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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[A2coins]

That is a great looking coin funny thing it seems so many people find great stuff right before they plan to leave or on the way to the car. Could be cause we dig more to try and save the day lol Congrats on your oldest coin and 2nd draped bust Im still looking for my first. Well done my friend Tommy

 

[Digger RJ]

Very Nice!!! Congrats!!!

 

[Rookster]

Great find. Congratulations

 

[joe_dirt]

Congrats on the great find I definitely wouldn't say there's anything unfortunate about it looks like a beauty to me

 

[Scrappy]

Looks like some decent definition left on that coin. Nice digs

 

[JeffInMass]

Awesome find fellow Mass hunter- Congrats!

 

[HuntH2002]

Awesome! Good details on the back. Looks it can be cleaned very nicely. Congrats!

 

[_muppet_]

Very cool, still looking for a local site old enough to produce a draped bust. It's high on my list.

 

[thursdaythunder]

Nice save!! Some detail & a date. You can't ask for much more than that on the old 1803' DB ,, Congrats

 

[Argentium]

That is a very good find ! the squarish hole is very interesting - early to be sure ! but doesn't even show impact marking on the reverse . One would expect to see a smallish flat wear pattern opposite what I guess to be a square nail strike on the obverse ? I'm intrigued - curious to hear other ideas about this !

 

[fishstick]

SUPER JELLY!!!!! CONGRATZ.....

 

[fishstick]

That is a great looking coin funny thing it seems so many people find great stuff right before they plan to leave or on the way to the car. Could be cause we dig more to try and save the day lol Congrats on your oldest coin and 2nd draped bust Im still looking for my first. Well done my friend Tommy

Still lookin for my first as well Tommy.... SOON!!!!

 

[Tuberale]

GR8 coin lenmac! WHAT A SAVE!

 

[Cal_Cobra]

Well done, nice looking copper!

 

[ToddsPoint]

Now you need to ID which '03 it is. There are 4 different types that has to do with "large date, small date", and "large fraction, small fraction". One of the four is worth $$$$$. Gary

 

[SD51]

Nice find, bet that coin could tell some stories!

 

[lenmac65]

Now you need to ID which '03 it is. There are 4 different types that has to do with "large date, small date", and "large fraction, small fraction". One of the four is worth $$$$$. Gary

I did not know about the four varieties. I cannot tell if I have a large or small date; however, the fraction looks large to me, so this is likely not the rare variety. Still love it though. Thanks for the info!

 

[lenmac65]

That is a great looking coin funny thing it seems so many people find great stuff right before they plan to leave or on the way to the car. Could be cause we dig more to try and save the day lol Congrats on your oldest coin and 2nd draped bust Im still looking for my first. Well done my friend Tommy

Thanks, Tommy. I agree about all the finds on the way back to the car. I would save a lot of time if I just immediately turned around after reaching my spot, and walked back to my car swinging. Hope you find one of these coins someday; you deserve it.

 

[lenmac65]

That is a very good find ! the squarish hole is very interesting - early to be sure ! but doesn't even show impact marking on the reverse . One would expect to see a smallish flat wear pattern opposite what I guess to be a square nail strike on the obverse ? I'm intrigued - curious to hear other ideas about this !

Thanks! I am not sure what caused the pit. When I first dug the coin, the pit was not evident. When I was gently scraping the coin with the toothpick, the sediment just sort of popped out. Maybe it is not an impact hole, but some sort of weak spot or imperfection in the copper, if that is possible.