1795 Liberty Cap Large Cent

[Brendan M.]

Greetings TNet friends!

It's been Vegas-hot the last few days here in NY, so I've been waiting for the evenings to get out and hunt a smidge. I figured I might get in a solid hour tonight, so I thought what the heck. I headed down to the old park I've been hunting, where I recently found a 1738 1 Reale and a bunch of nice old coppers. Not a bad place to kill an hour....

So I spent about 50 of those minutes sweatin' like O.J., but I was fine with that. I'd already dug a nice old zouave-style button and some kind of brass whatzit, when I get this surprisingly strong, steady 83-85 signal, 6 inches down. Now, at this place, when you get a signal like that, your heart starts pounding. So I carefully cut my plug (sacrificing an anthill in the process -- sorry folks) and out comes this thick, fairly crusty LC. A quick wipe of the loose dirt gave me enough of a silhouette that I knew it was a Liberty Cap, so I happily pocketed that baby and called it a night.

And so, after my usual light cleaning with some hot peroxide, I ended up with a fairly pitted and worn coin, but luckily I can make out a date. I was pretty psyched to see it was a 1795 Liberty Cap LC. This was my first pre-1800 large copper, and my second 1700s coin from the last three hunts! I really can't ask for a better late-spring/early summer.

Enjoy the pics!

Cheers and HH,
Brendan

 

[radarwill]

That is awesome. You are doing great.

 

[AMorgan]

So will peroxide still keep some of the smooth green patina on older coppers?

Just curious

Alan

 

[Dirty Knees McGee]

Tremendous!!! I think she is beautiful even after all those years in the ground. Great Find!

 

[Brendan M.]

So will peroxide still keep some of the smooth green patina on older coppers?

Just curious

Alan

Yes, as long as it's a smooth patina and not just green corrosion. The results vary greatly depending on the condition of the copper. I've found hot peroxide is as good as gold when it comes to cleaning Indians and Wheats. They look as smooth and shiny as new. LCs are a challenge just because they're usually so corroded. The hot peroxide strips away all the thick crud, which is great for exposing detail, but you will lose some of the green. I prefer the detail....

 

[Brendan M.]

That is awesome. You are doing great.

Tremendous!!! I think she is beautiful even after all those years in the ground. Great Find!

Thanks Radar and Dirty Knees. I was as surprised as anyone. Suddenly my sweat-soaked misery was a lot more bearable!

Cheers and HH,
B

 

[RELICDUDE07]

That old place is turning into a treasure hunters dream Nice find ..i hope you get a N.E. shilling next ...Goodluck to you and very nice find (VERY RARE AROUND ME)

 

[Brendan M.]

That old place is turning into a treasure hunters dream Nice find ..i hope you get a N.E. shilling next ...Goodluck to you and very nice find (VERY RARE AROUND ME)

You don't know the half of it. This is the third year I've dug here, so it's given up quite a few things already, and in total its productivity is hard for me to beat. This place was one of the first spots I regularly hit when I started out. Just one of those good, no-frills places you can go to and learn the machine without too much hassle from people. I knew the area was in use for a long time, at least as far back as 1840s-50s, so I felt good about my chances. But you know how it goes -- you hit a dry spell and your attention wanders to other spots. It's only recently that I made my way back to "old faithful."

The thing that really surprised me is the 1700s coins. That's earlier than I imagined. I'm pretty jazzed, truth be told.

Thanks bud!

Cheers and HH,
B

 

[RELICDUDE07]

I know what you mean..I have a old spot like that,been picked over by me and every one in town for years ,but sometimes i go back because i know just how old some of the finds were that came from there..And if i find just 1 old 1700s relic , it makes it worth the trip.. Better then 100 wheat pennys or merc dimes..

 

[Bartman]

Sweet find! I'm with you on cleaning them with the hot peroxide. I've never found anything near that old though. Congrats!

 

[Brendan M.]

I know what you mean..I have a old spot like that,been picked over by me and every one in town for years ,but sometimes i go back because i know just how old some of the finds were that came from there..And if i find just 1 old 1700s relic , it makes it worth the trip.. Better then 100 wheat pennys or merc dimes..

Very true, although I don't mind the Mercs much either. I just love the look of that coin....

What a difference a few years of experience make. Now what's fun for me is when you can hone in on a consistent depth and VDI range for the good stuff, and then just dig every signal you get that meets those standards. That's where I'm at now with this spot. I'll dig any good signal in the high-40s and up range as long as it's consistent and buried 4-5 inches down, minimum. I'll make exceptions for shallower targets if it's a good VDI reading for a large target (like a brass skeleton key, for example). This approach lets me hear past the gazillion pulltabs and find the deep targets. Saves time, less junk and is a lot easier on the knees. 8)

 

[Brendan M.]

Sweet find! I'm with you on cleaning them with the hot peroxide. I've never found anything near that old though. Congrats!

Thanks Bartman! I hope you find an oldie ASAP!

Cheers and HH,
B

 

[ModernMiner]

Holy cr-p "B", that is one old copper!!!
Very nice find. Your persistence paid off.
Congrats,
MM

 

[Slipperyjack47]

I think I have a nice patina on me as I am green with envy! Thats an awesome find! I would love to be able to find some 1700's coins as its pretty tough here to come by a date like that! All I can say is WOW Get a cold drink and get back out there yer doin great!


HH
Slipperyjack

 

[radarwill]

I found a largie which many here said was like the one you found.
What do you think?

 

[Detectingfreak]

Very Nice job on the Liberty Cap Large Cent!

 

[Don in SJ]

It is always a pleasure to see the Liberty Cap coppers being posted, they are my favorite Large and Half Cents to find.

Don

 

[hogge]

Very Nice! Waiting for my first 1700's LC. Congrats.

 

[Burdie]

Oh how nice it would be just to hold one in my hand. Wow what a nice site.

Burdie

 

[Brendan M.]

Holy cr-p "B", that is one old copper!!!
Very nice find. Your persistence paid off.
Congrats,
MM

Thanks Miner!

Yeah it's kind of surreal that the place just keeps giving up these great old coins. I'm still surprised every time.

How've you been? Any good digs lately? Or is it already too hot down there?

Cheers and HH,
B