coin ID needed ?

[Mike in Berks]

I found this coin in 1999 in a lake during a heavy draught ( rare for this lake ) Suprisingly i found
quite a variety of coins there the area was settled in the early 18th century by Quakers Then in the
1920's all homes were demolished for a man made lake I never did get a positive ID on this coin
and now i'll give the t - net coin experts a try so here goes

the obverse - i see the last 2 letters on the left US well now only S
on the right side i see II and then REX
the reverse - i see a crown and below what was a harp - irish ?

the coin is 26MM wide and heavily corroded all replys greatly appreciated !!

 

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[Don in SJ]

KGII Irish Halfpenny 1736-1755 and 1760

http://www.coins.nd.edu/ColCoin/ColCoinIntros/Br-IrishCopper.intro.html

Attached is a photo of one of mine, a 1760 KGII Irish Halfpenny.

Don

 

[davest]

wow, this place never ceases to amaze me. WTG Don, and Mike, where are you at in Berks? I used to live there a long long time ago. Did you ever hunt the Reading Airport? Did you know it was a POW camp during WW2? There's a lot more history in that area than I can remember, along with a lot of foundations.Peace out.

 

[Don in SJ]

I grew up in Reading and it sounds like Mike's spot could have been Lake Ontelaunee, my Dad said when he was a kid in the 1920's he used to fish in the area that is now under water. I remember back in the 60's during a drought you could see the old road and if memory serves me right, a bridge going over the original Moselem Creek.

Don

 

[Mike in Berks]

KGII Irish Halfpenny 1736-1755

http://www.coins.nd.edu/ColCoin/ColCoinIntros/Br-IrishCopper.intro.html

Don

Thanks for the ID Don I was aware of that site and read all of it quite a few
years back i don't see any "photos" with the crown and harp on the reverse i assume there aren't
any on that site now i know what it's called i know the dates they were issued now i just wish
i would've known about your cleaning techniques when i dug this up too i appreciate the info !!

Mike HH

 

[Mike in Berks]

wow, this place never ceases to amaze me. WTG Don, and Mike, where are you at in Berks? I used to live there a long long time ago. Did you ever hunt the Reading Airport? Did you know it was a POW camp during WW2? There's a lot more history in that area than I can remember, along with a lot of foundations.Peace out.

Hi davest i'm a little south of Hamburg I've read about the POW Camp but, no i never looked into searching the
the airport i'll have to check it out someday

Mike HH

 

[Mike in Berks]

I grew up in Reading and it sounds like Mike's spot could have been Lake Ontelaunee, my Dad said when he was a kid in the 1920's he used to fish in the area that is now under water. I remember back in the 60's during a drought you could see the old road and if memory serves me right, a bridge going over the original Moselem Creek.

Don

You're right on Don Lake Ontelaunee i could see part of the part of the bridge in 99 and in 2005 I have seen
a photo of it it's a large stone bridge the road on the north end edge to 50ft in was mud on the east end it's macadam
lots of history and lots of relics waiting for someone to dig it up I invited Jeff of Pa and Rich of Central Pa down in 2005
They both scored a good find but, you have to have about 4 - 5 months without rain for that lake to drop a
good distance and it's been hunted hard but the relics are there yet hey Don thanks for the pic's !!

Mike

 

[davest]

yeah, I fished that lake back when I was a kid, even went to schuylkill valley highschool (right up the road) even went doe hunting there back in the 60s. sheesh, now I feel real old for some reason.

 

[Mike in Berks]

yeah, I fished that lake back when I was a kid, even went to schuylkill valley highschool (right up the road) even went doe hunting there back in the 60s. sheesh, now I feel real old for some reason.

wow davest fished and hunted it i'll bet you know the lake area real good i learned about the history part
from reading local history books hey, old is only a word keep on keepin on !!

