I cannot believe it, got home and...... another one! Gold Tremissis !

[woody50]

Yesterday I went back to the area where I found the Tremissis from Dorestad. I was planning on searching the field next to it if the corn was off. Turning off a main road onto a very small village road I saw my farmer, he was seeding another field with grass seed. He stopped and I got out and went to him, giving him a sack with a couple cabbages (they are really great) that I received from yet another farmer, he gave me a sack with about 30 of them, and it almost broke my back getting them into the car.

Well anyway, asked him who owned the land next to the Tremissis field and he told me, Oh Yea I know him, I searched another field further up the road back in the spring which he owned (found nothing but bad old copper coins). So turned around and went back a few miles to his farm, he was not home and I could not find him, so was writing him a note when he appeared. No problem about searching, so I drove back to the field. I forgot my camera again, but going back tomorrow and will add a couple. So started searching yesterday and although I found a few coins but not much more until I got a beep and out popped a neat silver button, an old one.

So today decided to return, if a neat silver button is there I should find more. And I did, a few copper coins and other stuff. While digging that stuff out I found a small coin, I thought it was a silver 10 cent piece from the 20th century, they were tiny. So put it in a separate bag and when I got home dumped everything in the water, and opened up the bag to clean the coin. I was shocked, ANOTHER Tremissis!! Amazed at this I called my wife to look (I think I thought I was seeing things!) and she agreed. ANOTHER...

So took some photos, which I will share with you. I have not cleaned the coin, and I don't think I will. Maybe have it professionally cleaned, its just too valuable. I have seen some of the prices for these coins and they are high, and I don't want to mess the coin up, although you cannot mess up gold very easy.

This was an unique experience, I don't think I will ever be able to do this again, just finding one is a find of your life, but two.... (PS: I only have one life).

 

[CRUSADER]

What more can one add. It was a great story, almost unbelievable, as 1 is any serious European searchers top dream coin, 2 is

SS, said it all.

Hispan knows where it's at, plus others...

In fact we all should, becuase it should be up there, as you would need to find a gold 8 escudos coin from the 17th Century on land to come anywhere close to this, even then, this would win. Pretty sure that would be up there like the other gold sea found one in an instant before votes & before 10 posts.

PS. For those that don't know the finder is from the USA

 

[CRUSADER]

Absolutely astounding find/finds congrats thats a chance of a lifetime. Beautiful coin ......Banner all the way.

Welcome to Tnet

You have great taste

 

[RPG]

Wow WOODY, I missed your first post but after reading, I'd say you've done the impossible.

I'm a little confused. On the original post i only saw 3, maybe 4 confirmed banner votes. I would think something as rare as a gold tremissis would get more.

I'm adding my vote now. Would love to see this, among others, up there.

 

[RPG]

Congrats on the Banner.

 

[nhagan]

all i can say is wow! stunning!
neil

 

[steelheadwill]

I Missed this one
Congratulations on these stunning coins !
Banner & Best of Tnet without a doubt
I'll bet you are out now looking for the rest of them

 

[HISPAN]

What more can one add. It was a great story, almost unbelievable, as 1 is any serious European searchers top dream coin, 2 is

SS, said it all.

Hispan knows where it's at, plus others...

In fact we all should, becuase it should be up there, as you would need to find a gold 8 escudos coin from the 17th Century on land to come anywhere close to this, even then, this would win. Pretty sure that would be up there like the other gold sea found one in an instant before votes & before 10 posts.

PS. For those that don't know the finder is from the USA

yes, the hunter born in USA, but is a citizen of the world like me ....
Two tremissis in the same area is treasure or bag , found only ten similar coins ,WOODY this could stop working for some years.
CONGRATULATIONS FOR THE BANNER!

 

[kane23]

Woody,
Way to go! Maybe there is a hoard near bye? How was your trip to California? Kane23

 

[romeo-1]

Outstanding!!!

 

[jewelerguy]

wow that's sweet

 

[Stewmac]

Absolutely astounding find/finds congrats thats a chance of a lifetime. Beautiful coin ......Banner all the way.

Welcome to Tnet

You have great taste

Thanks Cru been watching quietly for a year or so your finds are amazing too mate hope i can get some of your (was going to say luck but its not) experiences in the future. Cheers again mate

 

[Silver Searcher]

Absolutely astounding find/finds congrats thats a chance of a lifetime. Beautiful coin ......Banner all the way.

