First spanish silver! 1789

[Greylock]

I've been out on a few short trips already this year but basically just cleaning up old sites with nothing much to show. Today I had a planned trip to a cellar hole to a site that I had found late in the season last year. Made my way up there and realized I had forgot batteries! Turned on the at pro and only had 2 out of 4 bars left of life. Kinda bummed I figured I would just see how far it would get me rather than heading all the way back down. This site wasn't used for very long. In fact I think it was a "pest house" where people with small pox would live so not to infect others. Finds are very thin but did manage a few keepers Including my first spanish silver. I believe it's a half real minted in Mexico. A few buttons a buckle and a large pewter disc was about it. The bubbles on the silver are strange. Maybe fire damage? Though none of the other finds show that. Feels great to be back out again after the winter we had. Hope everyone is taking advantage of this beautiful spring weather. Thanks for looking.

 

[park pirate]

Looks like that Spanish silver was sitting in cole ash.. Still a good find..

 

[Mackaydon]

Nice one.
.903 fine silver is good in any condition (Mexico City mint).
If it weighs about 1.7 grams, it's a 1/2 R.
Don.....

 

[Rick (Nova Scotia)]

Congrats on your first spanish G lock.
It surely does have a strange appearance, fire is a possibility.
I did get one silver coin from a know fire site, it wasn't "bubbly" but sure did have problems, mostly blackened.

 

[Greylock]

Don- THanks for confirming the 1/2R.

Rick- I've had a few silvers from a fire and none looked like this. Blackish and a little melted like you said. The bubbles are definitely strange.

Thanks for the comments

 

[Rick (Nova Scotia)]

Do you have an accurate scale ?
What was the detector reading...normal for this size of silver coin ?
I'll be honest, the bubbling is troubling,(for some reason) but we're all grown-ups here, just saying what I'm thinking.

 

[Greylock]

Do you have an accurate scale ?
What was the detector reading...normal for this size of silver coin ?
I'll be honest, the bubbling is troubling,(for some reason) but we're all grown-ups here, just saying what I'm thinking.

Scales been off for a while and can't seem to find my calibration weight. It's the size of a dime but thin. It was coming in low on the at pro. Bounced around 60-63 if you can equate that to another machine. Most silver this size is between 75 and 82.

 

[Evolution]

Congrats on your first Spanish silver.

 

[treblehunter]

Good work, I would be doing cartwheels if I found 1700's silver, very cool. Congrats!

 

[Rick (Nova Scotia)]

Scales been off for a while and can't seem to find my calibration weight. It's the size of a dime but thin. It was coming in low on the at pro. Bounced around 60-63 if you can equate that to another machine. Most silver this size is between 75 and 82.

I actually do have an AT Pro, as well as my Omega.(and others)
We "may have a problem"...I just tried a half real on ATP and I got a consistant 77...sometimes 76 ID with it ?
So your lower than normal IDs may be telling us something ?

 

[462]

Scales been off for a while and can't seem to find my calibration weight. It's the size of a dime but thin. It was coming in low on the at pro. Bounced around 60-63 if you can equate that to another machine. Most silver this size is between 75 and 82.

60-63 on the at pro for a 1/2 reale sounds kinda low I found 2 (1779 & 1817)with mine and they both came in at 78-79. With that strange bubbling I wonder if it could be a counterfeit or maybe something in the ground changed it.

 

[Greylock]

I just double checked it. It was 69 70 Hit 71 once. There could t be a few reasons it was so low. I was in a pretty trashy area near the cellar hole with many broken signals. I picked this out fine but there was a few other signals in the same hole. Also could have been on its side or depth along with the trash. I also thought it was low for silver but all of the 3 cent silvers I have found ring in mid 60's.

 

[Bill D. (VA)]

Congrats on your first spanish silver. That stippled look is interesting, but I still believe your coin is authentic. Usually fakes were made from pewter which read much lower. Yours had to be exposed to heat at some point.

 

[vpnavy]

Great finds Greylock! Thanks for sharing...

 

[462]

I just double checked it. It was 69 70 Hit 71 once. There could t be a few reasons it was so low. I was in a pretty trashy area near the cellar hole with many broken signals. I picked this out fine but there was a few other signals in the same hole. Also could have been on its side or depth along with the trash. I also thought it was low for silver but all of the 3 cent silvers I have found ring in mid 60's.

I guess there are a lot of different factors the could cause similar coins to give different signals. Congratulations on your first Spanish silver.

 

[Rick (Nova Scotia)]

I just double checked it. It was 69 70 Hit 71 once. There could t be a few reasons it was so low. I was in a pretty trashy area near the cellar hole with many broken signals. I picked this out fine but there was a few other signals in the same hole. Also could have been on its side or depth along with the trash. I also thought it was low for silver but all of the 3 cent silvers I have found ring in mid 60's.

I once bought a CTF coin, the weight was right...the only thing besides my guy instinct was the detector reading to help me, now that this coin is out of the hole why is it still reading low. The point being it is at least 10% low on ID #. I'm not saying it is or is not anything, but machines don't lie, add the fact it just looks odd, that's two facts that can't be ignored. Can it ?

Hey it is a cool find, but if I were a buyer...I would not be, my detector didn't let me down before, if I'd had taken an extra second to check I'd not been out hundreds of dollars, and I'd be a fool not to trust it for the next time. Because of detector readings I would bet strongly on CTF.


In fact I'll make it an official bet right now for any amount.

 

[Greylock]

I once bought a CTF coin, the weight was right...the only thing besides my guy instinct was the detector reading to help me, now that this coin is out of the hole why is it still reading low. The point being it is at least 10% low on ID #. I'm not saying it is or is not anything, but machines don't lie, add the fact it just looks odd, that's two facts that can't be ignored. Can it ?

Hey it is a cool find, but if I were a buyer...I would not be, my detector didn't let me down before, if I'd had taken an extra second to check I'd not been out hundreds of dollars, and I'd be a fool not to trust it for the next time. Because of detector readings I would bet strongly on CTF.

In fact I'll make it an official bet right now for any amount.

I really can't say either way. How would I go about finding out? If you look through some of my posts from last year I found a New Jersey copper that I was sure of being a ctf because it rang up low 60's 63to 65. it was odd because I don't see them come out of the ground like that and the weight was off I think 7 grams and it looked cast. It ended up probably being and the end of a run low on silver and needed a filler. How soft are these silvers? It had a little bend in it so I figured I would try and bend it back and was amazed and how soft it actually was.

 

[worldtalker]

Cool digs dude,I like that Dandy and buckle,I believe I found the same ones,now I have to find them in my MANY boxes of stuff!!

GOD Bless

Chris

 

[Greylock]

Cool digs dude,I like that Dandy and buckle,I believe I found the same ones,now I have to find them in my MANY boxes of stuff!!

GOD Bless

Chris

Thanks. That seems to be a popular design around here. I've found several from a few different sites.

 

[hogge]

Nice finds Tom! You'll have to call me this week. Later in the week would be better. I may have a day to get out with another guy too. You may have met him before in Northampton. I also have your #. Congrats on the coin. Todd