A great 1723 King George I Hibernia!!

lenmac65

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... at least for me it is ..

I hit my 1880 farmhouse permission on Sunday. I think its field belonged to the property next door at one time, which still has a house from the 1700s on it. I was digging nothing but scrap when I got the hit I think we all hope for; a faint but steady high tone in all directions. I was hoping for silver and was actually a bit disappointed when I dug a copper, as they are almost always slick for me. Encouraged though, I put it in my bag and carried on not knowing what it was, as my eyes are too weak to field inspect. When I got home, I was psyched to see it was a Woods Hibernia half penny of King George I in very good shape. The potential to find coins like this one is what drew me to this hobby in the first place, though the few coppers I find are usually slick or barely identifiable. I hardly cleaned this one, and probably won't chance a further cleaning. I don't think these coins were particularly well received in their day, but they seem to hold up better in my area's tough soil than other old coppers. Thanks for checking out my post. Hope you all find what makes you happy.
 

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That coin is anything but slick...what a beauty!!! Congrats lenmac65. In my experience its a rare dy when an old copper comes out of the ground with that kind of detail.

Thanks! I agree about the rarity of finding a good copper, though I have seen some nice ones posted on this site. I have had the good fortune of digging about 15 or so non-US coppers, and most all have been slick or barely recognizable. The only other real nice copper I have dug was another 1723 Hibernia, which I found and posted in December 2018. I don't know what it is about the William Woods coins, but they seem to stand up to time and the elements, at least in my limited experience. I really like them, even if the contemporary Irish and colonists might not have.
 

Beautiful KG, and like others have said: it puts the one I've found to shame - fantastic condition on that coin. Don't clean it any further!
Imagine - that coin's almost 300 years old!
- Brian

Thanks! I won't be cleaning it any further. It is a little dustier looking in real life, but is in great shape, especially considering it has been underground for probably 250 years or so. I don't think my kids understood just how old this coin was until I told them it was minted about 9 years before George Washington was born.
 

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one i got years ago - from Ma. field - wonder if it could have been from same batch as yours :thumbsup:

 

one i got years ago - from Ma. field - wonder if it could have been from same ....

Could be. Lots of nice detail left on that coin. Supports my suggestion.that those Woods Hibernia coins stand up very well to our soil compared to other coppers.
 

Nice looking coin. Ive only found one of those that I was able to positively id. Barely lol
 

That copper is a real treasure! I, too, would be very excited to find one.
 

That is the dream to find coins like that! Wow!!
 

she's a beauty, congratulations!
 

Sweet! I have not dug one but sure would like to...especially one like that! Congrats.
 

Sweet! I have not dug one but sure would like to...especially one like that! Congrats.

Thanks! You're in the right state to find one. Happy hunting and good luck neighbor.
 

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