Tied for my oldest coin find in 2007 - 1724 KGI Halfpenny

[Don in SJ]

Earlier this year I got a 1724 Woods Hibernia copper but today I got another 1724, but this time a regular issue King George I Halfpenny.
I started out hunting about two blocks back in the woods in thick greenbriar, well, after only a half hour of putting up with wet woods and the briar, I decided to call it quits, since I had not one target to dig and was arm and back weary after so little detecting these past few months.

I was about 30 feet from my truck when I got a loud coin signal, it was so loud I was sure it was going to be a piece of aluminum, that close to the paved road. Nope. At only about 4 inches a nice ole copper pops out of the ground.

Due to the wet conditions I left my camera in the truck for the hunt but since it was so close, I just left the coin lying there and got the camera (and my glasses) and took some photos of where I found the coin. Amazing that it was missed before by others, assuming the homestead there was hit before since it was so obvious.

I was not sure it would clean up decent but luckily it did, not bad for being that old and it is always nice finding the real old colonials.

Sorry for the off color on the coin photos, I was experimenting and it just did not work like I had hoped but at least the shots are clear. I hope to get out one or more two times before the end of the year and maybe make a so-so year end nicely.

Don

 

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[xlt nh]

Excellent find Don! I found one just like it a few months back...all I can make out is the bust, and the reverse is flat.

So glad yours has all the details left....Congrats!!

HH, Hank 8)

 

[Colonial KirkPA]

Good dig, Donster! Get your "non-posting" son on here now. :P

BDD...Kirk

 

[tymcmurray]

FANTASTIC FIND!!!!!!!!
Be glad you could ID it!

 

[mtbiker]

Excellent find!!!!!

 

[ModernMiner]

CONGRATULATIONS DON!!!
You may of only had one signal, but what a great signal it was.
Fantastic find. I'm gaining on you now. You only have my older copper (IH) beat by 144 years.
Thanks for the post and pictures.
-MM-

 

[Colonial KirkPA]

Don, did you go for less weight today? :P Gotcha again!

BDD...Kirk

 

[civilman1]

Congrat's on an Excellent find Don....I've probably had my hat snatched off my head a million time's in the briar....most people don't want to go there,fine with me....Gotta Love It. Happy New Year's!!

 

[Derek752]

Hey Don !!

Nice KG-I !

Pays to get into the thick jagger bushes !!
I have my special huntin outfit---Heavy duty coveralls for those had to get into hazardous areas.
Usually I get thru unscathed 'sept for the arms which can turn into bloody scratched limbs

My first honest-to-goodness KG was found back in 99 and yes a 1724 ! I'll add a photo of it. Its the coin got me into searching for the colonial stuff

Hope your Christmas was great Christmas and your New Year shines!

D 8)

Here's the 1724

 

[topdog]

Super find.

 

[Mona Lisa]

Don...I'm so glad you're back in the swing of things!! 8)

Congratulations on another great coin. Thanks for the pictures!!

 

[Don in SJ]

Derek - I know my eyeball find of a 1740 KGII copper is what got me heavily interested in colonial coins way back in 1979, although it would not be until 5 years later that I finally found one, and even back then they were few, far in-between, until I learned where to hunt. The KGI are my least found of the copper halfpennies, I even have twice as many William III coppers than I do the KGI and this was my first regular issue one since 2002.

Mona - I am back in the swing of things and regardless of my previous problems I will continue to be in the swinging away, weather permitting hopefully till late Springtime.

Derek (again) LOL, you ain't seen Greenbriar till you been in some of the woods in this area, oh my, thick is an understatement and I do wear hunting chafs and still get some nasty scratches, but have also learned how to get thru it over the years, plus I carry hand pruning shears with me to help escape when needed! I think digging in green briar is more of a challenge, its underground system of roots are horrible to dig through.

Don

 

[Derek752]

Derek - I know my eyeball find of a 1740 KGII copper is what got me heavily interested in colonial coins way back in 1979, although it would not be until 5 years later that I finally found one, and even back then they were few, far in-between, until I learned where to hunt. The KGI are my least found of the copper halfpennies, I even have twice as many William III coppers than I do the KGI and this was my first regular issue one since 2002.

Mona - I am back in the swing of things and regardless of my previous problems I will continue to be in the swinging away, weather permitting hopefully till late Springtime.

