🥇 BANNER BUCKET LISTER!! LESS THAN 100 KNOWN!! $5 GOLD HALF EAGLE DUG!!

[Cal_Cobra]

Tom(CA) and I have been working a site that we found from hard work and research and it's produced several 1850's - 1860's seated coins, and some rogue early 1900's coins, as well as a variety of period relics.

We tried to get one more trip in before Old Man Winter completely shut us down, and it did in fact shut us down, but not before I finally, got something I've been looking for for a long time, and after watching others find them over the years, I was starting to think it would never happen.

Well it finally happened, and it turned out to be a good one, an 1865 San Francisco minted Liberty Half Eagle!!

Here she is out of the hole:

Here she is rinsed off:

Here's a video of the hunt:

Here's a bit of background on the coin from PCGS:

Less than 100 known, Mintage: 27,612

Although the mintage of the 1865-S is quite a bit higher than the mintages of the S Mint Half Eagles from 1858 to 1864, it compares in overall rarity to the 1858-S, 1860-S and 1863-S and is only slightly less rare than the others. Almost all known examples of this date are well worn with VF and lower being all one can expect to find. The 1865-S ranks second in the entire $5 series according to average grade and I do not know of a specimen that would grade better than EF. The very few specimens that I have seen were rather softly struck and the mintmark was always quite weak.

Thanks for looking, hopefully the next one comes easier

 

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[TrpnBils]

Alright, stupid question: If there were 27k+ minted, but only 100 known, were the others melted down or are they still believed to be in existence somewhere?

 

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[The Seeker]

Good Coins are a great find ......I'm sure its on all detectorists bucket list! Nice job

 

[BLK HOLE]

What a beauty, congratulations!!!!!

 

[Ken C]

That is awesome, good for you! Congrats!

Gold is still on my bucket list

 

[Tom_in_CA]

Alright, stupid question: If there were 27k+ minted, but only 100 known, were the others melted down or are they still believed to be in existence somewhere?

Good question. There's many other coins where the stat's are similar: Lots minted, yet super non-proportionate #'s "known".

Bear in mind that the "known" statistic is simply those changing hands on certified auction sites , where they've been slabbed/graded . However, you're right: Even if we allow for 10-fold the # "in existence" (those that have never been changing hands in sales statistics) it STILL doesn't explain the super disproportionate statistics.

This question has come up for other similar coin statistic #'s. And yes: "melt" has been one explanation offered. Yet that still seems like an odd answer, since other coins do NOT have the same proportions of minted vs known.

Any numismatists here care to venture an answer ?

 

[Underwonder]

Cal, Congratulations on your super gold coin find! I enjoyed the video too....the introduction and the finds. What a fabulous rare coin and it deserves the banner status received. Since the cold weather I have not been hunting and have been wrapped up in Christmas activities. Now I am catching up on others’ finds...This was a good one...and already 10 pages of comments! Are you still dreaming about it? It must have felt substantial in your hand...and were you wearing sunglasses with the glint of that California gold? LOL

 

[Tiredman]

Congratulations, on the half eagle, I found one years ago myself. Still with the odds involved I would have rather hit a smaller Powerball drawing. In fact the odds are better to hit the Powerball. Enjoy the memory and record the event with a written story.

 

[Cal_Cobra]

always nice to find GOLD. congrats. will watch the video also.

Thanks!

Way to go!!!! Congrats!!!

Thanks!!

Alright, stupid question: If there were 27k+ minted, but only 100 known, were the others melted down or are they still believed to be in existence somewhere?

Mostly melted down is what the experts believe, but of course a few were lost along the way too

Good Coins are a great find ......I'm sure its on all detectorists bucket list! Nice job

Thanks, the good finds certainly keep you coming back for more !!

What a beauty, congratulations!!!!!

Thanks, she's beautiful, ageless.

That is awesome, good for you! Congrats!

Gold is still on my bucket list

Thanks!! It's out there, elusive, but out there.

Cal, Congratulations on your super gold coin find! I enjoyed the video too....the introduction and the finds. What a fabulous rare coin and it deserves the banner status received. Since the cold weather I have not been hunting and have been wrapped up in Christmas activities. Now I am catching up on others’ finds...This was a good one...and already 10 pages of comments! Are you still dreaming about it? It must have felt substantial in your hand...and were you wearing sunglasses with the glint of that California gold? LOL

Yep I'm still dreaming about it, Civil War era California gold, that's about as good as it gets on the west coast

Congratulations, on the half eagle, I found one years ago myself. Still with the odds involved I would have rather hit a smaller Powerball drawing. In fact the odds are better to hit the Powerball. Enjoy the memory and record the event with a written story.

I wouldn't mind winning the Powerball, but I'd have to play first Still, better odds eh? Hmmm.....tempting

 

[Cal_Cobra]

Congrats!!!!!I have not found a gold coin yet, but I will never give up. That is awesome, good job!

Don't give up, and dig all those mid-tones!

FANDAMNTASTIC!!! Congrats on such a stellar find,she is beautiful!

She is, thanks!!

Well since coily-girl bumped it up with the 130th atteboy, I'll make it #131 : Did you see , the post from the fellow who just found the cache of 11 gold coins (a purse or pocket-spill or something): He offered to trade you all 11, for the single key-date rare gold coin of yours. I'm sure he was joking, but .... just goes to show: You did the bucket lister in style !

Still, that was an incredible find! We need to dig one of those, I know there out there, we've probably walked within feet of them

Amazingly beautiful find, congratulations!!

All the best,

Lanny

Thanks Lanny!!

Cheers to your Half Eagle! It's on my bucket list!!

You'll land one, their out there

Absolutely amazingly awesome!!! That coin isn’t only rare, but in amazing condition!! Cheers to that!

Thanks, it's an ecstatic find

Its a beauty!! Congrats on the great find!! WTG !!

Thank you

 

[Tiredman]

The 100 known mentioned I believe is that is the number according to the grading services for the particular coin involved here. Mine fell in the same category roughly 100 known as well. The interesting part that should be looked into is the types of machines involved with these gold coin discoveries posted on the forum here. If someone was to take the time to do some simple research they might be surprised at the results. It should give others hope to keep digging those signals, one never knows! The lowest cost unit to produce a gold coin on this site is $160!

 

[Diggin Dude]

Huge congratulations!!! Incredible find, congrats on banner, HH

 

[Honest Samuel]

You did great. Get it graded because it is worth a lot of money.

 

[: Michael-Robert.]

Congrats!

 

[jerr-man]

WOW, a dream find for anybody. Congratulations and Thanks for sharing, probably the only way I will ever see one of those.

 

[DigDuglas]

Rock on Dude!

 

[just.neil]

Didn't realize how rare this coin was. Epic find!

 

[SilverDreams]

Oh yeah!

 

[sutphin]

NICE FIND

 

[Lanny in AB]

Lucky! I'd love to find something like that.

All the best,

Lanny

 

[Digger RJ]

That's an INCREDIBLE FIND!!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!!