 

[Don in SJ]

I think back in rifle season for deer in 1964, they opened it up for maybe the first time for deer season and so many hunters were there, the bullets were flying everywhere. We never fished much in the lake itself, but did a lot of fishing at Moselem Springs area and below the dam at the "big rock". Used to Morning Dove hunt at the edge of the cornfields surronding the Pines that were surrounding the watershed area. Also, in the early 60's there used to be big organized crow hunts. I have no idea if they roost there in the thousands now in winter but back then they would blacken the sky as they came in to roost at night............Nice area, all of Berks is rich in history, I have several volumes of "The Passing Scene" by George and Gloria Meiser, which is full of photographs of old Berks County. My GGGGGGrandfather's farm(1760) was in Alsace and Exeter Twp, but also had GGGGGGrandfather with a farm in Richmond Twp and another one who co-founded Shoemakersville.

Don

 

[Mike in Berks]

I think back in rifle season for deer in 1964, they opened it up for maybe the first time for deer season and so many hunters were there, the bullets were flying everywhere. We never fished much in the lake itself, but did a lot of fishing at Moselem Springs area and below the dam at the "big rock". Used to Morning Dove hunt at the edge of the cornfields surronding the Pines that were surrounding the watershed area. Also, in the early 60's there used to be big organized crow hunts. I have no idea if they roost there in the thousands now in winter but back then they would blacken the sky as they came in to roost at night............Nice area, all of Berks is rich in history, I have several volumes of "The Passing Scene" by George and Gloria Meiser, which is full of photographs of old Berks County. My GGGGGGrandfather's farm(1760) was in Alsace and Exeter Twp, but also had GGGGGGrandfather with a farm in Richmond Twp and another one who co-founded Shoemakersville.

Don

Don, you really got around up here i know about the Moselem Springs area you mentioned i only fished a couple
of years organized crow hunts wish i knew where crows by the thousands must've been a sight to see i see about
1 or 2 a day here yes, i do rely on the Passing Scene i never imagined they would publish 10 let alone 15 issues
sounds like it's gonna be 1 every year now i have them all thats where i saw the picture of the stone bridge in
No. 15 wow, your family was spread out all across Berks County i wasn't aware of a co - founder of Shoemakersville
or i just don't remember reading it Note: i was given permisson to search the lake anywhere EXCEPT the
PROPAGATION AREA there's a few foundations in there i can't touch thanks for the info !!

Mike HH

 

[davest]

I'm a Bern Twp boy, but my dad used to work for people throughout the county, from Lower Alsace(?) to Bernville. Used to have permission to hunt at Althouses where Grings Mill park now is, I remember a few things though cause I moved to Florida right after getting out of the service in 75. I was back a few years ago for a reunion or something and I did see that the some of the woods I traipsed thru as a kid were still undeveloped. That's a good sign.

 

[Mike in Berks]

I'm a Bern Twp boy, but my dad used to work for people throughout the county, from Lower Alsace(?) to Bernville. Used to have permission to hunt at Althouses where Grings Mill park now is, I remember a few things though cause I moved to Florida right after getting out of the service in 75. I was back a few years ago for a reunion or something and I did see that the some of the woods I traipsed thru as a kid were still undeveloped. That's a good sign.

Bernville alot of history there Althouses I'll have to look that name up in the books i have i do know ya can't
search at Gring's Mill Now still undeveloped i agree that is a good sign maybe it's clean and green now ?

Mike HH

 

[davest]

nah, the east side of grings mill was all apple orchards at one time, and corn fields, there are a few places on that side of the tulpehocken creek that had stone buildings on them, kinda hidden in the woods from a long time ago. small buildings that aren't connected to the grings mill recreation area. I also lived on the west side of tulpehocken creek, right above the red bridge, before the berkshire mall was built, they about wrecked that area but there are some places that are on the side of the creek that were old homes. The corp of engineers gave me permission to dismantle two of them prior to the bluemarsh project. man, i got a lot of pewter and bottles out of there back in the late 60s. Then I threw all the bottles away one day, kept the pewter napkin rings and mugs that I found, I just got to remember where they're at.

