My Best Old Coin

plehbah2

Full Member
May 8, 2023
122
378
Colorado mountains
Detector(s) used
XP Deus, XP Deus II
My friends,

This is a find from maybe 7 years ago, and is the best old coin I ever found. I was detecting in the hills and finding nothing. I was not getting any signals, and at the time I had a brand spanking new XP Deus and just wanted to hear it make some sounds. I made my way down to an old dirt road thinking that I would find a cartridge casing or a beer can. I figured there would be some garbage I could get the coil over and begin learning my new machine. This dirt road I detected a number of times as a kid with my first real metal detector, a White's Eagle II SL, which I bought with proceeds from selling candy at a massive markup on the black market at my school. I probably detected this coin and skipped it because the reading was so low. Back then I wanted to find silver Seated Liberty coins!

Almost smack dab in the middle of the road I got a very marginal signal. I took a small scoop of hard packed dirt about 1 to 1.5 inches deep. As I went to scan the hole I saw the smallest section of rim shining at me from the little pile of dirt next to the hole. I thought to myself " wow, that piece of trash really looks like a gold coin". All of a sudden I had the vision of an eagle. I could see the hint of reeding around the edge without even bending over. I reached down and brushed away a few granules of dirt, and a couple of stars appeared. I then realized what was happening. I had fulfilled the childhood dream and was looking at a genuine gold coin in the dirt. I grabbed the entire handful of soil with the coin in it and took off running. My mind was delerious, I was in a state of shock and ecstasy. When I made it back to my side by side ATV, I rinsed it off and discovered that the coin had been made into a love token.

The coin is an 1850 quarter Eagle, with the initials "J.W.F." artistically rendered on the reverse. There are a couple of spots of black solder on the obverse from where a pin machanism was attached. Looking through an old business directory I discovered a local merchant with the same three initials, but we will never know definitively about that association. I am not sure what the merchant made in a day, but $2.50 was a days pay for a miner at that time.

It was a glorious day in the dusty old arroyo, and a treasured memory. I hope everyone gets to experience it one time.
 

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Upvote 33

pepperj

Gold Member
Feb 3, 2009
37,042
137,060
🥇 Banner finds
1
Detector(s) used
Deus, Deus 2, Minelab 3030, E-Trac,
Primary Interest:
Relic Hunting
Well if that great looking love token isn't able to kick the memory bank open for many moons nothing will.
Heck I can still remember a silver one I dug decades ago like it was yesterday.
Congrats on the amazing recovery, and thanks for sharing it.
 

Jorgeke

Bronze Member
Oct 13, 2021
1,026
3,461
My friends,

This is a find from maybe 7 years ago, and is the best old coin I ever found. I was detecting in the hills and finding nothing. I was not getting any signals, and at the time I had a brand spanking new XP Deus and just wanted to hear it make some sounds. I made my way down to an old dirt road thinking that I would find a cartridge casing or a beer can. I figured there would be some garbage I could get the coil over and begin learning my new machine. This dirt road I detected a number of times as a kid with my first real metal detector, a White's Eagle II SL, which I bought with proceeds from selling candy at a massive markup on the black market at my school. I probably detected this coin and skipped it because the reading was so low. Back then I wanted to find silver Seated Liberty coins!

Almost smack dab in the middle of the road I got a very marginal signal. I took a small scoop of hard packed dirt about 1 to 1.5 inches deep. As I went to scan the hole I saw the smallest section of rim shining at me from the little pile of dirt next to the hole. I thought to myself " wow, that piece of trash really looks like a gold coin". All of a sudden I had the vision of an eagle. I could see the hint of reeding around the edge without even bending over. I reached down and brushed away a few granules of dirt, and a couple of stars appeared. I then realized what was happening. I had fulfilled the childhood dream and was looking at a genuine gold coin in the dirt. I grabbed the entire handful of soil with the coin in it and took off running. My mind was delerious, I was in a state of shock and ecstasy. When I made it back to my side by side ATV, I rinsed it off and discovered that the coin had been made into a love token.

The coin is an 1850 quarter Eagle, with the initials "J.W.F." artistically rendered on the reverse. There are a couple of spots of black solder on the obverse from where a pin machanism was attached. Looking through an old business directory I discovered a local merchant with the same three initials, but we will never know definitively about that association. I am not sure what the merchant made in a day, but $2.50 was a days pay for a miner at that time.

It was a glorious day in the dusty old arroyo, and a treasured memory. I hope everyone gets to experience it one time.
Congrats on amaizing coin

Thanks for sharing,

Nothing is easy, but easier she is the target on mind

😎👍🏽
 

fishstick

Silver Member
Oct 28, 2012
2,641
6,720
Indiana
Detector(s) used
Fisher F5, T2SE, F2 for the boys, XP Deus
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
HOLY MOLY!!!! That's 2 of my bucket list coins in 1!!!!! Dreaming of that day... SUPER CONGRATZ....
 

ARC

Gold Member
Aug 19, 2014
37,158
130,960
Tarpon Springs
Detector(s) used
JW 8X-ML X2-VP 585
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
My friends,

This is a find from maybe 7 years ago, and is the best old coin I ever found. I was detecting in the hills and finding nothing. I was not getting any signals, and at the time I had a brand spanking new XP Deus and just wanted to hear it make some sounds. I made my way down to an old dirt road thinking that I would find a cartridge casing or a beer can. I figured there would be some garbage I could get the coil over and begin learning my new machine. This dirt road I detected a number of times as a kid with my first real metal detector, a White's Eagle II SL, which I bought with proceeds from selling candy at a massive markup on the black market at my school. I probably detected this coin and skipped it because the reading was so low. Back then I wanted to find silver Seated Liberty coins!

Almost smack dab in the middle of the road I got a very marginal signal. I took a small scoop of hard packed dirt about 1 to 1.5 inches deep. As I went to scan the hole I saw the smallest section of rim shining at me from the little pile of dirt next to the hole. I thought to myself " wow, that piece of trash really looks like a gold coin". All of a sudden I had the vision of an eagle. I could see the hint of reeding around the edge without even bending over. I reached down and brushed away a few granules of dirt, and a couple of stars appeared. I then realized what was happening. I had fulfilled the childhood dream and was looking at a genuine gold coin in the dirt. I grabbed the entire handful of soil with the coin in it and took off running. My mind was delerious, I was in a state of shock and ecstasy. When I made it back to my side by side ATV, I rinsed it off and discovered that the coin had been made into a love token.

The coin is an 1850 quarter Eagle, with the initials "J.W.F." artistically rendered on the reverse. There are a couple of spots of black solder on the obverse from where a pin machanism was attached. Looking through an old business directory I discovered a local merchant with the same three initials, but we will never know definitively about that association. I am not sure what the merchant made in a day, but $2.50 was a days pay for a miner at that time.

It was a glorious day in the dusty old arroyo, and a treasured memory. I hope everyone gets to experience it one time.
What you have found is a "love token".
Well done... and a banner all day long in my book.
Never seen one in gold dug.
 

ARC

Gold Member
Aug 19, 2014
37,158
130,960
Tarpon Springs
Detector(s) used
JW 8X-ML X2-VP 585
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
What you have found is a "love token".
Well done... and a banner all day long in my book.
Never seen one in gold dug.
I just saw Pepper already id'd it for what it is.
 

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