✅ SOLVED Modified SILVER COIN--Help ID!

[BuckleBoy]

Hello All,

My buddy dug this flattened silver item, and when we started looking at it closely--we could tell that it was once a coin. Can you help ID what type of coin it once was?




Thanks in advance,

Buck

 

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[fishstick]

What's making you think it was a coin buck? What can you read on it, I see a few letters but can't make out what they are? KOOL as heck whatever it is...

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

I think he's right. It has a couple of the six pointed stars and the reeding on the left hand side images as would a Barber series. Quarter or half-dollar. Can't tell the size from the images because there is nothing of "known" size for comparison.

 

[BuckleBoy]

I think he's right. It has a couple of the six pointed stars and the reeding on the left hand side images as would a Barber series. Quarter or half-dollar. Can't tell the size from the images because there is nothing of "known" size for comparison.

Hello Charlie,

It almost appears that there is a letter "E" on the other side from the star--so I thought that it might be from the word "DIME" or "HALF DIME," but I can't match up the style of the letter to a Seated coin.

Out of curiosity, what makes you think its a Barber and not a Seated? Both have six-pointed stars.

Regards,

Buck

 

[Deftone]

Kinda look's like an 8 and a 5 on the top right of the third pic. After a little more looking kinda see the right hand of a seated. On the same pic towards the middle bottom. Cool find! Welp, looked at the same picture again and noticed the left facing arrow by the numbers. Would that make it a 1853-1855 dime or half dime?

 

[eyemustdigtreasure]

There seems to be a distinct letter "P" in that second and fourth image.
If it is silver, it has a bronzey tinge to it - because of your clayey-like soil...?
Great Find!!

 

[shanegalang]

If better or different pictures will help I can take some and post, I dug it and Buck posted for me. Tell me what yall need. Thanks!

 

[BuckleBoy]

There seems to be a distinct letter "P" in that second and fourth image.
If it is silver, it has a bronzey tinge to it - because of your clayey-like soil...?
Great Find!!

no bronze in person. It's silvery looking silver.

 

[DCMatt]

That's pretty cool! I cant help with the coin ID but it looks like someone was trying to make a repair to an electrical contact - like a switch or contacts in an electric motor...


I once talked with an old timer who lived in rural southeastern VA in an 1880's house. It had been 'electrified' in the early 20th C using all silver wire with NO insulation!

 

[BuckleBoy]

That's pretty cool! I cant help with the coin ID but it looks like someone was trying to make a repair to an electrical contact - like a switch or contacts in an electric motor...


I once talked with an old timer who lived in rural southeastern VA in an 1880's house. It had been 'electrified' in the early 20th C using all silver wire with NO insulation!

View attachment 1391665

Wow, would be amazing to find THAT house site! That is a distinct possibility for this piece. It's the right time frame, early 20th c.

 

[Tony in SC]

Looks kinda like a train track coin?

 

[Back-of-the-boat]

What is it's thickness when compared to the dimes or quarters mentioned by some.If it is thicker than the dimes mentioned then that would eliminate some suspects.Just an observation, I have no clue. just thought by eliminating some, it could narrow the field of coins to choose from.

 

[mcl]

I'm thinking maybe this coin was also folded when it was flattened. I say this because if we rotate the coin so the "85" portion is where it should be looking at the obverse of a US coin:



It looks maybe passable as you can see the border of stars in the right place, but then we rotate the reverse side according to how US coins work (flip it over or under so the back is right side up; if you flip it right or left it will be upside down), that large letter that seemed obvious before seems to be oriented in an impossible direction:



Let's say it is in fact an "E". Well, even if it is following the curvature of the edge of the coin (and thus would be rotated to some degree), it is facing backwards. Unless this is somehow not a letter or I have somehow messed something up, it seems to me that this coin had to have been folded over multiple times as it was being flattened.

 

[Deftone]

What I think is a possible date and arrow. That just made me think it was the variety of seated with arrows.

 

[BigWaveDave]

Seems to be a good size chunk of metal, not enough to be a dime or half dime...
So....is there enough metal for it to be a half dollar?....

 

[BigWaveDave]

Oh...and probably originally holed at the top.....

 

[Back-of-the-boat]

View attachment 1391853What I think is a possible date and arrow. That just made me think it was the variety of seated with arrows. View attachment 1391854

If you enlarge the area you circled there is definitely a 5 in that area.

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

Hello Charlie,

Out of curiosity, what makes you think its a Barber and not a Seated? Both have six-pointed stars.

Regards,

Buck

Just the reeding and stars. A weight in grains might help nail it if it is intact and just flattened.

Dimensions or a image beside a current US coin would help. You're looking at it. We're looking at flat images.

 

[BuckleBoy]

What is it's thickness when compared to the dimes or quarters mentioned by some.If it is thicker than the dimes mentioned then that would eliminate some suspects.Just an observation, I have no clue. just thought by eliminating some, it could narrow the field of coins to choose from.

It is very thin, thinner than a half real.

 

[BuckleBoy]

View attachment 1391853What I think is a possible date and arrow. That just made me think it was the variety of seated with arrows. View attachment 1391854

Wow, that DOES look like an arrow!! Shanegalang, can you see an arrow on that piece where he circled?