Ancient coin ? (Updated! more pics)

[history hunter]

I found this coin while metal detecting when I was a kid. I thought it was fake until I brought it to a coin show and a dealer said it was not necessarily fake. I was wondering if anyone knew anything about it?

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

A Handbook of Civil War Bullets and Cartridges - Grab it through Amazon!

[XL-PRO PRO]

I'll try to download some later today.I have no reason to believe this coin would not be authenic.It has that slick silver finish and came out of the ground(about 7") still shining.If it was a modern reproduction I would think it would be marked .925 or sterling.

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

How to Research for Treasure Hunting and Metal Detecting From Lead Generation to Vetting - Grab it through Amazon!

[Silver Searcher]

I'll try to download some later today.I have no reason to believe this coin would not be authenic.It has that slick silver finish and came out of the ground(about 7") still shining.If it was a modern reproduction I would think it would be marked .925 or sterling.

I will look forward to the pictures, I have seen Ancient coins come out of the ground very Silvery like the day they were lost, I have also seen them come out in a variaty of colours, the colour should never put you off, as different elements can effect the colour of Bronze, Silver and Gold coins.

SS

 

[Erik in NJ]

Interesting! Please upload some 300 dpi scans of the coin if you have a scanner. Would be nice if we could get similar scans of the other coins found. Thanks for your post!

 

[NHBandit]

Interesting conclusion,but i still think there's a large mystery there with these coins.As the professor say's..who minted these coins and for what purpose,and why are they buried/ found in 11 different states? (upto now). All very odd and interesting.
Also,i wonder why nobody turns up stating "oh my grandmother has one of these" etc etc? If they were made as a necklace for ornamentation,or other purpose,then you'd suppose they were made to be sold? and if so then many more should have been found by now?
No matter,as stated,this has been a great thread and subject,and also puts you in an elite and small group of people who have discovered one of these coins.You have something now that few others will ever have..an object named after your home state because of YOU!
I also say "banner".

Thanks to all for their hard work,and apologies to those i may have upset lol.

I'm guessing they were made for Sears from the evidence I've seen so far but what do I know.. I'm just one of those pesky Americans.. The fact that not many have been found proves nothing. Maybe they weren't a hot seller ?

 

[NHBandit]

Re: Ancient coin ?

Happy to see the American educational brainwashing is still working strong lol.
What's so hard to believe that Columbus wasn't the first "outsider" to find North America? The Vikings did it 300 years before Columbus,and the Phoenicians certainly had the ships and knowledge to make it easily a thousand years or so before the vikings!
2 or 3 professor's,some institution in Boston,and a coin expert/author all agree these coins are ancient...but maybe they don't have the benefit of your expertise?

Anyhow,the last statement recommending contacting the author IS a very good plan,one i'd recommend doing.It could be you have a two thousand year old coin and a genuine piece of pre-american history.

America discovered Spain in 1492 !

You have it all wrong. Sears Roebuck & Co. discovered America in the early 20th century... The proof is right here ! Banner !!

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

OMG ANOTHER COIN HAS SURFACED! (scroll to bottom) http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/t...eird-token-horse-farley-coin-any-ideas-3.html This one is corroded and found in Portland Oregon on a late 1800s site by member cartage. .


Professor M. has not given up and may be writing another book.

THE OREGON COIN http://www.gloriafarley.com/chap11.htm

(before and after pics)

Originally Posted by cartage
I am from Portland Oregon and found one of these exact coins in a late- 1800's site. I also spoke with professor Mark M. who wants to do a small excavation on the site I found the coin. Unfortunately I did not know what it was at first and mine was thickly encrusted so I soaked it in vegetable oil for months, that did not do much, so I soaked it in vinegar and you will see how it cleaned up very well as you can now see all the detail to show it is exactly like the Gloria Farley coins! Mark M. said I have found the farthest west one known to date! The coin is thick in the middle and thins toward the edges. It is now sitting in the cleaned condition you see it in in a safety deposit box

I found it metal detecting and it does have the hole in the top which you an see had a little bronze loop that is still filling the hole. I would love to sell mine but I am waiting until they gain more popularity as I know Mark M. said he is writing a book on them and since there are so few I know they will be valuable some day

