Busted! .... 1803

[lenmac65]

I took a couple hours off yesterday to detect an old farm field. It was very cold on account of the wind, and I had only found a head stamp or two after about an hour. Since I only had 45 minutes or so left and was finding nothing, I told myself I would just do one path to the far edge of the field, then hit some other spot for a half hour on the way home. Not 30 seconds later, I got a nice, steady coin tone with a VDI of 28 on the Equinox. I was happy that the VDI was high enough for a silver dime, but the tone was too strong for a dime and the VDI too low for a silver quarter. I dug my plug thinking it might be a bottle cap, and was pleasantly surprised when out popped a large copper about five inches down. I had the feeling it might be a U.S. Large Cent, as it felt more substantial than a British copper. I left shortly afterward, and began prepping myself mentally for the usual disappointment of finding out the copper was slick. I was very happy that once I started scraping off the dirt, Lady Liberty began to show herself... a Draped Bust cent! Unfortunately, the front is pretty weak, and a small pit is on her cheek. However, I managed to get a date I.D. of 1803, and the reverse is fairly strong. This is now my oldest dated U.S. coin, and my second Draped Bust cent since starting this hobby a year and a half ago. Thanks for taking the time to read my post. I appreciate any comments, especially any tips on how to preserve this obviously delicate coin. (I would use ren wax, but I think the coin needs to be clean, which I am afraid to do.) Happy hunting, and good luck out there!

 

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[xcopperstax]

That is not bad for a draped bust. I haven't found too many but they are usually wasted. I think that's the same date as my best one and I think you have enough detail to id it. The pcgs app is pretty helpful with that. Cleaning it? That may be as good as it gets. Seeing the layer near the date makes it look as though you could clean it more or you could clean the date right off the coin. This might be one for the peroxide method. It could do some gentle cleaning but may change the color of the coin. You may be able to use the andre's pencils brush to gently get some more dirt off it with out taking detail. It's a tough call. Maybe quit while you are ahead as it's pretty good where it is. I think you can put Ren wax over it as is which may prevent further flaking. Congrats on a great find!!!

 

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[washingtonian]

Very nice, I really like the character of this one!

 

[SilverDreams]

Awesome find! Congrats!

 

[lenmac65]

That is not bad for a draped bust. I haven't found too many but they are usually wasted. I think that's the same date as my best one and I think you have enough detail to id it. The pcgs app is pretty helpful with that. Cleaning it? That may be as good as it gets. Seeing the layer near the date makes it look as though you could clean it more or you could clean the date right off the coin. This might be one for the peroxide method. It could do some gentle cleaning but may change the color of the coin. You may be able to use the andre's pencils brush to gently get some more dirt off it with out taking detail. It's a tough call. Maybe quit while you are ahead as it's pretty good where it is. I think you can put Ren wax over it as is which may prevent further flaking. Congrats on a great find!!!

Thanks xcopperstax! All great ideas, but I think I am going to quit while I am ahead, as I am not confident in my preservation skills. I used the Andre's pencils to get it this far, but the patina was starting to come off. More mild weather coming our way. Good luck out there!

 

[Professor of Engineering]

Sweet find, congrats!