bent 1789 one reale.. NEW pics..

[umrgolf]

Hello t-neters, had a fun day of detecting yesterday with my hunting partner... we started a new field on a property we've hit 2 or 3 times with minimal luck in the past. Within 15 minutes of walking out my pard waves me over to show me a pillar style half reale.. hmm, lightbulb turns on, maybe I should hunt this area with him 8) I walk 20 yards to his left and get a nice 75-77 signal and pop out the 1946 roosevelt.. Five feet away I get a solid 64 reading and look down to see this nice chunk of spanish silver (1789 one reale).. The only problem is Charles III didn't fare so well against the landowners plow. I'm not gonna try to bend it back considering its already cracking.. The rest of the day didn't yield much more than a couple buttons, wheats, and a musketball. The little pendant looking thing reads Union SS with a cross sitting inside of a crown the tombac cuff is the first I've gotten with shank intact I'll be getting surgery on my elbow within the next month that will put me on the sidelines for 5 or 6 months so I'm thankful to still be getting out while I can.. HH all Jeff

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After a few of the replies, I took another look at the coin, and it is bent smack dab in the center and at almost a perfect 90 degree angle.. I guess this was done to make into a love token??

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With the help of Don in SJ, it seems that this coin was not bent into any of the traditional love tokens shapes or forms, so thanks to those of you who thought that's what it might be.. I don't think this coin was bent by a plow, but definately can't be definitive about the purpose of the bend.. Either way, I'm gonna leave it as is and give it the TLC that any of the rest of them would get!

 

[umrgolf]

Re: 1789 one reale LOVE token?

first, congrats on the awesome old silver !!
secondly, good luck on your surgery and
we will all be praying for a speedy recovery
for you !

Thank you Allen.. speedy's prob out of the question but, I'll try to swing lefty

 

[umrgolf]

Re: 1789 one reale LOVE token?

I am fairly certain now not a love token, due to the way it is bent. However, there is a possibility but hard to prove or disaprove since coins were mutilated in many different ways, and that is what I meant by common place, I even had a Large Cent bent rather badly, but surely do not consider that anthing other than a bent coin.

OK, this site sort of explains the Love Tokens, and a bend in the center is not one, but could be a Good Luck token, but again, to say it is just a bent silver coin or a meaningful bend falls under the category of guesstimating.

http://relic-hunter.50megs.com/whats_new.html

Don

thanks for your help Don, I think this kinda clears it up now... I had first thought plow damage, then some of the replies made me think love token.. and now, it sorta seems like someone was just bored and bent the poor thing thanks again! Jeff

 

[GopherDaGold]

Re: 1789 one reale LOVE token? NEW pics..

I'm not very knowledgable on love tokens but the bend in that coin looks too precise to be a plow bend.
I might be tempted to oil boil an unmistakably plow bent piece but I think I'd leave that one alone. Definite conversation piece.
Could also be a prop for the old 'bent coin trick'. You need two coins, one obviously pre-bent.

 

[umrgolf]

Re: 1789 one reale LOVE token? NEW pics..

I'm not very knowledgable on love tokens but the bend in that coin looks too precise to be a plow bend.
I might be tempted to oil boil an unmistakably plow bent piece but I think I'd leave that one alone. Definite conversation piece.
Could also be a prop for the old 'bent coin trick'. You need two coins, one obviously pre-bent.

Thanks for your input gopher, I think its very obvious now this isn't plow damage.. just nothing of significance it seems.. It was probably intended to serve some sort of purpose, what? we'll probably never know thanks again, jeff

 

[Mark S.]

Is being a member of the "club" a good thing?

This club might fit right into Butch Holcombe's books (Never Mace Skunk). For those of you who have not read it I will breifly explain. Translated it's more like "stupid people tricks while metal detecting!"

 

[umrgolf]

Is being a member of the "club" a good thing?

This club might fit right into Butch Holcombe's books (Never Mace Skunk). For those of you who have not read it I will breifly explain. Translated it's more like "stupid people tricks while metal detecting!"

Lmao Mark... that club was just a lil "crazies" club that vayank started for those who thought it was a love token

 

[Woodland Detectors]

Nice VA. Digs

 

[umrgolf]

Nice VA. Digs

Thank you, nice digs yourself gotta love when they cut those fields

 

[vayank54]

Is being a member of the "club" a good thing?

This club might fit right into Butch Holcombe's books (Never Mace Skunk). For those of you who have not read it I will breifly explain. Translated it's more like "stupid people tricks while metal detecting!"

Hey watch it I'm in a few of the stories. I'm not saying which ones though. To darn embarrassing

 

[umrgolf]

Is being a member of the "club" a good thing?

This club might fit right into Butch Holcombe's books (Never Mace Skunk). For those of you who have not read it I will breifly explain. Translated it's more like "stupid people tricks while metal detecting!"

Hey watch it I'm in a few of the stories. I'm not saying which ones though. To darn embarrassing

Hmm.. i guess im lost as to what you two are even talking about.. please do let me know when you get an email back from that guy you know.. if youre sure youve seen reales bent in half in the past I would at least like to know the significance of the coin.. thank you vayank Jeff

 

[KyFreeBird]

Cool finds !!!!

 

[Colonial Copper Zeus]

I've got a bent half real also. Better left alone. A buddy of mine broke his in half trying to bend it back.
Chris

 

[johnnyi]

I agree plehbah that it was bent to make change, and it explains how easily it could have sprung out of a man's hands in the process. Contemporary alterations of coins and buttons can be fascinating unique bits of history that can stand on their own as historically valuable artifacts, despite the possible "value" they might have had were they not intentionally altered. It brings to mind a Washington button found not long ago which was purposefully (and mysteriously) bent not once, but twice over itself. Votes for "repair" won out over "leave it alone", I think with the result beoing a unique find immuine from condition issues being transformed into a generic find which must now be judged on condition.