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Well, here we go again.I have a very similar coin(same horse-head with palm tree but no roots) definitley a silver/gold composition,minted on one side only with a microscopic mint mark(1 with wings) on the base of the smooth side.My coin was personally found on a mountain in Tenn. in the late 70's.At the time the only research source available was the local library where I did manage to locate an example in book on Greek coinage, published in 1955.It showed the same coin being minted in Carthage about 400bc and also showed the mintmark.It was listed as one of the earliest known minted coins and in 1955 was valued at $500.It was some years later before I noticed the mintmark(not visable to the naked eye)while examining the coin under a magnifier.All of the so-called experts I have contacted have never heard of this particular coin except one who told me it would be almost impossible for me to obtain.So,add another state to your list.Thanks DBULL

Ill add another state when you post the pic. Thanks.

 

[IronSpike]

It was listed as one of the earliest known minted coins and in 1955 was valued at $500

XL PRO-PRO You should have traded back in the 70's. Based evidence presented it's not a coin nor is it ancient.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

It sounds like XL-PRO PRO has found a different coin. I am only listing the Gloria Farley coins with the dangling roots.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

COULD IT BE SOLVED?


I stumbled upon this link found by Bramblefind on another thread. Could it be? Second item down.
http://www.zonefinds.com/catalog.html

1502 Beautiful Bicycle Medal, minted by Ed Strearns of Streans Hardware of Syracuse, New York. He mixed bicycle making and numismatics together to produce an advertising medal. Ed was the Henry Ford of Syracuse. Stearns was a collector and had little trouble transforming the design of a ancient greek coin into a promotional piece in the early 1900's. (copper luster)



Im sorry the "new" format is still giving me fits. Ignore the second attachment. I have no idea how to remove it.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

I have emailed the seller to see a pic of the backside.
Here is some info on the Stearns bicycle token. It appears to be different but I wouldnt be surprised if Stearns Hardware E. C. Stearns Bicycle Agency - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia minted the Gloria Farley coin.. Stearns dekadrachm token

Stearns dekadrachm token « on: May 16, 2009, 02:27:24 pm »

---

Not exactly a 'fake' but I don't know where to post this question:

In 1898, the Stearns Bicycle Co. in Syracuse NY issued an advertising token copying the Syracuse dekadrachm but bearing their company name in Greek and the date in Roman numerals. Recently, I have seen images of these in what is obviously bronze and what appears to be a white metal ('toned' dark). Are both 'original' or do we have fakes of fakes here? Does anyone know the history of these, how they were issued or where one might look for information?

 

[archer63]

well guys i watched UNEARTHING AMERICA the other nite and he was looking at a minoian tablet found in michigan four years before they found the ruins over seas, soooo who knows

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

well guys i watched UNEARTHING AMERICA the other nite and he was looking at a minoian tablet found in michigan four years before they found the ruins over seas, soooo who knows

Thanks for posting archer.

Gloria Farley is dead and Professor McMenamin has realized the coin is not ancient.

Dear Dale Brennan (aka History Hunter),

I received your request to comment on your new find of a bronze putative ancient coin with the palm tree showing dangling roots. This coin is an example of one of the mysterious Farley Coins. There has been much discussion of these coins in popular and scholarly publications. Some have considered these coins to be evidence of a Carthaginian presence in America. However, thanks to new discoveries such as yours, it now appears that this coin series in fact represents fantasy copies of ancient coin designs combining Greek and Carthaginian elements. I was able to demonstrate this in the following book:

McMenamin, M. A. 2000. Phoenicians, Fakes and Barry Fell: Solving the Mystery of Carthaginian Coins Found in America. Meanma Press, South Hadley, Massachusetts. ISBN 1893882012.

