1877 IH !!!!

[hbeaton]

Finally, I find a key date coin!

Rewind two days ago and I am returning home from detecting a public park nearby when I bump into a nice gentleman with his wife and three kids out for a stroll. It just so happened that we bumped into each other in front of a churchyard that I had my intention of detecting for some time now. Anyway, this gentleman turns out to be the pastor of the church and grants me permission to detect it all I want. I detected part of the front yard of the church and found a couple wheats and some clad. Interestingly enough I have yet to find a nail, pull tab or anything else that is not a coin. After about an hour I returned home.

After work today, I decided to risk the sweltering heat, geared up some water bottles and headed out. I began detecting the shaded regions of the churchyard around some of the older trees and plants and immediately started finding wheats. I have still yet to find any silver however the existence of wheats increases my chances I think.

The second the last target of the day was reading as a penny/dime at four inches. For those with the ACE 250, I have noticed that a memorial penny will "ding ding" at me while a wheat normally will bounce back with a single bell tone. I have found very few IH pennies so I was not sure whether they responded as if they were memorials. This IH sounded like a wheat so I dug!

Much to my amazement, out pops this beauty. HOLY COW!

I'm still in shock and im search of a stiff drink.

HH


-Hunter

 

[Bushido Dude]

Well if you look at any numismatic guide that has pictures of certified 1877 IH's , all of the second 7's seem to have a bit of a droop to them.




http://www.coinfacts.com/small_cents/indian_head_cents/1877_indian_head_cent__copper.htm

 

[Dixiedigger]

Super find, congrats

 

[creeper71]

You need to look at the N in ONE it should be shallow,Thes can an have been alter into 1877 from other dates... The pros look for the shollow N when determining if real or fake... here is a pic of a real 1877 IH

 

[Lowbatts]

Yep, banner vote here too. Awesome coin!

 

[litefire56]

The coin has

1. Lower last 7
2. Shallow N's
3. Correct hub
4. last feather pointing between C&I
7. Tapering to fat lower 7's

It's the real deal!

And if it's counterfeit, it's one of the finest examples of any coin. And probably worth more than the real thing!

Banner!

 

[hbeaton]

Jeff,

Definitely will be submitting this coin for grading. I'd be a fool not to.

Certainly will welcome any questions/concerns/inquiries/rants/doubts/lingering whathaveyou regarding finding the coin, etc.

Integrity is a huge deal on this site because if we can't trust the validity of each others' finds, what good are they/we?

HH!

-Hunter

 

[GioTheGreek]

Way to go Beaton, banner vote for you!

Any idea on how old the church is? Hopefully you find many more goodies around.

Great timing to run into the pastor on your travels... it was meant to be!

 

[hbeaton]

Gio,

The pastor was actually quite knowledgeable about the church's history and of the surrounding area. He informed me that the current church was constructed on the old church foundation and that the old foundation was laid just after the end of the Civil War. He then pointed me in the direction of the surrounding houses on the street the church is located and I noticed a similar brick coloration and design as the church. Apparently to pay for the church, the individual that owned the church property and the surrounding land, sold that land that was subsequently subdivided into lots to pay for church construction. I furthermore have permission to detect the pastor's house which he said was built a short time after the church was completed as well as one of the vacant houses up the street that he knows the out of town owners quite well.

 

[GioTheGreek]

Wow man awesome. You find that alot over the years and millenia.... Churches built upon other churched... Churches built on what used to be sacred sites.

Churches are a good place to hunt!

Note to self: No more trespassing. More talks with pastors!

 

[minton7]

I have to say this... I undersstand some sceptisizm as to the color of this coin... but too much attention is being paid to that...... it is an awesome coin! Why would this fella lie? What is to gain by it? I mean the brown color makes some think immediately that he didnt dig it.... so why subjuect yourself to the banter unless you really did dig it? I have dug a few IH 's that were that color... all were under big tree roots and he said this one was.... I popped out a worn 1870 that was that color all over and several wheats that werent green... it all depends on the soil conditions..... or maybe someone lost it a few years ago while working out there or maybe it was lost in 1877.... no way to tell.... point is.... he dug it... end of story

 

[JerV3]

Congrats,

That is the best condition you could ask for for a dug indian. I find alot of them. But don't have the 77 yet. It is a really hard one to find. That is a few thousand dollar coin easy.

