Is this a good one?

fyrffytr1 · Dec 14, 2013

Three of us hit a site today that has given up several coins from the early 1800s but that wasn't the case this hunt. I was fortunate to find a barely discernible shield nickle at one field. But, the first field we hit gave me a first. I started off by digging a 69 cal. round ball and then about 30' away I got a high 80s signal on my DFX that broke up a little and I almost passed it up as trash. I'm glad I dug it because it turned out to be my oldest coin. It's a 1775 or 6 Georgius III Rex. It has a harp on the back with the word Hibernia around the edge.There is an old scratch through the last digit and it looks like a 5 in some of the pictures but, when I look at t through my magnifier it looks more like a 6. The bottom loop appears to be closed. What can Y'all tell me about it. Here are some pics of it as I found it. I will post a second reply with more pics.
.

Iron Patch · Dec 15, 2013

But even if it's 1776 it doesn't mean it's rare or valuable, because most are not.

I dug a 1773 which you'd be very hard pressed to find another dug one posted anywhere, but these days even it might fall in the category of detecting bragging rights and not collector coin. That said, there doesn't seem to be too many out there so still a keeper no doubt.

As a general guideline the better counterfeits tend to be crude or have impossible dates (or both), or are mules. Anyone who follows them enough tends to get a sense of what the interesting ones are, and the more they look like a genuine issue, generally the less interesting they are. With so much internet selling we see how many interesting counterfeits there is, so it's a bit of a surprise we don't see more dug. Personally I have dug a few that are ok, but certainly nothing close to what I know exists.... but I guess that's why we keep digging!

The Rebel · Dec 15, 2013

That's one sweet find! If it could only talk.

Rick (Nova Scotia) · Dec 15, 2013

Bramblefind said:
Awesome find! In my opinion it is a 1775. But there are some 1776s out there. Rick is correct as well in a way --- the year 1776 does show up in some publications as a year of production but many collectors think this is in error and all Irish halfpennies dated 1776 are contemporary counterfeits and no regal issues were produced that year.

The 1776 dated coins are quite scarce and 1775s are much more common. But either one is a super find and yours is a beauty. Congrats!

And I am still open to it being a 1776 if you can get clear magnified photos of the 5/6 digit but right now I would say 1775.

"1776 does show up in some publications as a year of production but many collectors think this is in error"

Yes,
As it is NOT listed in Krause standard cat.

fyrffytr1 · Dec 15, 2013

Thanks for all the help with this coin. I don't care about value because I never sell anything I find. And, I have read that even if it is a 1776 they do not have a lot of value to begin with. A 75 is valued about $10.00 in very fine condition and mine is nowhere near very fine. I am just curious about history of the coin. I was told, on another website, that tens of thousands of these coins were made and the Irish people didn't like them so they sent a lot of them over here and we didn't like them either. As far as being counterfeit would it still be from the same time or would it be a more modern fake?
I have tried taking more photos but can't get one to show the date clearly. I will take the coin to a jeweler friend tomorrow and see what he says about the date. As far as being a 5 or 6 it doesn't really matter. As long as it is a 1700's coin I will be happy as it will be my first confirmed one from the 18th century.

Iron Patch · Dec 15, 2013

fyrffytr1 said:
Thanks for all the help with this coin. I don't care about value because I never sell anything I find. And, I have read that even if it is a 1776 they do not have a lot of value to begin with. A 75 is valued about $10.00 in very fine condition and mine is nowhere near very fine. I am just curious about history of the coin. I was told, on another website, that tens of thousands of these coins were made and the Irish people didn't like them so they sent a lot of them over here and we didn't like them either. As far as being counterfeit would it still be from the same time or would it be a more modern fake?
I have tried taking more photos but can't get one to show the date clearly. I will take the coin to a jeweler friend tomorrow and see what he says about the date. As far as being a 5 or 6 it doesn't really matter. As long as it is a 1700's coin I will be happy as it will be my first confirmed one from the 18th century.

Are you sure you're not thinking of the Woods Hibernia that they didn't like? Regardless, I think your coin is 1775, and it's either a genuine issue, or contemporary counterfeit, and either way was made in the 1700s in Great Britain.