 

[Mike in Berks]

nah, the east side of grings mill was all apple orchards at one time, and corn fields, there are a few places on that side of the tulpehocken creek that had stone buildings on them, kinda hidden in the woods from a long time ago. small buildings that aren't connected to the grings mill recreation area. I also lived on the west side of tulpehocken creek, right above the red bridge, before the berkshire mall was built, they about wrecked that area but there are some places that are on the side of the creek that were old homes. The corp of engineers gave me permission to dismantle two of them prior to the bluemarsh project. man, i got a lot of pewter and bottles out of there back in the late 60s. Then I threw all the bottles away one day, kept the pewter napkin rings and mugs that I found, I just got to remember where they're at.

wow davest thanks for the very "detailed" description of how it looked back in the 60's wish i could've
seen it !! i did'nt even have my drivers license back then lol i'm sure you had a lot of fun dismantling those
houses i hope you can locate those napkin rings and mugs they might be worth a few $$

Mike HH

 

[davest]

if you stand on the bridge at grings mill looking south, there's a small set of rapids and a house on the east side of the river. behind that house and towards Greenfields is a large stand of trees, almost a forest. Can you figure out how to get to that forest without going thru the yard of that house? There are two very very old foundations in that stand of trees, the buildings were falling down when I was a kid, they were made of stacked stone and really rough sawn timbers. I found a damascus barrel shotgon in one of them (wish I still had that) and there might be some relics around the places. The stand of trees has not been developed, I noticed that the last time I was up.

Other than that, have you ever looked at the Reading ski club site at felix dam? That's another one of those old places.

 

[Mike in Berks]

if you stand on the bridge at grings mill looking south, there's a small set of rapids and a house on the east side of the river. behind that house and towards Greenfields is a large stand of trees, almost a forest. Can you figure out how to get to that forest without going thru the yard of that house? There are two very very old foundations in that stand of trees, the buildings were falling down when I was a kid, they were made of stacked stone and really rough sawn timbers. I found a damascus barrel shotgon in one of them (wish I still had that) and there might be some relics around the places. The stand of trees has not been developed, I noticed that the last time I was up.

Other than that, have you ever looked at the Reading ski club site at felix dam? That's another one of those old places.

"sorry" for the late reply davest i'll have to make it a point to go to Gring's Mill but, this time of the year it's
pretty grown up maybe in the spring would be a better time the large stand of trees sounds interesting
I was down at the ski club after Felix Dam broke just a walk around every where but the club house is grown
up now like the parking lot and the picnic area it wasn't a pretty site to see it used to be a hang out for me
and my friends before my d - tecting days thanks for the info and tips on that area i appreciate it

Mike HH

 

[davest]

stay in touch, did you know there were mule drawn barges pulled along the shores of where felix dam was? look for stone fixtures above the dam on both sides. Those coal sand hills didn't just spring out of no where.

 

[Mike in Berks]

stay in touch, did you know there were mule drawn barges pulled along the shores of where felix dam was? look for stone fixtures above the dam on both sides. Those coal sand hills didn't just spring out of no where.

davest when is the last time you were up here ? the dam broke quite a few years ago the ski club tryed
hard to have it rebuildt and they "failed" then this year they tore the dam breast out it's just a free flowing river
now the east side of the river is all new development houses everywhere the west side is a steep bank
and the north side is all developed too houses going up as i type there's really no access i do remember the
piles of coal to the rear and east of the parking lot and the boat ramp doesn't even reach the water anymore
it's really a sad sight to see next spring i'll drive down to Gring's Mill and the Ski Club and check them out

Mike HH

 

[davest]

wow, i was last there in august 07, looks like development has reared its' head in a big way. I knew about the ski club wanting to have the dam rebuilt, but too many people were aware they were gonna end up paying for private property. I didn't know the dam breast was removed. That has to make the river a pretty neat tube trip now. My dad told me of the barges, said they were pulled on both sides of the water, guess anything would be under muck and on private property. Oh well.