1812 Classic Head Large Cent in Extremely Fine Condition

[bookfisher]

Back to the old woods today and was hunting a trail. I normally don't hunt trails since they are usually full of modern trash. But from my knowledge of this place I had a feeling this trail may have been used by the original settlers of the area. Almost as soon as I started I began to find 19th century flat buttons. I'd find one button, then about 10-20 feet down the trail I'd find another. All told I found about six buttons. One of them is quite large (about the size of a half dollar) and probably dates from the late 18th Century or early 19th Century. Anyway, as I'm digging these buttons, I was almost positive I was going to find an early coin, since with each button I found, it seemed I was getting closer to a coin and the whole scene was building to a climax. Sure enough after about my fifth button and about an hour after I started, I got a good signal that was bouncing back and forth between penny/dime and quarter. I forget the depth, but it was probably about 5 inches, when I came up with this 1812 Classic Head Large Cent in very nice condition. After I found the Large Cent, I hunted for another hour and a half, and only found another button. The first two pictures show the coin before cleaning and the 3rd and 4th are after cleaning it in boiling Hydrogen Peroxide (Don in SJ's method). Needless to say, I'm really psyched about the way it cleaned up.

 

[kg6yll]

Nice find, Great pictures

 

[Ed-NH]

That's a really nice looking copper! I would love to see the buttons if you have any pictures. Coppers, buttons and buckles are my favorite Congrats on a fine copper.

 

[Burdie]

That coin had to be lost when it was new. Wow what great shape. Congrats
Burdie

 

[civilman1]

You can say that again.....Being almost 200 yr.'s old....Very nice job!!!

 

[Diggincoinz]

That's Awsome!

 

[jeff of pa]

Very Nice Find.

the 1812 Variety were made of a softer Copper.
it is very hard to find them with such Detail.
it must have been lost in 1812 or early 1813.
Be extremely carefull if you try to clean it.

Congrats !

 

[Kas]

SWEEET!

Go back there and find more.

HH
Ken

 

[Michiganne]

WOW! Excellent find! Keep them coming.

HH

 

[Jack(IN)]

Super Pics...

and a great find!! Sweet buttons as well!

 

[history hunter]

Very nice large cent! I have never found one in all the years of mding. Hope you find many more.

 

[silverfinder]

Keep searching the area! The age and nature of the finds suggest that there may indeed be more there. Case in point - the brooch I found and posted several days ago came from a site I thought I had hunted out, but I decided to give it another search and came up with a large, heavy sterling men's ring very close to where the brooch was found. Try digging iffy signals that might otherwise be ignored as trash; such signals can indicate deeper items, such as coins, that your detector can't identify properly due to their depth. After five years with my detector, I'm still learning. Many detectors, mine included, have a very small window of detection beyond a certain depth (coil size is a factor as well). In other words, think of an inverted "V", the vertex being the area the detector "sees" as the depth increases. So, if you're near a deep target, unless you're directly over it, the machine will not pick it up at all or else will register an equivocal signal indicating you've got something there but the detector can't really tell you what. In old, historic areas where there was a significant human presence, such signals may well yield good finds. Your wooded area is a textbook case. Good luck, and please keep posting. Remember - slow down, be patient, and search thoroughly!

 

[West Jersey Detecting]

BF Strikes again!

WTG!!!!

 

[bookfisher]

Keep searching the area! The age and nature of the finds suggest that there may indeed be more there. Case in point - the brooch I found and posted several days ago came from a site I thought I had hunted out, but I decided to give it another search and came up with a large, heavy sterling men's ring very close to where the brooch was found. Try digging iffy signals that might otherwise be ignored as trash; such signals can indicate deeper items, such as coins, that your detector can't identify properly due to their depth. After five years with my detector, I'm still learning. Many detectors, mine included, have a very small window of detection beyond a certain depth (coil size is a factor as well). In other words, think of an inverted "V", the vertex being the area the detector "sees" as the depth increases. So, if you're near a deep target, unless you're directly over it, the machine will not pick it up at all or else will register an equivocal signal indicating you've got something there but the detector can't really tell you what. In old, historic areas where there was a significant human presence, such signals may well yield good finds. Your wooded area is a textbook case. Good luck, and please keep posting. Remember - slow down, be patient, and search thoroughly!

Hi Silverfinder,

I've been hunting these woods since last June and will probably never find a place like this again. It's approximately 100 acres and I've searched it at least 50 times, probably more. Below is a list of keepers I've found there. Just about all these finds have been posted on the forum


1711 Spanish Seisenio Copper Coin
1738 King George II Colonial Copper
1771 Spanish 1 Reale (Extremely worn, though date is visible)
1778 Spanish 1 Reale
1781 Spanish 1/2 Reale (Converted to a button)
1780s Nova Constellatio Copper
1803 Kettle Replica or Game Marker Coin
1812 Classic Head Large Cent
1821 Matron Head Large Cent
1824 Matron Head Large Cent
1829 Capped Bust Half Dime
1837 Hard Times Token (Found By Rob)
1841 Seated Liberty Dime
1842 Braided Hair Large Cent
1852 Silver Three Cents Piece
1863 Indian Head Penny
1864 Counterfeit California Gold Dollar Coin
1894 Barber Quarter
1897 Barber Dime
1902 Barber Dime
1905-S Barber Dime
1920 Buffalo Nickel
1920 Walking Liberty Half Dollar (Found By Rob)
1937 Mercury Dime
1952 Washington Quarter
Four or Five Other Indian Head Pennies (Can't Remember The Dates) And A Few Wheat Cents.

Also In The Keeper Case:
Very Worn Colonial Copper Probably William III (1650-1702)
Very Corroded King George II Colonial Copper
C1812 US Navy Button In Extremely Fine Condiiton (Found By Rob)
C1820-1830 US Navy Button In Extremely Fine Condition
C1900 Admiral Dewey "Welcome Our Hero" Souvenir Medal
C1920 Knights Templar Medal From Syracuse New York
C1937 Speed Gibson's Flying Police Tin Badge (Radio Premium Missing Back Pin)

 

[silverfinder]

Correction: I wrote, above, think of an inverted "V"...I meant think of the letter "V", where the area seen by the metal detector is a function of the depth of the target. So the deeper the target, the smaller the area the detector "sees." One must be directly over the target for the detector to respond. The DFX works this way, whereas, from what I've been told, the Minelab Explorer sees the ground in a "U", so that the window is wider on deeper targets. In this respect, the Minelab has the advantage. I don't own one, however, and am not endorsing any brand of detector.

 

[SeattleALE]

What a find! Fantastic! Wish we had those out here....

 

[DJ_Quinn]

That is a beautiful coin, congrats! I was curious about it's value, so here's one I found on ebay in much worse condition:

http://cgi.ebay.com/1812-Classic-He...7672029QQihZ011QQcategoryZ11948QQcmdZViewItem

 

[garbage digger]

Great finds. Shes a beauty. 8)

 

[jeff of pa]

That is a beautiful coin, congrats! I was curious about it's value, so here's one I found on ebay in much worse condition:

http://cgi.ebay.com/1812-Classic-He...7672029QQihZ011QQcategoryZ11948QQcmdZViewItem

My 2004 Redbook

Lists 1812 Small Date & LARGE DATE Varieties
$200 in FINE $450 in VERY FINE.

& $900 in Extra Fine.

This may be the one to get Professionally cleaned & Graded.
Or even just Graded as is.

 

[Green1]

great coin,, but a dug copper in xf.......