As for value, you definitely can't group a Hibernia by date anymore than you would an early American silver coin with different varieties.

Here's a pretty decent one. $1,900 asking price.

Garbagebill · Dec 15, 2013

Congrats on an awesome find! You can't put a price on the feeling of diggin' that bad boy up! Good job. Why can't this be considered for a "Banner?" Are banners only items that are worth a lot of money? I'd vote banner just because of the age of the coin (counterfeit or not) again, congrats on a great find!

Iron Patch · Dec 16, 2013

Garbagebill said:
Congrats on an awesome find! You can't put a price on the feeling of diggin' that bad boy up! Good job. Why can't this be considered for a "Banner?" Are banners only items that are worth a lot of money? I'd vote banner just because of the age of the coin (counterfeit or not) again, congrats on a great find!

No, the money definitely doesn't matter because my cob worth maybe $40 made it. That being said, it's just your typical dug George copper and there's nothing that separates it from the ones we see posted week to week so you won't be seeing it on the banner.

fyrffytr1 · Dec 16, 2013

Iron Patch said:
Are you sure you're not thinking of the Woods Hibernia that they didn't like? Regardless, I think your coin is 1775, and it's either a genuine issue, or contemporary counterfeit, and either way was made in the 1700s in Great Britain.

As for value, you definitely can't group a Hibernia by date anymore than you would an early American silver coin with different varieties.

Here's a pretty decent one. $1,900 asking price.

IP,
It is interesting that you posted a picture of a 1776 coin when the general consensus here seems to be that they don't exist. With that being said I will say that my coin may be a common one in some areas but it is not common here. I have talked with some people that know what has been found in my area and without exception no one can remember anything older that the early 1800s being found.
I know that it is not banner worthy but it's a banner find in my book!

fyrffytr1 · Dec 18, 2013

Thanks for all the replies. I took the coin by a jeweler friend today and he said it is definitely a 1775. I am going back Saturday and hit a few more low spots in the grass weather permitting. It's only going to get into the mid 70s and there's a 10% chance of rain! I will try to tough it out for a few hours anyway!

rock · Dec 19, 2013

Good luck and I hope you find another good one for your collection.

Davers · Dec 19, 2013

Nice coins & a job well done .
From a fellow Georgian.
Davers

Iron Patch · Dec 24, 2013

fyrffytr1 said:
IP,
It is interesting that you posted a picture of a 1776 coin when the general consensus here seems to be that they don't exist. With that being said I will say that my coin may be a common one in some areas but it is not common here. I have talked with some people that know what has been found in my area and without exception no one can remember anything older that the early 1800s being found.
I know that it is not banner worthy but it's a banner find in my book!

Well the general consenus is wrong.

I purposely posted the one I did to show they exist and can have value, just depends on what they are. The example I posted is actually quite special, it's a mule... British George III obverse, and a 1776 Irish reverse. That particular coin sold at Stacks several years ago for about a grand, and it's no doubt the best known for the type. I have owned many 1776 Hibernia halfpennies including two of the mules, so I'm not just guessing about this. If people only follow what gets posted here there's a ton they won't know about because we very rarely ever see any of the better counterfeits posted.... and given the 1776 is relatively common that further proves my point. I don't know why we don't see more of the good stuff posted, but most times rare above ground probably also means rare in the ground too.

romeo-1 · Dec 24, 2013

Great discussion...great find!

fyrffytr1 · Dec 24, 2013

Iron Patch said:
Well the general consenus is wrong. I purposely posted the one I did to show they exist and can have value, just depends on what they are. The example I posted is actually quite special, it's a mule... British George III obverse, and a 1776 Irish reverse. That particular coin sold at Stacks several years ago for about a grand, and it's no doubt the best known for the type. I have owned many 1776 Hibernia halfpennies including two of the mules, so I'm not just guessing about this. If people only follow what gets posted here there's a ton they won't know about because we very rarely ever see any of the better counterfeits posted.... and given the 1776 is relatively common that further proves my point. I don't know why we don't see more of the good stuff posted, but most times rare above ground probably also means rare in the ground too.

IP,
Thank you for the information.