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A 1795 Halfpenny - My first Condor -Added 1796 Liberty Cap photo

Don in SJ

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This morning I went back to the homestead that I got my 2nd 1793 Half Cent at about a week ago. My son told me, make sure you find a silver! Meaning, the condition of the Half Cent and all the buttons found there on my first hunt showed the soil is very acidic.

Well, the 30 minute walk to the site was a nice one, the woods were damp from rain last night and that helps with the signals and as I got to the homestead I got to take some photos of the area this time, believe me folks, this is one hard area even for me to hunt, I had to fight the Laurel for every foot of swing room, thus I used my ML smaller coil today.......

The Half Cent was found next to a Well hole, at least I think that is what it was, and this morning I found a mound which is usually indicative of a none cellarhole homestead from the late 1700s in this area.

Next to the mound area I got a couple great signals, the first one which I was 100% positive was going to be a copper, well it was, but not a copper coin, a hunk of copper with a funky arrow on it??

With the disappointment of that not being a coin or large button, within two feet of that I got another high sweet coin sound, and this time I was rewarded with a Copper, not a silver but after cleaning and Identifying the copper, I would take that anyday over a Half Real........

I ended up with a nice tombac design button and a cuff sized flattie. This site did not give up much, it is hard to hunt, but also rather confined to a small area, so probably occupied by an individual who worked elsewhere and basically just lived at this site, no farming. No thimbles, only a piece of Iron pot and other relics were not to be found..

OK, when I got home, Identifying the copper proved to be a challenge, first off it is in sad shape, but second, it had marks on it that told me right away it was not copper I ever found before!

After getting some help from a C4 member, who suggested it most likely was a Condor token, I went to the website that shows a lot of them and eventually I found it!

1795 Yorkshire York Halfpenny Condor Token!!(Clifford's Tower) My first Condor Token, and thus the first 1795 Halfpenny of this type, yes I have a 1795 US Half Cent already. :)

This Condor Token is a D&H 63 variety Obverse: A view of a Cathedral with YORK 1795 on it. Reverse: View of Castle & Drawbridge CLIFFORD's TOWER AD 1100 Edge Lettering:York built A.M. 1223 Cathedral Rebuilt AD 1075

Even though it is in sad shape, it is my first Condor and it was a beautiful coin, and not sure how many Condors made it here in the 1790s and later, but in England they were widely used (but not legally) :tongue3:

I may add to my post a coin my son found this afternoon, he went back to the area where we got the three 1798's two weeks ago and today got a 1796 Liberty Cap Large Cent, so both of us are still having a great year, but soon to slow down due to underbrush growth and ticks. Today I had the honor of getting my first tick to visit me, he did not stay very long for the visit though!!

NOTE: Last photo has my coin and a SAMPLE of one not corroded :)

ADDED: A photo of my son's 1796 Large Cent he found this afternoon........
HH

Don
 

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Upvote 0
Re: A 1795 Halfpenny - My first (of this type of coin)

Don , You just never cease to amaze me by these extremely early finds ! Argentium.
 
Re: A 1795 Halfpenny - My first (of this type of coin)

very nice! as usual
 
Re: A 1795 Halfpenny - My first (of this type of coin)

Great finds!!!
I wonder how many of us would have walked right by
that well hole and homestead mound.
 
Re: A 1795 Halfpenny - My first (of this type of coin)

tymcmurray said:
Great finds!!!
I wonder how many of us would have walked right by
that well hole and homestead mound.

Probably 99% of us, LOL, I never saw the mound on my first hunt there and I was within 10 feet of it and the well hole I did not see until AFTER I got the signal next to it that was the 1793 Half Cent. If it were not for a hunter years ago, making that small clearing for his tree stand area, I probably would have missed it altogether, there were no iron hits on the road next to the site like there usually is most of the time.........
But, it is also unusual to be so grown up like that with Laurel and no open area, so it must have been abanonded a long time ago.

Don
 
Re: A 1795 Halfpenny - My first (of this type of coin)

Holy smokes Don! :o Very cool token, and that design button is super too. Congrats. :icon_king:
That place really looks like a struggle to detect. Is that sandy soil I see in your picture? :icon_scratch:
Great post & pictures.
Thanks,
MM
 
Re: A 1795 Halfpenny - My first (of this type of coin)

hi don is sj,

my friend found one 25 years back at a Colonial woods. which one is yours? the left or right? go get more now. :thumbsup:

henry
 
Re: A 1795 Halfpenny - My first (of this type of coin)

Another fantastic post. I was not familiar with Condor Tokens until now.

How can you tell the difference between a well depression and a privy hole depression?
 
Re: A 1795 Halfpenny - My first (of this type of coin)

great pics and finds! peace,bigrig
 
Re: A 1795 Halfpenny - My first (of this type of coin)

Awesome Hunt Don... I see you made it back to the Luarel site guess it was well worth the hike today... I'm Happy you had a good hunt... well my hunt today plain sucked......
 
Re: A 1795 Halfpenny - My first (of this type of coin)

Neil in West Jersey said:
Another fantastic post. I was not familiar with Condor Tokens until now.

How can you tell the difference between a well depression and a privy hole depression?

Neil, don't think back in the late 1790's to early 1800's the homesteader in the woods worried about privacy for a outhouse, chamber pots or go where you may I think was the rule. This looked like a well with the steep walls and the size and depth that was still there.

Don
 
Re: A 1795 Halfpenny - My first (of this type of coin)

Well Don, you've gone and done it again!. What a beauty of a find, who would have predicted a Condor Token?. Great job on cleaning it up, and great job on the ID. I'll be looking forward to your next post!.

James.
HomesteadHunter.
 
Re: A 1795 Halfpenny - My first (of this type of coin)

A different one to find... and as my general rule of If'ing large coppers goes, if it's strange, and dated 1790s or that era, think Condor. Most times that's what it is.
 
Nice Don. Never heard of it, but saw it on the C-4 site. Congrats.......Hogge :thumbsup:
 
That arrowhead mark is the broad arrow property mark of the British Navy. Very interesting.
 
Wow Don ... very impressive! YOU ARE THE MAN!! :icon_king:

That piece of copper with the arrow is pretty interesting too.

Ticks are showing up around here as well.
 
Outstanding job Jyes, when I look at where you had to hunt all I could imagine was ticks and bugs. I don't know how you do it but you definitely deserve to find good stuff. :tongue3:
 

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