Last day at the jobsite.....1907 Indian.....Better pics.

[NOLA_Ken]

Well we just wrapped up the job at the house where I found the 100$ in the chimney. Last step was taking out the old servants stairway in the back. I got started with the newel post on the bottom, took a good bit of prying since those old square nails don't give up without a fight, AND my friend wanted to save the stairs intact for his house. Well after about 5 minutes carefully prying it loose it finally popped, and laying in a neat square of dust where the inside of the hollow post had been, I spied a coin. When I picked it up, I couldn't believe it, a 1907 Indian. It was lying face up, and the face has some oxidation, but all the detail is as crisp as new, the back still has original shine on it. It left a neat circle in the dust where it had been.......I have to imagine the carpenter put it there, since there is no possible way it slipped in under the trim. This coin could be a year old looking at it.



These pics don't do it any justice at all, I really need to invest in a new scanner. Thanks for looking and happy hunting to all!

 

[N.J.THer]

Re: Last day at the jobsite.....1907 Indian.....

I also found a 1907 IH today but not nearly as nice...congrats.

NJ

 

[staydetuned]

Re: Last day at the jobsite.....1907 Indian.....

Man, that is just too cool. A lot more intriguing imagining coins like this lost or hidden in houses, untouched (especially by the elements) since the day they were left. Even though the scan is a bit blurry, you can tell that is a beautiful coin - again, so much more interesting than dug coins, in my opinion. Now I wish I could see a crisp shot!

 

[NOLA_Ken]

Re: Last day at the jobsite.....1907 Indian.....

I'm working on a better pic, as soon as my girlfriend gets home I'm going to try her camera. I dunked it in peroxide a few times, and it looks even better now.

I've been working as a carpenter for 25 years now, and every house I've built, for the last I don't know how many years, has a brand new penny (or whatever coin I had in my pocket) from that year inside the framing somewhere where it will be found eventually, and a note in a beer bottle with the names of everyone on my crew who worked on the house. I started doing that after I started remodeling and finding similar time capsules in the walls. Finding a little trinket left by the original carpenter really brings me close to those old timers who were doing what I am now, so long ago. I decided that I would always be sure to add my name to the story for the next guy to find one day. So yeah, coins or relics that were deliberately hidden, like I imagine this coin was are kind of special to me. I know that I'm the first person to see it since the original carpenter hid it there, and being a carpenter myself makes it that much more special to me.

On another note, I found an envelope of photos postmarked 1940 behind a mantle in the same house. My girlfriend is trying to track down the lady they were addressed to or any descendants in hopes of returning them one day. More on that as the story unfolds (and I replace my scanner to share copies of them)

 

[GaRebel1861]

Re: Last day at the jobsite.....1907 Indian.....

That is a good story. Thanks for sharing it.

 

[staydetuned]

Re: Last day at the jobsite.....1907 Indian.....

Ken, that's awesome. I think that kind of encapsulates why we all do this - a sort of communication through time, and one that goes both ways in this case. I know I've left my name and a date inside a wall I re-drywalled... How many coins/items do you think you've found over the years? I still love the image of that penny leaving a nice clean circle in the dust. Awesome!

 

[NOLA_Ken]

Re: Last day at the jobsite.....1907 Indian.....

staydetuned, I couldn't begin to count, they range from the accidental beer can to the deliberate coin, or note in the wall, if I had to guess I'd say at least 200 times. The ones that I think the most of though, are the coins, and the signatures that I find. It was someones way of saying to the future "I was here......I built this" I think that's why I try to keep that tradition alive, maybe in a hundred years someone like me will say my name out loud in a house I worked on. I guess I like the idea of being a part of future history.

 

[Tuberale]

Re: Last day at the jobsite.....1907 Indian.....

I understood around the turn-of-the century, it was customary to use an uncirculated coin as sort of a house benediction. I bet your coin is in that condition, but photos too blurry for me to tell for sure.

 

[kevkirki]

Re: Last day at the jobsite.....1907 Indian.....

nice Indian!!! cool post

 

[ggossage]

Re: Last day at the jobsite.....1907 Indian.....

What was the highest denomination coin you've found that you feel was intentionally left behind? Were they all American? What was the oldest?

I envy your opportunities and applaud your nostalgia-motivated efforts to leave your own time capsule behind--well done!

