My first Jersey Copper! And some other cool finds from a new permission

brianc053

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Jan 27, 2015
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Hi everyone. Today I decided to knock on a door I’d driven by in the past to ask for permission, and I’m glad I did! The home was built in 1830 and the owners were very nice. They told me that others had detected the property before (about 3 acres with the home set back from an old road that shows prominently on my area’s 1853 map), but I was free to give it a try.

I’ll skip to the last - and best - find of the day: my first New Jersey Copper coin (1786-1788 or so)!!! I’m so excited, because as a resident of New Jersey who takes this hobby pretty seriously I felt like I would be incomplete until I found one of my state’s coppers. No longer incomplete!
My Jersey Copper is somewhat rough but the shield is still partly intact and on the obverse I can see the horse, but no date.
However I think there is enough detail to hopefully figure out which variety of the Jersey Coppers this one is.
I could use the help of the experts out there - do you see enough to figure out which variety it is? Here’s what I see:
- on the obverse the horse’s ears line up with the “C”, which is not the case on many Jersey Coppers
- also on the obverse I think the plow might be curved, but I can’t be sure.
- on the reverse the bottom of the horizontal lines of the shield line up with the “N” in UNUM; many of the Jersey Copper examples I see don’t line up this way.
Please share your thoughts on what these details might mean.

As for the other finds, here’s what I kept:
- (first row) Crotal bell piece; button with shank that says “plated” and has stars; a cool Union Pacific Lucky Piece from 1934; a BAYER bottle top
- (second row) a buckle that might be a knee or shoe buckle?; a pump organ reed
- (third row) two modern dimes, a zinc penny and two wheat pennies (1920 and an unknown date)

Thanks for checking this out!
- Brian

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Upvote 21

philber

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Apr 11, 2016
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37
Loveland Ohio
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If you're on facebook, you can post your copper to Colonial and Early US Coins and Artifacts. Don Hartman has a running survey of all Jersey coppers found and can give you an ID on what the specific type and variation yours is. Nice find!
 

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brianc053

brianc053

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Jan 27, 2015
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If you're on facebook, you can post your copper to Colonial and Early US Coins and Artifacts. Don Hartman has a running survey of all Jersey coppers found and can give you an ID on what the specific type and variation yours is. Nice find!
Thanks so much! I've requested to join that group, and if I get more information I'll add it here.
- Brian
 

kac

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Aug 4, 2021
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So far no state coins for me yet, congrats!
 

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brianc053

brianc053

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Jan 27, 2015
972
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Morris County, NJ
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
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If you're on facebook, you can post your copper to Colonial and Early US Coins and Artifacts. Don Hartman has a running survey of all Jersey coppers found and can give you an ID on what the specific type and variation yours is. Nice find!
Philber, thank you again for your excellent suggestion. Overnight the good folks in that Facebook group identified it as a Maris 39-a variety, a "somewhat common variety". I don't care if it's somewhat common in the world of Jersey Coppers - in my world it's a first and a bucket-lister!
- Brian
 

Steve in PA

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Jul 5, 2010
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Congrats on your first Jersey. You will no doubt find more. I have found 8 of them so far way out here in SW PA. Your oval buckle does appear to be a knee buckle.
 

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brianc053

brianc053

Hero Member
Jan 27, 2015
972
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Morris County, NJ
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
3
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Minelab Equinox 800
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Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
One more update: as philber pointed out, Don Hartman collects data on Jersey Coppers, and has been doing so since 2004. During those 17 years he's collected data on 1,130 Jersey Coppers found, and mine is the 51st Maris 39-a example he's seen, making it a rather common variety of an uncommon coin.
 

JeffInMass

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Jan 14, 2006
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Awesome score- Congrats!
 

Steve in PA

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Jul 5, 2010
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One more update: as philber pointed out, Don Hartman collects data on Jersey Coppers, and has been doing so since 2004. During those 17 years he's collected data on 1,130 Jersey Coppers found, and mine is the 51st Maris 39-a example he's seen, making it a rather common variety of an uncommon coin.
 

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