UK Farmland with Euro Ace - Coin find.

[Sadams1980]

Hi all,

This is my first time here for a few years, I got rid of my metal detectors about 5 years ago as I didn't have time to go out.

I am now single and just before Xmas I brought myself a Garrett Euro Ace, after doing months of research looking for the right detector and I must say I am really impressed so far. I live on a farm and there are around 9 fields, I have started in the last field and I am going to go around in a anti-clockwise direction. All the fields have public footpaths on them and 1 particular field has had a public footpath going through it for over 100 years which goes through to the local church, so I have started in this field. Finally managed to go out properly for the first time yesterday (I have been practicing with the detector over the last week or so getting used to it).

Please see below for my finds. I have mainly found horseshoe nails (it is my grandfathers farm and he used to keep his horses in that meadow), I have also found what looks like a trailer pin. Today I was out in the field and I found the coin?? It is battered (the field has been ploughed a few times), but i can certainly see a slight pattern on one side. Should I try to clean this up and what would be the best way? I haven't a clue what the coin is made of, but it is round. It is very thin (as I said it looks battered a bit) and there are greenish flecks in it. Anyone give me a hand identifying it? I know its a long shot with the pictures.

 

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[Erik in NJ]

Hi, What you have there is an English "love token." Two similar coins were given to a blacksmith to be put in a vise and bent into a slight Z-shape so that only those two coins would form a perfect match when held together. A suitor would give one to a woman whom he "was sweet on." If she did not return the affection, she would supposedly toss the coin (or perhaps someone would lose one). They were often made of coins that were very worn for some reason. I found my first in South Devon this summer while on holiday and it is made out of a William III sixpence which seems to be a very common coin used for this purpose. If the suitor was less well-to-do copper coins were used, but I have also seen them being made out of gold coins. I suppose you could drop it into some boiling hydrogen peroxide and after it stops fizzing then clean with a toothbrush and some Fairy liquid. I would not clean it up more than that. It's quite a special find. When I get home I'll post a pic of my love token.

I'm sure our two resident "experts" will have much more to say about it.

 

[Sadams1980]

Hi Erik, thanks for the post and for the information on my find I appreciate it. Is there anything else I could use to clean it up with as I haven't got a hydrogen peroxide, but I can get some if that is the best thing yo use?

Thanks again.

 

[Silver Searcher]

Could also be a Token, like I said earlier but it in some Olive Oil for a while and see if any detail comes through.

SS