Lead imprint of Large Cent - why?

[brianc053]

Hi everyone. Today I went detecting (even though it's 26 degrees and the ground is frozen) at an old farm I've written about before.
I got a VDI 13-15 on the Equinox and figured I would pull out a button, but instead this item came out of the (frozen) ground. (I literals had to chip it out of the icy mud, which is why there is a shovel knick mark on the item - ouch).
I cleaned it off at home, still thinking I had a button, but - there are letters on one side.
And they say "ONE CENT" - but mirror imaged and impressed (not raised).

I'm pretty sure someone pressed a large cent into lead, and this is the lead. But - why would someone do that? Any guesses?

The back side is pretty unremarkable; I don't see any writing though there are those "stripes" on it.

If anyone can shed any light on this item I'd appreciate it. Thanks!

- Brian





Backside:

 

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[Calabash Digger]

cool find!

 

[pepperj]

That's a neat recovery, congrats.
Wonder if someone was attempting to make a lead token of some sorts.

 

[Gene Mean]

Cool find, congrats! That is well preserved from being pressed into the lead. Beautiful looking for a NJ copper.

 

[releventchair]

It's a stretch of the imagination , but using lead as a buffer would allow seating a tight cent as an inlay.
Or . someone could have just been playing with lead pre-silly putty era!

 

[brianc053]

Cool find, congrats! That is well preserved from being pressed into the lead. Beautiful looking for a NJ copper.

I'm sorry Gene Mean, I should have been more clear: I included the picture of the actual Large Cent for scale and to show how the image in the lead was mirrored. I only found the lead today, not the coin.
- Brian

 

[Gene Mean]

I'm sorry Gene Mean, I should have been more clear: I included the picture of the actual Large Cent for scale and to show how the image in the lead was mirrored. I only found the lead today, not the coin.
- Brian

You were pretty clear, it's me.

 

[CRUSADER]

Seen this a few times before, so something a few people did, for some reason, that I can't guess.

 

[jewelerguy]

the 'stripes' look as if it were hammered or melted and poured on wood. My guess is that someone was either trying to make poker chips or possibly experimenting ways to counterfeit

 

[Digger RJ]

Nice!!! Congrats!!!

 

[Erik in NJ]

Hi Brian! Great find! Tell me more about it when we speak. Like JewelerGuy said or it was done just for fun as RelevantChair said....my money is on the latter as it would make a crappy poker chip and counterfeiting device, but it's a *really* nice piece of history and displays well too!

 

[l.cutler]

No way to say for sure why. Might have just been a kid fooling around, I know I made "coins" that way when I was a kid.

 

[HCW]

I have found a couple wizzers with the imprint of a large cent on them made of lead.
one has two holes in it and the other has the edge cut like a saw blade .
So I would assume it was intended as a toy.

 

[Richard Guy]

Could be that it was a 'test' for possible counterfeiting of larger denominations

 

[Tony in SC]

Good find!! We made lead coins like that when we were kids playing around in my Dad's shop.

 

[brianc053]

Thanks for all the feedback everyone! It's definitely different!

 

[Hunk-a-lead]

unique find, thanks for posting

 

[fistfulladirt]

That is cool. I dug a round lead imprint of a V nickel on the site where an old traveling circus used to visit.

 

[brianc053]

That is cool. I dug a round lead imprint of a V nickel on the site where an old traveling circus used to visit.

Any pictures you can share?

To all: does anyone have suggestions on how to clean the corrosion off this lead imprint?
I tried about 4 hours of vinegar on only the “back” (striped side) but it did nothing.
(How? I elevated the imprint on two small pieces of cork in a glass bowl and then filled the bowl so that only the back touched the vinegar. I did this just in case it would hurt the image, but it didn’t do anything).

 

[HCW]

Try heating a little hydrogen peroxide up for about 40 seconds in the microwave and leave the item in there for minute. If that doesn't work add a pinch of baking soda.