Mystery Silver Coin UPDATE: No longer a mystery, Its a Half Real

[Ohio Jerry]

Mystery Silver Coin UPDATE: No longer a mystery, It's a Half Real

This was dug at an 1800's cellarhole site where i recently found an 1883 Indian Head. It is a little smaller than a dime and is very thin. It has very few distinguishing features as you can see but after studying it for hours and going through my redbook several times I've decided to let the experts have a look at it Thanks for looking! Ugly coat buttons eh?
Jerry

 

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[Ohio Jerry]

Re: Mystery Silver Coin UPDATE: No longer a mystery, It's a Half Real

In fl. we find the 1/2 reales cut all the time...Into very tiny pieces,they cut every thing....

Excuse my ignorance but I'm still curious as to why they scored them or actually cut them in to smaller pieces?

 

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[RELICDUDE07]

Re: Mystery Silver Coin UPDATE: No longer a mystery, It's a Half Real

We found out after years of diggin tiny pieces of cut silver at a trading post..Cut 1/2 reals -1-2-4-8-....spoons and forks anything silver the merchant didnt care what the shape of the silver .The key was a 3 1/2 pound ingot my friend found with the merchants marks.They would take all the tiny silver from the store/tradepost and melt into ingots.. Thats what they did in my town,not sure about the rest of the world . I bet you find some more at that spot..........relicdude.I just saw your post above jerry,the reason was that coin could go along ways in the 1700s,you wouldnt want to spend all of it at one spot if you didnt have to...

 

[BuckleBoy]

Re: Mystery Silver Coin UPDATE: No longer a mystery, It's a Half Real

Jerry--there is MORE in Ohio. You found Colonial Copper and a Spanish Silver there. We've found Reales here in KY. The silvers circulated a lot longer than the coppers did.

This Half Real you found was scored to turn it into sharp shins--they just never had to cut it to make change.


It's a concept that's foreign to us--with our laws about defacing money, etc... And our money isn't worth what it's made out of anyhow now...but back then silver was silver. Didn't matter if it was U.S., Spanish, Mexican, French, or what. Took a long time for the Philly mint to crank out enough US silver coins to meet demand.


Again, GREAT find.

-Buck

 

[Derek752]

Re: Mystery Silver Coin UPDATE: No longer a mystery, It's a Half Real

Pretty Sweet 1/2 reale Jerry

Imagine the stories behind that coin ! May have even passed through the pockets of men like George Washington or Ben Franklin !

GREAT FIND !! ya gotta really hit that site hard , I'll bet theres more

Derek 8)

 

[RELICDUDE07]

Re: Mystery Silver Coin UPDATE: No longer a mystery, It's a Half Real

This may help explain it the best .... Keep up the search for that spanish silver and gold http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=950DE1DF1E3CF933A05754C0A96F948260#

 

[ivan salis]

Re: Mystery Silver Coin UPDATE: No longer a mystery, It's a Half Real

often when the face became too worn to see it was cut up and trade as bits of silver ie by weight*
and those bits and peices were gathered and melted into bars or ingots * in the early days of america money was at a premium --shortage of cash money -- spanish silver was legal money until about 1830 in the usa

 

[MUD(S.W.A.T)]

Re: Mystery Silver Coin UPDATE: No longer a mystery, It's a Half Real

Just think I'm happy if I find a silver Rossie.

Nice work,

keep @ it and HH!!

 

[dgaughan]

Re: Mystery Silver Coin UPDATE: No longer a mystery, It's a Half Real

sweet find jerry you can send it to me i'll see that nick gets it congrats and hh

 

[Ohio Jerry]

Re: Mystery Silver Coin UPDATE: No longer a mystery, It's a Half Real

This Half Real you found was scored to turn it into sharp shins--they just never had to cut it to make change.


-Buck

Buckles,I saw where you had commented on a possible 1 real the other day that Hardrock had dug along with that awesome 1823 half dollar but didn't recognize the term "sharp shins". I'm guessing the smaller pieces that were cut from a coin were called "sharp shins"? Thanks man,I love learning about this stuff

 

[BuckleBoy]

Re: Mystery Silver Coin UPDATE: No longer a mystery, It's a Half Real

spanish silver was legal money until about 1830 in the usa

Spanish silver was actually legal tender in the U.S. until 1857. It's part of the reason Reales can be found on occasion in CW camps...

 

[BuckleBoy]

Re: Mystery Silver Coin UPDATE: No longer a mystery, It's a Half Real

This Half Real you found was scored to turn it into sharp shins--they just never had to cut it to make change.


-Buck

Buckles,I saw where you had commented on a possible 1 real the other day that Hardrock had dug along with that awesome 1823 half dollar but didn't recognize the term "sharp shins". I'm guessing the smaller pieces that were cut from a coin were called "sharp shins"? Thanks man,I love learning about this stuff

They called the smaller pieces sharp shins because the pieces were so sharp they sometimes cut through a change purse or leather money belt.

 

[treasurefiend]

Re: Mystery Silver Coin

It is a definite half real.

Kirk

Yep just took me 3 seconds to tell. Congrats!!!

 

[Admiral de Salee]

Re: Mystery Silver Coin UPDATE: No longer a mystery, It's a Half Real

Man, you are hot lately... great 1/2 Real!

 

[Ohio Jerry]

Re: Mystery Silver Coin UPDATE: No longer a mystery, It's a Half Real

Man, you are hot lately... great 1/2 Real!

Thanks! that's what my wife tells me too

 

[Bavaria Mike]

Re: Mystery Silver Coin UPDATE: No longer a mystery, It's a Half Real

Awesome find! Looks like the half reale was quartered to make possible change. HH, Mike