First Hunt 2014, first Colonial copper,1786 Vermont Baby Head variety

Don in SJ

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I rode my Mtn bike to a site less than a mile from my house that my son and I have been very successful at since the mid to late 80s! I have hunted this place many times with zero finds and other times will find buttons and a colonial coin or two. It has been very good to me. Yesterday I hunted in the afternoon after the thick fog burned off and was happy to get 3 items that were not the numerous shotgun casings that abound at this place. Nice to get a Button, a Relic and a Colonial, good mix for a short hunt close to home.

The copper only read 07/26 on the Explorer SE, so I knew it was not a NJ copper and most likely not a counterfeit KGIII, since most are almost pure copper but less of it. However I have quite a few cast counterfeit KGII and William III and some CT coppers have read that low.

Upon cleaning I saw INDE ET LIB, so I was happy to start off 2014 with a State colonial copper, BUT, I assumed it was a CT copper, since that is the second most common state copper I find. But on the Obverse side I started to see the letters VERM --- so it was not a CT copper, better still a much harder to find Vermont copper! I wish it was in better shape, but the ground where it was found was next to a swampy area, so it is what it is. The great news is that it is a Ryder 9, known as the Baby Head variety. I did not have this one, so all the better. This is my third VT copper found in South Jersey, a Ryder 9, 16 and 21. My son has found a Ryder 1 and Ryder 16, so we now have 5 between the two of us.
Don
 

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Upvote 8
Don that's a great find! Love those state coppers. Esp the ones you don't see very often. Best of luck out there, Abe
 
Don,
Great to see a post from you especially from Jersey in Jan. You are talking lingo I have no clue on, but CONGRATS to you on a super hunt. You really know your stuff.
You have been a great help to myself and others here on Tnet over the years. I will always remember you helping me ID my counterfeit piece of eight. :thumbsup:
-Doug-
 
Very nice congrats.
 
Congrats on the Baby Head Vermont Don. Just goes to show those old sites will do anything to get you to come back!
 
Glad to see you were able to get out Don. I guess your back is doing better. Always nice to dig a first of anything. Nice going!
 
Cool you don't see the Baby Head posted very often, good addition to the collection.
 
Glad to see you were able to get out Don. I guess your back is doing better. Always nice to dig a first of anything. Nice going!
Bill, it was just a short bike ride and I only hunted about hour and half and back said time to quit, so I listened to it. :) Was going out this afternoon, but think the damp air and back are not in agreement, so maybe try tomorrow.....
 
Cool you don't see the Baby Head posted very often, good addition to the collection.
Cru, finding the Baby Head variety was nice, just a shame it was not dropped about 15 feet further from where I found it, that area produced two nice conditioned NJ coppers and a beautiful 2 Cent piece, all with no major corrosion damage like the VT which was on the top of a ridge just before the land dropped down to the water. Very ground acidic area there and unless you find a copper in further where the soil drains fast, a corroded copper it will be. :(
 
Very nice, Don! Looks like a hunt you will remember for a long time. Good way to start the new year!
 
Way to go on the Ryder 9! I have a decent one in my own collection that even shows the 4 wheat sheafs in the shield, but never found one in the ground.
 
Real nice way to start 2014! Hope the back gets better and you return there to make more great finds!
 
Nice find, Don. Oh, you had to go and show me up and find a Vermont copper too. lol
 
Nice recovery on the Vermont! This is one coin that is still on my "to dig" list. I did get a half way decent R16 Vermont for Christmas this year.

VPR
 
CONGRATS on the Vermont "Baby Head", a Colonial State Copper is a sure good way to start the year :icon_thumleft:
 
Nice! All the coppers I've seen are so worn you never get detail out of them
 
great Vermont variety Don , i have yet to see one with a decent planchet :icon_scratch:

Congrats .

Dan
 
Nice find, I had to stop allot of my woods hunting after a buddy of mine got a 1500.00 fine and his metal detector confiscated from a conservation officer. WMA in NJ are now off limits to metal detecting. I was doing allot of hunting in WMA, unless they change that law I'm not going there. I'm not saying that is what your doing, there is plenty of woods in south Jersey that is not WMA. Just thought I'd mention it FYI and for anyone else Metal detecting in New Jersey. I spoke with the head of Land Management and checked it all out, there used to be a permit, but they stopped giving them out. I told him I never seen or read anything about this law and thought it was unfair both because it is public property and that it is not well publicized.
 

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