Its copper, but is it a Copper?

halfdime · Mar 20, 2011

It's copper, but is it a Copper?

A beautiful sunny day in Western PA, perfect for being in the woods at a 19th century homesite. First signal of the day, and the only good one, was this rather large copper disk. It's about the size of a half dollar, and pretty thin; there are tell-tale green spots, indicating copper, and I'm looking very closely for any identifying marks but so far I don't see any. I'm no Coppa expert, by any stretch; I have one Colonial copper to my credit and a handful of large cents. This has a diameter of 1 3/8 inches, if that helps. If it's not a Copper, given the age of the place, I can't imagine what else it might be (unless token). Thanks for looking and any input you might be able to provide.

tymcmurray · Mar 20, 2011

Re: It's copper, but is it a Copper?

Loos about the right size. I'd calll it a large copper for sure.
congratulations.

Charlene · Mar 20, 2011

Re: It's copper, but is it a Copper?

Looks about the right size, what's the weight?

halfdime · Mar 20, 2011

Re: It's copper, but is it a Copper?

Charlene said:
Looks about the right size, what's the weight?

I don't have the means to weigh it.

halfdime · Mar 20, 2011

Re: It's copper, but is it a Copper?

I remeasured in metric; it looks to be 3.5 cm, or 35mm. Nothing I found listed is that size. There were some 32-33, but nothing as big as what I have here.

Steve in PA · Mar 20, 2011

Re: It's copper, but is it a Copper?

Maybe a large button, look closely for where the shank was attached. Sometimes they break off without leaving much of a mark.

Nana40 · Mar 20, 2011

Re: It's copper, but is it a Copper?

I know nothing of LC's and such. :P

But...I have found flat buttons that I could have swore could'a been a coin. Sometimes it's very difficult to tell where the shank was attached on them. Have you tried the peroxide cleaning thing to see if you can get more detail to show?

Nana

halfdime · Mar 21, 2011

Re: It's copper, but is it a Copper?

Nana40 said:
I know nothing of LC's and such. :P But...I have found flat buttons that I could have swore could'a been a coin. Sometimes it's very difficult to tell where the shank was attached on them. Have you tried the peroxide cleaning thing to see if you can get more detail to show?

Nana

Nana, I'm starting to think button, too, but what kind? The type used to hold a coat together or a campaign button? There does appear to be man-made design on at least one side, and a spot in the middle where a shank may have been attached. Thanks for the advice!

liftloop · Mar 21, 2011

Re: It's copper, but is it a Copper?

:thumbsup:

steelheadwill · Mar 21, 2011

Re: It's copper, but is it a Copper?

Nice Slab :thumbsup:

I believe I see a shankmark in your first photo.
Congrats on a Large Dandy :hello2:

The designs on the faces are usually only lightly etched.

KYshooter · Mar 21, 2011

Re: It's copper, but is it a Copper?

I think it's a button ... looks like a shank mark in picture # 1. I found one a couple of months ago that was EXACTLY the same size as a half-cent. But, try as I might, it was only a really thick flat button.

Still cool, though. I love flat buttons.