The late Gloria Farley, who had read of my Carthaginian map coin research, first brought these fantasy replicas to my attention. Her specimen was very worn and corroded. I was able, in 2000, to locate a Farley Coin in Northampton, MA, from the same or very similar dies that still retained mint luster under a lacquer coating. Thus no way can this be an ancient bronze coin. Nevertheless, your coin remains an important piece of American history and will henceforth be referred to as the ?Wisconsin Farley Coin.? Who minted these fantasy coins, and why, remains a mystery. Also mysterious is why these coins are scattered all over Eastern and Midwestern North America. Somebody went to a lot of trouble to mint these coins, probably well over one hundred years ago. I would very much like to learn the answers to these questions. Farley coins such as yours sell on the open market in the 50-100 dollar range. Eleven specimens are known, from five different die varieties. Your coin is of the Alabama-type die variety. These coins will likely become more valuable as we learn more about them. For example, how deeply was your coin buried?

At present, no authentic Carthaginian coins have been found in North America. Jeremiah Epstein in his 1980 article in Current Anthropology actually mentions one of the "Farley coins" in his paper. He accepted it as a genuine ancient coin and did not identify it as a copy or fantasy piece.

Carthaginian map coin theory, on the other hand, is still going strong and has gained additional supporters. The most recent paper on this subject is the following:

McMenamin, M. 2009. The mystery of the Carthaginian map coins. NI (Numismatics International) Bulletin, v. 44, nos. 7/8, p. 125-126.

You have made an excellent and important find. If you wish to post my reply to TreasureNet, please feel free to do so, but please let me know when you post it, many thanks.

Happy hunting,

Mark McMenamin

However the coin still remains a huge mystery. I believe it to be about 100 years old, not ancient. The Stearns bicycle token is interesting and I wonder how many varieties were minted...


...the Stearns Hardware company name in incuse Greek with a Roman numeral date 1898 on bicycle token.

 

[Tonytone1437]

Like i said in my PM it is a Jeton here is one thats very similar http://ts2.mm.bing.net/th?id=H.4517301448869605&pid=15.1 PM me back i wont be checking this page because i know everyone and their mom will be saying its not a jeton and its a fake.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Like i said in my PM it is a Jeton here is one thats very similar http://ts2.mm.bing.net/th?id=H.4517301448869605&pid=15.1 PM me back i wont be checking this page because i know everyone and their mom will be saying its not a jeton and its a fake.

What PM?

Do you have a picture of the backside? There are many many similar copies. While interesting, it does not appear to be a match and I doubt you will be getting any PMs about it lol.. I prefer to talk online.

If the Farley coin is a jetton, why would so many be found in the states but not a single one found in Europe?

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Also the Farley coin is not a fake. Its an authentic token minted in America about 100 years ago. We just dont know why or by whom. I like the Stearn bicycle token idea. It needs follow up research. I just dont think its a jetton. Post the backside and we will take a look.


Its a long way back to page one so Im posting a Farley coin here. The coins found in America are the only variety with the dangling roots supposedly signifying a transplanted civilization. A similar authentic ancient Phoenician coin has the same horse and palm tree but without dangleing roots.

 

[Tonytone1437]

There are Jetons that I have gotten that even a France Jeton EXPERT has never seen them. Along with others in my Club. So far theres only about 40 of them found. 15-20 of them were from the Club im in. The Jeton Expert said it has to be one of the Lowest Mintaged Jeton that hes has seen. Hes been researching Jetons for the last 38 years and as of now. I pretty sure they have only been found in the U.S..

 

[Tonytone1437]

The ones here are the Pics of my Buddys Jetons... Mine are in Cleaning right now and dont really have the energy to get up and take pics of them. I worked a 16 hour shift and i am exhausted and about to lay in bed. As for the other pic i posted i do not have a pic of the reverse side. If you would like to try and find it you can look up Jeton Coins in google images and try to find it if you like.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

I just realized you must have PMed History Hunter. If you can produce any evidence that the Gloria Farley coin is a jetton, we would certainly be glad to hear it. And if you or any member of your club has found a Gloria Farley coin, please feel free to post it. The link you posted is not a match. Im not going to look it up because its facing the wrong direction for starters. Thanks for helping. I understand being tired. Its cool.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Yes Im sure the Farley coin is only found in the US. Im a bit confused Tony because posting pictures of jettons that dont match our coin does not seem to help. Am I missing something?