Derek (again) LOL, you ain't seen Greenbriar till you been in some of the woods in this area, oh my, thick is an understatement and I do wear hunting chafs and still get some nasty scratches, but have also learned how to get thru it over the years, plus I carry hand pruning shears with me to help escape when needed! I think digging in green briar is more of a challenge, its underground system of roots are horrible to dig through.

Don

I had a few Lg Cents before I found that 1724, I made up my mind when I found the KGI I was gonna do whatever it took to find the the early America/colonial stuff...been full force forward and aint never looked back!

I can imagine the Greenbriar / I call 'em jagger bushes ! Did find myself one time this summer in a 'sea of 'em ! Would have been funny to see I'm sure...
I was bound and determined to get into what I was sure was colonial paydirt..slowly worked my way to what I was sure was a clearing-only to put myself in an ocean of greenbriar thick as pea soup , standing on a stone -looking- for an escape route

Took 'bout an hour to get out ! Later realized I lost my cell phone in there And all I got for my effort..1 cannonball frag.

Bought a new cell
Happy your up and out swinging !

D

 

[BobinSouthVA]

Congrats Don thats a great find.

Here's hoping winter holds off for you for a while to hunt some more.

 

[BuckleBoy]

Now THAT'S an excellent copper.  Those Halfpennies can easily be missed by others, especially if there's a lot of iron at the site.  So no other significant finds from that house site?  Is that the only reason you're sure it was hit before?  Here in KY, we average just one coin from each house site.  This fall, two sites gave up only an IH cent each, then one with a seated dime, then only a V nickel, etc...  Occasionally, we get skunked at one--but ALL of them are virgin sites (this is at least the case with houses that are long vanished).  Nobody seems to have an interest in house sites here except the Kindafoundabuckle, Buckleboy, Rodeo Recon, Foxhound treasure team. And occasionally we get a house site that is good to us--like the one this fall where we found two LC's, a silver quarter, a buffalo nickel, some wheats, and THREE seated half-dimes  .  I think this inconsistency between sites makes for even more exciting hunting.  I always go in with the attitude that there will be one old coin there, and I'll clean out the site to find it if I have to. I also like the pressure of knowing that if WE don't find it, no one else likely ever will.  

It seems that there is more competition in New England on these house site hunts than there is here--of course, our finds in KY are usually much newer.  When we break into the 1700's with a find, there is much rejoicing! 

Regards,


Buckleboy 

 

[Don in SJ]

Buckles, we ( my son and I) have always said we average about 4-7 old coins per site and usually about 5 times that in buttons. (most of our sites are single, working person's homesteads, work areas , old farm sites, and taverns, produce more coins on average.)

If a site yields only deep buttons and ones that are not the large type but read closer to what shotgun shells read and no coins easily found, that is an indicator the site was cherry picked years ago.

My millsite this past Spring that was so good to me, fell into that category, I have no doubt that site was hit many years ago, but once I slowed down and really started to beat the brush and dig very deep targets, I ended up with about 30 buttons and 4 coins from the 1700's and one Large Cent from mid 1800s.

This site I found the KGI at still looks like a homestead site and is in an area open to the public (city land) and very accessible, so I have no doubt it was hit years ago. I am sure my son or I will go back there shortly and concentrate in that immediate area, now that it yielded such an old copper.

I was asked on another forum as to why the coin was only 4 inches deep, well, that is at the shallow end of where most of the colonials I find are at, so not too surprising. Maybe moles pushed it up in the past, who knows, but finding the early coppers in the 4-6 range is not too unusual at homesteads. Remember, deposition of soil is the main reason for determining depth of a coin, if not much soil is being added than the relics will not be that deep.

One thing we have noticed over the years on sites hit previously, it seems that a few of our great coins have been lying in the ground next to fallen trees, maybe previous hunters just do not sweep their coils close enough to those fallen trees....I also believe the DD coils are better at getting the coins and buttons that are close to tree trunks and stumps.....

Don

 

[KenPa]

FANTASTIC find Don

 

[vpone]

congrats don,

very nice find - hope you get out again soon.

vp
Bone Dry Detecting

 

[Captn SE]

Man, that's an old Copper, Don!! Great pics too!!
It's amazing how something so old could be so shallow.

Congrats,
CAPTN SE
Dan

 

[Trond]

Wow.... That is a fantastic find.....