My Best and Oldest Find So Far... With Pictures

[Deep Seeker]

While writing an essay for school, I thought I'd take a break and go detecting for about an hour. I had already tried 6 of the 7 foundations I'd found over the past month, so I went to the last place on the list. I had been in there probably 6 years ago and found a 1918 penny. Since then, they dumped a ton of dirt in there from a close work site. I started down the side of the driveway with no luck. I went closer to the foundation where i found the penny before and immediately got a coin signal. I dug two inches to get a South Carolina quarter. Then all around there, there were coin signals and each were new coins that people had dropped when they rode their bikes through there. I moved into the foundation and got nothing but cans and pulltabs. I searched around there a few minutes with no luck and started for the exit. I stopped on the side of the driveway before hitting the road and called my father telling him that I didn't find anything worthwhile and to come pick me up. He said "Ok, I'll be there in about 10-15 minutes." I thought, alright, I'll try a little more around here. I turned the detector back on and took two steps and got a good coin signal. I took one shovel full of dirt and lifted it out of the ground and immediately I saw a coin the size of a quarter. I picked up the quarter and new right away it was not a quarter. I thought it was a Connecticut Copper, since I found one two weeks back and knew what they looked like. I put it in my pocket and tried the hole, nothing; tried around the hole, nothing. Then I left. I got home, rinsed the coin under some water, let it sit in some Olive Oil and looked at it and noticed it was very close to the design of the Conecicut Coppers but was not the exact same. I compared it to some of the coins in the US Red Book and saw it was a perfect size match of the 1786 Copper ETLIB INDE Connecticut Copper. But after closer inspection, the head was not the same. I looked at some other US coins and saw an exact size match and figured out what I found. It was a 1724 Hibernia Halfpenny. These were made for Ireland but were unpopular so they were sent to the American Colonies. Now I found one, plus it was right in my hometown. Not bad for a one hour hunt. These are the best pictures I can get.

 

[scrounger d detector collector]

Re: My Best and Oldest Find So Far...

no coloniels around here oh well

 

[Brian(upstateNY-Central Fla.)]

thats a good find congrats too ya

 

[BerntOut]

Nice find! NOW Get back to writing that essay!

 

[Don in SJ]

Congratulations on getting your oldest coin~ A Wood's Hibernia is a desired find by many and a much nicer find than most King George Halfpence!

If you would not mind, could you PM me the County/State you found it in for Dr Phil Mossman's circulation study of the Hibernias...

Thanks

Don

 

[Kirk PA]

A Woods Hibernia would put a period at the end of my 2010 sentence. Hit that site some more!

Kirk

 

[Deep Seeker]

A Woods Hibernia would put a period at the end of my 2010 sentence. Hit that site some more!

Kirk

I did go back there today and got a pocket spill. Unfortunately, it was from the late 1970s. It was 9 pennies and a nickel. There was a 1934 wheat, but thats nothing to me. I checked everywhere though, as I do at all foundations. I'm sure I'll go there again when I get a better machine.

 

[MaineRelic]

That is a really great old colonial copper and on my highly desiried list !! Congrads on a nice one !! MaineRelic

 

[dfx willy]

very nice find !! my avatar is a 1723! willy

 

[Gator-Flea]

Good find.,