Finally! My 1st US Large Cent! 1818 Matron Head!

[mangum]

Hello all! I got out this weekend to the spot I found the Rev War cannonballs at a couple weeks ago. It's tough hunting but I managed to save a few goodies! Needless to say the LC made my day! This is my 2nd oldest coin to date & my first US large cent. My oldest coin is a KG11 copper that also came from this location. I was very happy to be able to get a date off of this, I know these coins don't do so well in the ground. I'm tempted to try to clean it some more but I'm not! I just toothpicked the dirt off. Although, I would like to hear any suggestions if you think anything else would improve it. I also found a toasted pewter button (no USA intertwined this time!), a big iron key, part of a late 18th early 19thc fork etc. I wonder what these big iron spikes are for, I've found a few. Any info on the mystery item would be appreciated. (Solved- part of a drawer pull) There was a Rev War camp here & a house from the 1760s-early 1900s. Thanks for looking & HH!

 

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[Evolution]

Congrats on your first U.S. large cent.

 

[mangum]

No help needed on the what is it item. My buddy sent me this pic. Not sure how I didn't figure that out lol!

 

[fishstick]

It's amazin how much joy one cent can bring us!!!! CONGRATS and wishin you luck for more!!! HH...

 

[Isaac]

Congrats on your first Large Cent! That coin is almost 200 years old too! I also like the old iron key, a skeleton key is one of the items I hope to find this year!

 

[donkarlos]

Congrats - funny, I found the same part of a drawer pull near my first large cent (1820)!

 

[relicmeister]

Happy for you,Mangum. I'll feel the same way when I finally find my first KG
The other relics are great as well!

 

[Rick (Nova Scotia)]

Congrats on your first, I bet the next will come sooner than you think. Suit your self on any further cleaning, but in this case I believe the remaining green is helping the detail to be visible, a contrast if you will, you can see the stars, the bust, and the date. If it were a case of needing cleaning to get an ID I'd say go further, but you have all that already. I can pretty much guarantee from experience if you do go further you will regret it. Still it is yours, and you can suit yourself. Remember this though you can't un-do something, and it looks good as is for a old dug copper.

 

[mangum]

Congrats on your first, I bet the next will come sooner than you think. Suit your self on any further cleaning, but in this case I believe the remaining green is helping the detail to be visible, a contrast if you will, you can see the stars, the bust, and the date. If it were a case of needing cleaning to get an ID I'd say go further, but you have all that already. I can pretty much guarantee from experience if you do go further you will regret it. Still it is yours, and you can suit yourself. Remember this though you can't un-do something, and it looks good as is for a old dug copper.

Thanks for the advice Rick, I'm leaving it alone for sure.

 

[mangum]

Congrats on your first, I bet the next will come sooner than you think. Suit your self on any further cleaning, but in this case I believe the remaining green is helping the detail to be visible, a contrast if you will, you can see the stars, the bust, and the date. If it were a case of needing cleaning to get an ID I'd say go further, but you have all that already. I can pretty much guarantee from experience if you do go further you will regret it. Still it is yours, and you can suit yourself. Remember this though you can't un-do something, and it looks good as is for a old dug copper.

Thanks for the advice Rick, I'm leaving it alone for sure.

 

[ironhorse]

Way to go on your first large cent!

I'm sure there's many more in your future

 

[g-olden years]

Big Congrats! Your large cent looks beautiful with the dignity of old age. I'm glad you're not going to clean it further as it's lovely! Andi

 

[vpnavy]

Thanks for sharing...

 

[Blind Squirrel]

Nice find, Josh!!!

 

[Ahab8]

Great job Mangum! Love seeing those old coppers. I found a few this winter and decided to try olive oil for the first time. Not saying to do this but just wanted to show you the comparison. The cruddy coin is actually an 1845 and the oo coin is an 1827. I just forgot to take a pic of the 1827 but it looked the same. Here they are







Yours looks much Better than mine did and you may want to just leave it be. Mine all have this thick green crud that I can stand to look at . Left mine soaking for about a month

 

[park pirate]

Congrats...

 

[Tenspeed]

Great find Josh! Congratulations on your first large cent.

My first and only large cent was holed and you could barely make out the head, much less the date, so I think you did pretty well with this one.

 

[HomeGuardDan]

congrats! I hope you find many more

 

[Bill D. (VA)]

Congrats Josh on your first LC. As Rick advised, I'd leave it as is, especially since this is your first one and I know you'd hate to ruin it. Maybe you can experiment with some of the many cleaning methods down the road after you've dug a few more. I've only been dry brushing and using a toothpick on mine as well, although I still have a very small amount of Blue Ribbon Coin Cleaner which is an amazing product in my opinion. Unfortunately it's not made anymore, and I'm still looking for an equivalent substitute. Hopefully your next one will come soon.

 

[terpfan]

Congrats on the first of many LCs! I agree with the others about the cleaning. The surface of this coin is very porous already and cleaning will likely do more harm than good. Besides, it has a date and looks great like it is.