1910 George Washington Medal... I was fortunate to find this...

[XPress2]

I found this medal in a park near Pittsburgh, PA. I have hit this spot several times because it's way back in the woods and the soil is extremely clean. Last year I found a few amazing coins from 1880 to 1910, so I figured there has to be more. After searching for a couple of days I found at least 100 shotgun shells, a really old cuff link that wasn't very cool, and to my surprise this really cool medal. At first I thought it was a half dollar, which would have been my third for the year, but after getting it home and washing it off, it turns out that some poor kid lost their medal way out in the woods, and I can't for the life of me figure out how it ended up where I found it... So apparently this child won the award for writing the best George Washington essay in a contest that was held by the Pittsburg Press. Notice how they spelled Pittsburgh without an "h" at that time.

Most of you know how amazing it feels to find something really old, but to see a presidents face on the front and the fact that it is the size of a half dollar, I thought I had something else, but it's still really cool to have something this unique, from 1910, and I don't complain when the Coin Gods gift me, even if it's technically not a coin. Honestly though... I feel bad for this child who lost their award, because it's a nice award for a child, and every time I look at it I wonder how long they had it before they lost it, lol... It was about 6" down and I thought it was a can. You never know until you dig it up!

 

[billydabeeg]

Re: 1910 George Washington Medal... Essay contest winner.

Sweet medal. That's better than a coin in my book. WTG.

 

[oddcoins]

Re: 1910 George Washington Medal... Essay contest winner.

OH YEAH! Very cool find!

8^)

 

[gilmerman]

Re: 1910 George Washington Medal... Essay contest winner.

Just a great story, that supports the old axiom of, you never know what your going to find.

 

[XPress2]

Re: 1910 George Washington Medal... Essay contest winner.

So true... and you never know when you are going to find something that will change your metal detecting experience forever... I have had several of these moments, and they usually happen when I have lost all hope of finding something great for the day. I must have been in the woods for 5 hours before I found this, and it was the only thing that I found that day, yet something told me to keep going... because you never know when, where, or what you are going to find.

 

[halfdime]

Re: 1910 George Washington Medal... coming out of Pittsburgh, PA

That is a very cool find!

 

[SkyPirate]

Re: 1910 George Washington Medal... coming out of Pittsburgh, PA

Very cool find! I am from Washington Pa. Go Steelers!

 

[XPress2]

Re: 1910 George Washington Medal... coming out of Pittsburgh, PA

Very cool find! I am from Washington Pa. Go Steelers!

Yeah... What's weird is that when I found it I just thought it was cool. Now that I have had it for a few days it has become more magnetic, eye-catching... It has a feeling of history attached to it that coins don't always capture. It's funny how sometimes you think that it would be amazing to possess a certain coin, and if you found it nothing could beat it. Then you find something that you didn't necessarily want and it becomes as important as your best coins.

 

[willie d]

Very cool find.

I delivered the Pittsburgh Press as a kid.