HH Jer

 

[DMN]

I have to say this... I undersstand some sceptisizm as to the color of this coin... but too much attention is being paid to that...... it is an awesome coin! Why would this fella lie? What is to gain by it? I mean the brown color makes some think immediately that he didnt dig it.... so why subjuect yourself to the banter unless you really did dig it? I have dug a few IH 's that were that color... all were under big tree roots and he said this one was.... I popped out a worn 1870 that was that color all over and several wheats that werent green... it all depends on the soil conditions..... or maybe someone lost it a few years ago while working out there or maybe it was lost in 1877.... no way to tell.... point is.... he dug it... end of story

Not for nothing, there was a rash of fake finds posted here a while ago. The intent was to get people here all jazzed up about some "amazing' finds the poster was claiming they "found". Who knows what is in a person's head and the hope is anyone posting their find here is legit rather than a grand story-teller.
I was skeptical about the find myself because the patina didn't quite match what I would have expected from a ground dug coin, and I've seen enough across the spectrum to make some general judgment. It does appear legit if you count the tells like the corrosion. It should probably be slabbed to put a nail in the conversation. Nice coin either way. Wouldn't throw that one out just because it didn't pass the dig test.

 

[comfortablynumb]

Awesome coin. Congrats.

 

[mastereagle22]

I once found a 1950s wheat penny imbedded in a root that looked almost brand new when I removed it from the root.

I had one or two people post stating that there was NO way it was a dug coin. There have been people who have posted stuff that later proved not to be dug items, but they claimed they were.

Your coin is awesome, I'm just mad at you now because when I dig my 77 IH it won't make the banner!!!!!!!

 

[hbeaton]

Thanks to all that voted for Banner and for Jeff for making it so.

To be honest, I figured there would be a bit of skepticism about digging this coin as many coins never look so good coming out of the ground and furthermore even if they are cleaned. That in mind, as noted previously, I'm having this coin graded and slabbed to help alleviate possible concern about it's validity. As far as it being dug is concerned, people have already discerned my response. I don't have reason to lie, if it were fake i'm only kidding myself in the end and frankly this is not the place to gain attention if that was my purpose. I dug this coin in the manner described and wished to share an extraordinary piece of numismatic and cultural history with all of you, that's all.

I do appreciate legitimate concerns over pieces as I myself have had them in the past seeing certain finds, however, I am of the persuasion of taking people at their word. Funny to say that coming from a future lawyer

I am returning to the site today, hopefully there will be more waiting, possibly some silver that has alluded me so far.

HH!

-Hunter

 

[oldgold]

Super Coin!
Well worth the Banner!!!!

 

[hogge]

A well deserved banner. Congrats. As for the skeptisism a previous poster said it all. For whatever reason, some people feel as though they want to be recognized for illegitiment finds. 99.9% of the time, you can tell these finds weren't dug. As a future lawyer, and going with signs of the times we live in, don't believe everything you see or hear, until all the facts are in.

 

[ANTIQUARIAN]

For the record Hunter . . . I never questioned the validity of your story.
It's too bad that there's always a couple of cynics in the crowd, but you know
the real truth and that's all that matters!

Congrats again on getting Banner!

 

[jfx55]

love to see the other coins to compare. never found a copper without some discolor stains on it.

 

[Johnny Ringo Silver]

Well now.....didnt you just shoot yourself in the foot!!!
I was with you 110% about it being a legit find and all right up to the point you mentioned being a future Liar/(Lawyer).LOL....Hmmm..I'm gonna have to go back and take another look at all this for sure for sure! Meanwhile, if you keep using them big ol' words around some of us...well...were just gonna get all cornfused and such!
Keep up the good digs and lets see some dirty pics in the future.
Johnny
p.s. I'm refering to pictures of the coin while its still dirty! 8)