 

[NOLA_Ken]

Re: Last day at the jobsite.....1907 Indian.....

ggossage, I think the oldest is around 1880, and the highest denomination has been a dime, 1906 if I remember right. Yes they've all been American coins. I usually find them inside door casings or window frames in the area where the weights are.

 

[N.J.THer]

Re: Last day at the jobsite.....1907 Indian.....

Ken,
As follow up to your last post on this thread do you have any other suggestions on places to look.

I was just given the green light to search a large home that was built in the 1880s. The house has not been taken care of and there are problems with everything...the biggest being the foundation. So the developer was just approved to knock it down. I hate to see homes like this get destroyed but it is beyond repair.

I already detected the property with a few small successes but not what I thought would be there...may have been detected before.

Any additional suggestions would be appreciated.
NJ

 

[NOLA_Ken]

Re: Last day at the jobsite.....1907 Indian.....

Behind the mantles is a great place for things to get trapped, and if the house has one of the old gas heaters mounted in the floor, they are known to trap a lot of goodies. Between shelves and the wall is another. If there's an attic check for loose floorboards, and look on the other side of the bathroom wall from where the tub faucets are, there may be a service hatch there.

I find things when I'm gutting the interior of these houses, so it's a pretty labor intensive process that isn't guaranteed to turn up anything other than a mess. So, good luck there's always a chance something will turn up.

 

[Nate in Ohio]

Re: Last day at the jobsite.....1907 Indian.....

Wow, neat story. I think I can still see some of the luster on the back. If he intentionally layed it there, I bet it was in 1907, to indicate the date that he was there.

 

[NOLA_Ken]

Re: Last day at the jobsite.....1907 Indian.....

I got a couple better pics for those who asked. Still can't get a good clear one of the face, but this one's pretty good.

 

[Cal_Cobra]

Great story and a beautiful coin

What's the best thing you've found in a home?

HH,
Brian

 

[HISPAN]

Nice coin ....thanks for sharing !
H

 

[eckstar]

Re: Last day at the jobsite.....1907 Indian.....

Ken,
As follow up to your last post on this thread do you have any other suggestions on places to look.

I was just given the green light to search a large home that was built in the 1880s. The house has not been taken care of and there are problems with everything...the biggest being the foundation. So the developer was just approved to knock it down. I hate to see homes like this get destroyed but it is beyond repair.

I already detected the property with a few small successes but not what I thought would be there...may have been detected before.

Any additional suggestions would be appreciated.
NJ

NJ-The best places to look, especially for caches, are above doors, inside the chimney (behind loose or replaced bricks}, under attic floorboards, and in old "root cellers", wghich usually had dirt floors. When demolishing a house, these are always the first places I look. For Single coins/items of jewelry, behind baseboards and inside ductwork is best.

 

[N.J.THer]

Re: Last day at the jobsite.....1907 Indian.....

Ken,
As follow up to your last post on this thread do you have any other suggestions on places to look.

I was just given the green light to search a large home that was built in the 1880s. The house has not been taken care of and there are problems with everything...the biggest being the foundation. So the developer was just approved to knock it down. I hate to see homes like this get destroyed but it is beyond repair.

I already detected the property with a few small successes but not what I thought would be there...may have been detected before.

Any additional suggestions would be appreciated.
NJ

NJ-The best places to look, especially for caches, are above doors, inside the chimney (behind loose or replaced bricks}, under attic floorboards, and in old "root cellers", wghich usually had dirt floors. When demolishing a house, these are always the first places I look. For Single coins/items of jewelry, behind baseboards and inside ductwork is best.

Thanks for the additional ideas. I'll post a separate thread after I search the place. I have 35 days before it is scheduled for demolition.

 

[NOLA_Ken]

Great story and a beautiful coin

What's the best thing you've found in a home?

HH,
Brian

Brian, It's hard to say really, I mean how do you define "best" in this case? I've had a coin collection come raining out of the ceiling at me: http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,379197.msg2694041.html#msg2694041

I've found single coins, old cans and bottles, antique guns and knives, photos.....etc......

I'd have to say my favorite was an old Webley .45 Automatic Revolver. It was really neat, I wish I still had it, but medical bills took precedence over neat stuff at one point. The most valuable coin was probably the gold dollar in my avatar pic.