First silver of the year and a 1st ever - 1840 Half Dime!

[Plumbata]

After my old White's finally gave up its ghost I found a good deal on a used MX5 to replace it with in March (probably should have saved up for an Equinox judging from the rave reviews lately) and had opportunistically hit some Wyoming curb strips/tearouts with no noteworthy finds. Well my little family went back to Illinois for an extended vacation and the detector came along in the event that any opportunities arose. Yesterday evening we were strolling in an old hunted-to-death city park that I had never found silver in before, and a ~30'X30' patch of freshly churned bare dirt was passed which got my spidey senses tingling, so after dropping off the gals I hurried back in hopes of sniffing out something interesting.

After about 90% had been detected, I got a fluctuating VDI with a good compact tone, and to my astonishment popped out my 1st Half Dime and oldest US silver by 17 years! It is a bit bent up but otherwise possesses nice detail (I'll be sandwiching it between some boards and whacking it flat soon). As they say, no place is ever completely hunted out!

 

[mikefromIllinois]

Congrats on the half dime, a small coin that's not easy to find.

 

[Professor of Engineering]

Congratualtions on the half dime recovery!

 

[Terry Soloman]

That's a beauty!

 

[Megalodon]

Nice find. Have you straightened small coins with that whacking - board method ? I'd be tempted to leave it alone but also curious to see before and after pics if you do it.

 

[Javadroid]

Lots of detail on that half dime -- must have been dropped early in its circulation. Congrats on pulling such a rare beauty!

 

[dirtdigginfool]

Plumbata, nice find! I too, one day..spotted a long pile of fresh dirt at our fairgrounds, they had dug a ditch about 18" deep and that freshly dug ditch had my senses tingling too. I swung back there later, no sooner waved my coil over the first pile and git a clear silver dime signal..stuck my pinpointer in there and I pulled a beautiful 1908 Barber dime out. And yes, this place has been pounded hard. Congrats on the great save, Ddf.

 

[ecmjamsit]

I think I would use a vise instead of whacking it. You will have more control. Just use masking tape to hold it between the boards.
Nice find!

 

[Hawks88]

Nice silver find. Congrats

 

[dirtlooter]

awesome 1/2 dime! very lovely coin and one that I would love to find as well

 

[Centsless Detecting]

Way to go on that one. Definitely trust your spidey senses.
Im glad im not the only one getting a late start finding silver this year
If it were me I would leave it bent up, adds more character.

 

[Johncoho]

That is one great find. Congrats.

 

[Loco-Digger]

Awesome coin, congrats on pulling that half dime. Maybe brought in with some fill dirt Sadly to say that coin still eludes my coil.