I glimpsed Britannia, then she was gone - help!!

[lenmac65]

Today I hunted an inactive farm field located in close proximity to an occupied colonial home. It was a very soggy hunt, and I was coming up with mostly unidentifiable metal scraps. I was down to my last half hour and was no longer even gridding when I got a nice high-pitched coin sound. It read a steady 82 on my AT Pro, which is a little too high for a modern penny, and a little too low for a silver dime or quarter. The controls showed it was 8 inches down, but it still sounded strong, maybe on account of the wet soil. I pinpointed, dug, and recovered the coin. I was absolutely thrilled, as I knew it was likely colonial since it was too big to be a modern penny, but too small to be a large cent. I put it in my pouch, finished my hunt, and went home. After letting it dry for a half hour, I took a peek at it and saw a faint image of Lady Britannia. I could hardly control the urge to start cleaning the dirt off, but thought I should let it dry first. After a couple hours, I took a toothpick and gently started to scrape the dirt off. Much to my horror and utter disappointment, the patina just flaked right off. This is my fourth colonial coin from this field, only one of which had anything left on it (a very nice 1723 Woods Halfpenny). I am really heartbroken over this one, as I definitely saw Britannia on it initially. Anyone have any tips for cleaning the dirt off these coppers and retaining the strike? Should I be scraping the coin while it’s still damp instead of letting it dry? Any helpful tips would be most appreciated. Thanks for checking this out. Happy hunting.

 

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[toasted]

its a crapshoot when digging old coppers in a farm field. Im just happy to get an id on mine. Ive got over 100 British coppers and large cents and none of the few nice ones I have came from a farm field. Good news is your hunting in the right area for old silver

 

[DigginNorthernVa]

Have you tried shining a flashlight from the side at the same level the coin is? Sometimes it will bring out faint details. Another trick is to rub your forehead with your finger and then wipe lightly over the coin. The oils will touch the high points and bring out a little definition. Nice find!

 

[tomhighland]

You did everything right. Farm fields can produce awesome finds, but there is often going to be increased degradation due to decades of fertilization. You just have to accept it as an example of the highs and lows of the hobby.

 

[Digger RJ]

Nice!!! Congrats!!!

 

[Whyme]

I've had that happen to a couple of Buffalo nicks. Right out of the hole I can see a faint date outline but as soon as I touch it...... gone. Nice copper find though! Congrats! Try the flashlight trick mentioned above.

 

[Professor of Engineering]

Congrats on the old copper!

 

[Inspector]

Nice hunt, hope you will able to make an ID. congratulations on the save
I always let the coppers dry for a few hours before I attempt to identify them, and only use a toothpick and skin oil. 95% of my coppers are from active farm fields and I have been able to date 65/70% of them. GL&HH

 

[Ed (Upstate NY)]

I feel your pain.

The last 2 King George II coppers I dug did the same. Clearly identifiable out of the hole but then after trying a very light cleaning, all detail was lost !

 

[lenmac65]

its a crapshoot when digging old coppers in a farm field. Im just happy to get an id on mine. Ive got over 100 British coppers and large cents and none of the few nice ones I have came from a farm field. Good news is your hunting in the right area for old silver

I only have four colonial coppers. Based on what you are saying, I guess I should be happy that I at least got one really nice one from the field. I sure hope you are right about the silver .. I would love to find a Spanish piece.

Have you tried shining a flashlight from the side at the same level the coin is? Sometimes it will bring out faint details. Another trick is to rub your forehead with your finger and then wipe lightly over the coin. The oils will touch the high points and bring out a little definition. Nice find!

I have not had luck with the flashlight. Maybe a USB Scope would help. I will try the skin oil trick though, as I have nothing to lose. At least I know it was British, even if I never find out the type and age.

You did everything right. Farm fields can produce awesome finds, but there is often going to be increased degradation due to decades of fertilization. You just have to accept it as an example of the highs and lows of the hobby.

Thanks for the affirmation. I thought I was doing things generally OK, but I was not sure.

I've had that happen to a couple of Buffalo nicks. Right out of the hole I can see a faint date outline but as soon as I touch it...... gone. Nice copper find though! Congrats! Try the flashlight trick mentioned above.

Sorry about the Buffalo coins. I certainly understand your frustration.

Nice hunt, hope you will able to make an ID. congratulations on the save
I always let the coppers dry for a few hours before I attempt to identify them, and only use a toothpick and skin oil. 95% of my coppers are from active farm fields and I have been able to date 65/70% of them. GL&HH

I sure wish I had that percentage, as I am at only 25%. I started detecting this past August, and this is the only site I have lined up with colonial potential, so I hate even losing one. Thus far I have found four colonial coins, only one of which has nice detail. Oh well .. going to keep trying.

The last 2 King George II coppers I dug did the same. Clearly identifiable out of the hole but then after trying a very light cleaning, all detail was lost !

That should make me feel a little better, as misery loves company. However, it really stinks that we both lost out on some nice coins. Good luck with your next find.

 

[xcopperstax]

unfortunately I've had this happen multiple times with coppers. One thing you can do is pack it in the dirt it was sitting in. That will keep it from drying before you get home. Once you take it out of the dirt is when it get's dicey. I have not found enough coppers to have a perfect method of cleaning. Sometimes brushing the coin with a stiff plastic brush and then tooth picking with a wooden or bamboo pick will reveal a nice coin. Other times as you flake off the patina / crud all detail goes with it. You can let a coin sit in peroxide for a couple days which will gently remove some dirt but from experience on a delicate coin not all of it. The thing that is so tough is that there are quite a few methods and you never know until you try if it will help or ruin the coin. The key is to find as many coppers as possible so you can experiment and figure it all out. I just got these "andre's pencils" for cleaning coins but you need to know that they can also totally destroy the coin. Haven't tried them yet. Good luck!

 

[The Rebel]

WTG on the copper. As others have said it can be a crap shoot for field finds due to the fertilizer. The woods can be the same way based on how dry / wet the area is.

 

[BLK HOLE]

Same thing has happened to me, it hurts!

 

[john845]

I find the best way to clean a copper that looks like its going to loss detail is too just rub them on my jeans right out of the ground. This will leave some dirt on it and help the design pop out. If it looks like there is a nice patina I don't rub them and use a tooth pick later.

 

[Kona Koma]

Still a nice find.

 

[lenmac65]

Have you tried shining a flashlight from the side at the same level the coin is? Sometimes it will bring out faint details. Another trick is to rub your forehead with your finger and then wipe lightly over the coin. The oils will touch the high points and bring out a little definition. Nice find!

Thanks for the tip. I tried the skin oil and got just enough definition where I think I can ID the coin. I am guessing a Charles II Farthing based on the size, the left facing profile, and the close proximity of Lady Britannia's head to the rim. I also think I see a A and an O. Might post it on the What is it forum. Thanks again.

 

[lenmac65]

....... Good news is your hunting in the right area for old silver

You were right. I went back on Sunday and found a Liberty Seated coin about a 100 yards from this find. Still hoping for my first colonial silver!

 

[DigginNorthernVa]

Nice going. Hopefully someone can help with an id.