Welcome to Tnet

You have great taste

Thanks Cru been watching quietly for a year or so your finds are amazing too mate hope i can get some of your (was going to say luck but its not) experiences in the future. Cheers again mate

Bit further North from me...Welcome

SS

 

[CRUSADER]

Absolutely astounding find/finds congrats thats a chance of a lifetime. Beautiful coin ......Banner all the way.

Welcome to Tnet

You have great taste

Thanks Cru been watching quietly for a year or so your finds are amazing too mate hope i can get some of your (was going to say luck but its not) experiences in the future. Cheers again mate

Bit further North from me...Welcome

SS

Yes, some Scottish hammered from the homeland would look great on here. Keep looking, time spent is never wasted

 

[birdman]

Very well deserved banner find! Man I need to move across the pond..

 

[tomjiggy]

Silver Searcher, take a 2nd look at those 2 coins. The 1st one does NOT have a beard!! It would stand out, and that coin is only slightly stained. So, that makes it an unlisted variety?

 

[woody50]

Hello ALL, there are so many messages yet to be read and answered, was gone searching for the past days, sorry. Yes, searching, looking for the 3rd (however, disaster, no new one!) (Yet?).

This is great to see that our site is soooooo active.

Thank you all very much for your vote for the BANNER, my first....I appreciate it!

I will answer your comments soon.....

 

[Bavaria Mike]

Great story and a big congrats! I can't help but wonder why two are together and thought maybe a votive offering or possibly a burial that we wouldn't know about on a plowed field. Weren't they still in the practice of placing coins over the eyes of the dead in the 600s? HH, Mike

 

[woody50]

Silver Searcher, take a 2nd look at those 2 coins. The 1st one does NOT have a beard!! It would stand out, and that coin is only slightly stained. So, that makes it an unlisted variety?

Hello Tomjiggy....
Will answer your comment first, and with a better (newer) photo. The top tremissis in my post (or the top one on the photo) is really the second. The beard that you mention is not his beard, it is the hair on top of his head! Most of the coins I have seen have pretty straight and deeply cut hairs, this one has very light ones. I agree that in the photo you cannot see the hairs good at all, that is because they appear to be lightly cut into the mold and the photos that I made do not show them clearly. One reason is that I just have not had the time to build a good box with good lighting, and cannot yet make the photos that I want to make. But I have made a new photo with different lighting, which should show the lines.

So it is hair, not beard that you see. I have added three photos to this comment of other tremissis, then you can see how the face looks. Of course there have been serveral coin makers, so the faces are differerent on different coins. The face, or the way its drawn, can be compared to the Celtic gold and silver coins, where the joints (legs, tail, head....) are dislocated. Here is not so extensive as in the Celtic coins, but still. Just look at the photos and you will see.

Also the new photo of my coin shows (I hope) the light threads of hair. They are thinner than I have seen on other coins.

THE first photo shows my coin in a different light, the next three show other designs...

 

[woody50]

Great story and a big congrats! I can't help but wonder why two are together and thought maybe a votive offering or possibly a burial that we wouldn't know about on a plowed field. Weren't they still in the practice of placing coins over the eyes of the dead in the 600s? HH, Mike

Hi Mike.... Well to answer your question, I don't know. It was just too long ago and there is no recorded history for back then. The coins were found about 200-300 meters apart on different fields, that is one reason I was SO surprized, did not look at the coin very close (well I also do not take my reading glasses with me, so could not see clearly either) until later. Like I mentioned I though it was an old silver duppie (dime) from Holland. They are quite small also. Thinking about that, well the dimes are still larger. Ah.... was not thinking about another old coin I guess.

My searching, well I like the search better than what I find I guess. Normally I only look at my finds at home after they are washed. Holland is a muddy wet land, and I just don't really take the time to clean stuff in the field, gloves get wetter and don't want to damage anything.

 

[CRUSADER]

I love this period, so comical really. The faces look more cartoon type, they are trying to copy the Roman heads but lacked the skill that the Roman's had in getting an almost portrait quality face. Technology/skills took a dive for hundreds of years, very interesting really Even in the later Medieval period things were still fairly crude, & has a charm of its own