1787 FUGIO CENT, Large Cent, coins and relics- My best day ever!

VTColonialDigger

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Location
Vermont
Detector(s) used
Garrett Ace 400
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Metal Detecting
Just got home from the best metal detecting hunt I've ever had.

This morning I had the metal detecting itch, so I decided to go to a house, built in the very early 1800s with my father. It was my father's first time out detecting.

The first find was a modern penny, showing my father what a good tone sounded like on his machine. Then I got suited up, grabbed my ACE 400 and started detecting.

My first target that I dug was a wad of aluminum foil by the front steps. Then I walked a couple of feet and BAM!! I got a really good coin signal. I dug the plug, and just as I popped it up with my shovel, I saw a large copper drop in to the hole. I reached down and pulled it out. I didn't recognize the design at first. Then I sprayed the coin with water and patted it dry with a soft piece of cloth. This is what I saw:

1787fugiocentfront.webp
Front

1787fugiocentback.webp
Back

I showed the coin to the owner of the house, and after some research, I found out it was a Fugio Cent, the rarest coin I have ever found metal detecting!!!

After the amazing discovery of the Fugio Cent, things slowed down a bit. The next good targets I dug were these wheat pennies, 1919 and 1945. My father also dug a 1947 wheat cent (not pictured)
1919and1945wheatcents.webp

Then my father came over and showed me the the things he had found so far. He had found some clad, a wheat cent, a dog license, and some other relics. He was getting ready to go inside and talk to the house owner, when the house owner came around the corner. While they were talking I dug this tombac button and two lead rifle balls (rifle because they are smaller than musket sized):

largecolonialtombacbuttonfront.webp
Button Front

largecolonialtombackbuttonback.webp
Button Back

leadrifleball.webp
Rifle balls. They are pretty old because you can see where they were cut from the mold.

My father and the home owner went inside and I soon dug this very green Indian head cent:
[edit] After some cleaning I found that the date was 1864.
badlywornindianheadfront.webp


After digging some clad and trash I got another great coin signal. I dug the plug, pulled it back, and put it on the edge of the hole. Then I looked into the hole and saw a large copper poking out of the center of the hole. I pulled it out, sprayed it and patted it with the soft cloth. Here it is:

183-largecent.webp
Front

183-largecentback.webp
Back

It is in pretty good shape, although it is going to be very hard to get a date off the coin because it is worn in that spot. This design (newer Matron/coronet head) dates from 1836 to 1839. This coin was the last hole of the day.

Thank you for reading this very long post!
Good luck and Happy hunting!!
VTColonialDigger
 

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Upvote 35
Great finds for sure. I've got my share of largies, but never had my coil over a Fugio. Congrats a plenty. Where are you guys in VT? I'm up north. HH!

John
 

Fantastic hunting Vt. friends . A family that hunts together is all good in my book .

Dream coin ..... :hello2: YES !!

CMD
 

That fugio is absolutely amazing. You might want to get a professional conservationist to work on it for you. It looks like it will clean up real nice - don't touch it in the meantime!
 

Great job your bucket is getting filled. Its nice to see good people making good finds . Keep it up you two. Thanks for sharing your finds with us I need to see that kind of finds are still out there. Tommy
 

That is on my bucket list! Great hunt and great story. I felt like I was there with you. I hope this makes it up top
 

Best kind of day, detecting with your dad and a fugio in the pile, WTG!
 

Great hunt. Looks like your Dad might be good luck. You need to bring him along more often. A Fugio is high on my wish list.
 

Congrats on killing it.

You have a cent trifecta too.. IHC, Wheat & LC.
 

Thanks for sharing. Great story and amazing finds! I love that Fugio man! Haha
 

Great hunt congrats!! Lots of copper which is a great day!!
 

UPDATE! After closer examination I have determined that the Fugio is a Newman 1-L.

fugio_cent_n001_L_rev.webp

Here is a non-dug example of what this variety looks like. Apparently this design is quite rare. And again thanks for all the kind words. We found five types of 1cent coins on that hunt ranging from 1787 - 2000's the Fugio, the large cent, an Indian, Wheats, modern Lincoln cents (copper & zinc)
 

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