Colonial coin ....in Michigan!

jopher

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Location
Mid Michigan
Detector(s) used
IDX Classic SL-x2....Excalibur1000
Had to work today but was getting out a little early so I brought along the IDX in hopes of hitting one of my favorite cellar holes before returning home.It was a beautiful day and I had high hopes of finding something on my wish list.(Particularly,a large cent).I hunted an area I had only skirted in the past due to alot of heavy deadfall.I spent the first twenty minutes clearing away brush, logs, leaves, and tree limbs until I had a clean 20 X 20 patch of earth.I worked the area very slowly, finding an axe, a hand scale and a wick dial for an oil lamp.The next target hit heavy as a dime on my Whites, which is most usually a copper(old) penny.I very carefully unearthed the target at about 6".At first I thought it was a slug but as I turned it around I could see there was lettering on it...."Yes..my first large cent".I pocketed the coin and started to sweep the area and my batteries promptly went dead.I gathered up my goodies and headed for home.When I got there I rinsed off my treasures and discovered my large cent wasnt a large cent at all but rather a 1775 George III half penny.Wasnt expecting that.! O.K. so I didnt find my large cent but I can scratch one coin off my wish list and Im definitely not complaining. Thanks for reading this drawn out story...now you can look at the pics....H.H....Joe Im no expert on colonial coins..I believe this is a New York\Machins Mill Copper?? Please correct me if Im wrong. Thanks..
 

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There are loads of awesome places to hunt in Detroit. The problem is not getting in...it's getting out (alive).

Some very wealthy people lived and played in Detroit ca. 1860's to 1940's. There's a lot of stuff there. Only a very few dare to go after it.
 

Fantastic! (wish I could find one). :P
 

Real,real nice.Congrats. :)
 

jopher said:
Im no expert on colonial coins..I believe this is a New York\Machins Mill Copper?? Please correct me if Im wrong. Thanks..
I'm no expert either, but it sure looks like a Machin's Mills copper halfpenny to me. The 2006 Red Book puts the value of a 1775 halfpenny in good condition at $80. An excellent find!! It reminds us that Michigan's history goes back as far as the 13 colonies on the eastern seaboard.
HH
Bob
 

Wow!, very nice find, WTG!!!
I have yet to find anything that old, Congrats on a great find...
Good luck, & Happy hunting~
 

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