappy

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
I'm clairvoyant Steve, remember the text I sent you? "I heard rumors that you had another banner hunt" Congrats on pulling those 5 amazing coins from one spill. I bet you're still on cloud 9, well deserved Banner bro.

Welcome to the 5 Francs Club.:notworthy:

View attachment 1386235 View attachment 1386236

Haha, yep you did text me. And yep, still holding the coins every evening.


Did you call miss Cleo or did you see that coming yourself?

ImageUploadedByTreasureNet.com1480464493.057184.jpg

Thanks bud.
 

OP
OP
Scrappy

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
Banner scraps from the woods. Awesome, just awesome, Scrappy! I hope to find a silver that old one day...soon!

Happy holidays to ya, sir!

Hey thanks man! Its my sincere hope you find something soon that's as old, as big, or both. Good luck!
 

Goldiver

Bronze Member
Sep 15, 2006
2,345
1,150
Fremont, Ohio
Detector(s) used
Equinox 800, Fisher F-75 LTD2, CZ-70, CZ-21, 1280x, Vibraprobe 560, Minelab Pro-Find 35
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Man that will get the heart pumping! Love the 5 Francs! Thanks for sharing your story with us.

Steve
 

bill_wabo

Bronze Member
Sep 12, 2014
1,055
876
Quebec
Detector(s) used
helmet from pomelo
Teknetics Delta 4000,
Tesoro Mojave,
Garrett Carrott
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Big old silver and foreign! The rest of the spill is incredible, congrats Sir!
 

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