I just captured the Chief of the Indians...1909 S IHC WOW!!

[The Urban Prospector]

So I couldn't take it anymore and decided to brave the cold and the rain. Grabbed the chest waders, shoulder length gloves, AT Pro, the Stealth 720i and headed out to an old logging camp swim area. If you read my threads, this is the same area that has given up some very nice and very old (for my area) items such as the HK 10k signet ring, the old large sterling crucifix, various wheats, old tax tokens, etc. Well when I dug this penny it made my day and my hunt. I had no idea that it is the rarest of all the Indians until I got home and looked it up. Just over 300,000 were minted...HOLY SMOKES! I could not believe it. This is only the second IHC I have ever found since starting metal detecting 2 years ago. Along with this amazing coin I managed to also find a small sterling heart and chain, some old brass buckles and some bullets before the cold got to me and I had to head out. About 3 hours hunting. Not pictured is the clad and trash.

FYI, the IHC was about 8" under the sand sitting right on top of the clay layer in about 4' of water. I have not cleaned it. I am unsure what the silver colored material is on it.

Take care and happy hunting!

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

A History of Mining on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska - Grab it through Amazon!

[trapperart]

Congrats on the 500.00 injun and other nice finds

 

[rainorshine]

Sweet find! Ive been wanting a key date of any coin and you got one on your second indian ever. Jealous!

 

[Ahab8]

That's a great coin find. Confrats

 

[toasted]

Awesome find. I found a 1909 plain ihp once and never see them posted. Didnt think Iwould ever se a 1909S

 

[port ewen ace]

she has a really nice S

 

[villagenut]

Congrats, I remember someone else posting one about a year ago and they didn't have a clue there was a mint mark on it. A lot of folks would simply overlook this 1909 as having the possibility. Glad you turned it over and looked

 

[against the wind]

"S" is for Sweet.
Congratulations

 

[romeo-1]

Congrats!

 

[btjbtj]

Marvelous finds! Congrats. -Lisa & John

 

[texjim]

Awesome job..

 

[detectahead]

That's a fantastic find! Good chance for banner on that one! Big congrats!

 

[BIENER]

Nice find��

 

[Dave N Japan]

 

[deershed]

Sweet!! Never saw an Indian with a mint mark.

 

[MrBlueSkyNM]

Amazing find! Congratulations on such a rare coin. Thanks for sharing!

 

[rhedden]

First off, great dig! But you also "dug up" a bad memory I'd like to forget. Back in 1999, I too dug up a 1909-S Indian cent (in upstate NY). The only problem was that the back of the coin was covered with a thick, green-black layer of oxidation. It was much more corroded than the typical Indian cent I dug around there. The mint mark was plainly there in exactly the right spot, but it had an awfully thick layer of grime covering it. I had cleaned thick gunk off many Indian cents with the tip of a pocket knife and had great success, so I set to work on this one. Too bad that the entire "S" mint mark flaked off with the first scrape of the knife, and it went right down the drain of the kitchen sink!

I could not believe my misfortune. The local detectorists spent the next few weeks in the coin shop debating whether it was just so corroded that the mint mark was no longer made of metal, or if it was actually a fake one with an added mint mark, which had somehow been lost out in the woods. Either way, it turned into a "big one that got away" story. Ironically, I am recalling this horror story from a hotel room in San Francisco as we speak. I'm sure there's a 1909-S Indian buried under this hotel, and it's probably laughing at me.

 

[JeffInMass]

A true rarity- Huge Congrats!!

-- Jeff --

 

[digger460]

If your gonna find um, that's the way to find um! Congrats on the "S"weet IHC

 

[SD51]

SUPER find Congrats!