 

[GopherDaGold]

I agree plehbah that it was bent to make change, and it explains how easily it could have sprung out of a man's hands in the process.

Due to the sharpness of the crease I believe it was bent mechanically, not with bare hands.

 

[vayank54]

Is being a member of the "club" a good thing?

This club might fit right into Butch Holcombe's books (Never Mace Skunk). For those of you who have not read it I will breifly explain. Translated it's more like "stupid people tricks while metal detecting!"

Hey watch it I'm in a few of the stories. I'm not saying which ones though. To darn embarrassing

Hmm.. i guess im lost as to what you two are even talking about.. please do let me know when you get an email back from that guy you know.. if youre sure youve seen reales bent in half in the past I would at least like to know the significance of the coin.. thank you vayank Jeff

I'll be sure to let you know if I hear back. About Never Mace A Skunk. Butch Holcombe, publisher of American Digger put out 2 books called Never Mace a Skunk. They have stories of "interesting" things people did or got into while digging. I've got a couple stories in the last one. Both are good books.

 

[umrgolf]

I did not read all of the replies, and apologize if this is redundant.

I agree with you that the coin is not "plough struck".

My first impression is that it is an aborted attempt to make small change out of it by folding rather than cutting. Kind of like the way you fold a piece of paper in opposite directions a few times and then it tears neatly along a seam. This is reinforced by the fact that the fold runs down the middle, dividing the coin into two equal parts. I am guessing they got to stage one of this process before they figured out that it was not as good an idea in practice as it seemed on paper (pardon the double entendre).

If my guess is correct, then I think it is particularly awesome. I think the early coinage modified and cut to make small currency suitable for the local micro-economies to be fascinating, and very telling of the early years of American trade and business.

Whew!

I think your theory is probably as close to right as we're going to get

Cool finds !!!!

ty kyfreebird .. jeff

I've got a bent half real also. Better left alone. A buddy of mine broke his in half trying to bend it back.
Chris

thanks CC zeus.. no chance of trying to bend it back.. will remain as-is

I've got a bent half real also. Better left alone. A buddy of mine broke his in half trying to bend it back.
Chris

This coin has been bent deliberately though, and I would imagine it was done contemporaneous to its' loss.

i wish i knew what contemporaneous meant

I agree plehbah that it was bent to make change, and it explains how easily it could have sprung out of a man's hands in the process. Contemporary alterations of coins and buttons can be fascinating unique bits of history that can stand on their own as historically valuable artifacts, despite the possible "value" they might have had were they not intentionally altered. It brings to mind a Washington button found not long ago which was purposefully (and mysteriously) bent not once, but twice over itself. Votes for "repair" won out over "leave it alone", I think with the result beoing a unique find immuine from condition issues being transformed into a generic find which must now be judged on condition.

i agree 100%

I agree plehbah that it was bent to make change, and it explains how easily it could have sprung out of a man's hands in the process.

Due to the sharpness of the crease I believe it was bent mechanically, not with bare hands.

would be tough to bend any coin with your barehands.

Is being a member of the "club" a good thing?

This club might fit right into Butch Holcombe's books (Never Mace Skunk). For those of you who have not read it I will breifly explain. Translated it's more like "stupid people tricks while metal detecting!"

Hey watch it I'm in a few of the stories. I'm not saying which ones though. To darn embarrassing

Hmm.. i guess im lost as to what you two are even talking about.. please do let me know when you get an email back from that guy you know.. if youre sure youve seen reales bent in half in the past I would at least like to know the significance of the coin.. thank you vayank Jeff

I'll be sure to let you know if I hear back. About Never Mace A Skunk. Butch Holcombe, publisher of American Digger put out 2 books called Never Mace a Skunk. They have stories of "interesting" things people did or got into while digging. I've got a couple stories in the last one. Both are good books.

thanks vayank

 

[{Sentinel}]

Congrats on the 1 Reale Jeff Very cool.....and speaking of finding the shank intact on that tombac....I found one really similar to that one with the shank intact also not too long ago and had a nice silver gilt on it. VERY nice finds

 

[vayank54]

I got a message back from American Digger. The article about digging the love tokens was in Vol 5 issue 2 and there was a letter about the love token theory in vol 5 issue 3 Butch said he didn't know if they were sold out of those issues or not but if you would like the check the can ask Anita at americandigger@att.net

 

[umrgolf]

Congrats on the 1 Reale Jeff Very cool.....and speaking of finding the shank intact on that tombac....I found one really similar to that one with the shank intact also not too long ago and had a nice silver gilt on it. VERY nice finds

thanks Josh, i didn't think the tombacs had any gilt on them? I always thought their appearance was from the alloy they were made from.. hmm, i might be wrong.. either way, i like em HH Josh.. jeff

I got a message back from American Digger. The article about digging the love tokens was in Vol 5 issue 2 and there was a letter about the love token theory in vol 5 issue 3 Butch said he didn't know if they were sold out of those issues or not but if you would like the check the can ask Anita at americandigger@att.net

thanks again vayank, he didn't have any other info? I'll try to get ahold of her

 

[vayank54]

I just asked him for what issue the article was in. I'm going to try to find mine. As far as tombacs being plated. I've never seen any platedand myself never thought they were. Some almost look like silver though. I always figured that was because of the mixture of the metal or something. Like with pewter some is almost like silver and some is crumbling apart.