My first silver coin, but it’s kinda weird.

[Jamie Rullestad]

Yesterday, after about 6 months of really testing myself around this farm acreage, I found my first silver coin.

I found it on a very small wildlife observation/primitive camp site here in Iowa. The site was established in the early 1970’s, it being willed to my local county by a local farm family in the name of outdoor learning and education. It’s always been pretty rough, just a scrub brush type of place, but with a few walking trails cut by the county, a very small tadpole pond, a couple of picnic tables, and one primitive camp site.

I do a little background here, because what I found defies logic. I found a 1944 Indian Rupee. It was encased in rust and scale, so much so that I initially wrote it off as a cheap token, throwing it a box with the rest of beer bottle caps and pull tabs. It was rusty, scaly, and illegible. It wasn’t until I hit it with a little dishwashing soap, baking soda, and a soft toothbrush that it came to life.

I know many will counsel that I shouldn’t clean it, but frankly, it was headed to the trash without some second thought.

It hit a loud but squeaky 26/27 and only a couple of inches deep.

 

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[crashbandicoot]

Perhaps a Soldier returning from WWII lost it there.Quite a few served in the China,Burma,India Theater.The date would be appropriate.Research what was there in the time frame say 1944-1970.

 

[Jamie Rullestad]

Perhaps a Soldier returning from WWII lost it there.Quite a few served in the China,Burma,India Theater.The date would be appropriate.Research what was there in the time frame say 1944-1970.

I suppose that could be a possibility, but since the site wasn’t really developed and established until the 1970’s, that soldier would have to be well into his 50’s.

I guess I really can’t come up with any other explanation than that of a late middle aged outdoorsman checking out the then new camp site.

 

[crashbandicoot]

I suppose that could be a possibility, but since the site wasn’t really developed and established until the 1970’s, that soldier would have to be well into his 50’s.

I guess I really can’t come up with any other explanation than that.

Are you sure there was nothing there before 1970? Don,t let tunnel vision blind you to the possibility of some kind of home or barn or maybe a farm field existed before then.Maybe a hunter?

 

[CreakyDigger]

Silver is silver, my friend!

 

[Jamie Rullestad]

Are you sure there was nothing there before 1970? Don,t let tunnel vision blind you to the possibility of some kind of home or barn or maybe a farm field existed before then.Maybe a hunter?

Well, I feel I can speak with some certainty about this one. I suppose it could have been some mushroom hunter back then.

I live just 1 mile to the west of that site. My Dad was born just one mile west of me. I live on a farm Dad bought in 1968, and I remember as a kid when they established that little spot. I grew up hunting quail just across the road from it, and I trespassed my way into a basket or two of bluegills on a small pond about 100 yards north of that.

I suppose it might be possible that there was some little outbuilding on that location at some time in the past, but Dad, at 86, doesn’t remember anything there when he grew up. And geographically, it’s just off the corner of a curving gravel road that slopes deep down to a small river to the east. Until it was developed, it wasn’t easy to access.

 

[crashbandicoot]

Well, I feel I can speak with some certainty about this one. I suppose it could have been some mushroom hunter back then.

I live just 1 mile to the west of that site. My Dad was born just one mile west of me. I live on a farm Dad bought in 1968, and I remember as a kid when they established that little spot. I grew up hunting quail just across the road from it, and I trespassed my way into a basket or two of bluegills on a small pond about 100 yards north of that.

I suppose it might be possible that there was some little outbuilding on that location at some time in the past, but Dad, at 86, doesn’t remember anything there when he grew up. And geographically, it’s just off the corner of a curving gravel road that slopes deep down to a small river to the east. Until it was developed, it wasn’t easy to access.

Just throwing out some ideas,no disrespect meant.

 

[pepperj]

Cool recovery, liking the design.
.500 silver

 

[Jamie Rullestad]

Just throwing out some ideas,no disrespect meant.

Oh, none taken!

I can certainly appreciate how hard in might be to determine context, and there are certainly a lot of local areas here that I just don’t understand, and frankly, Dad is even too young to remember.

Since I’m new to the hobby, I just figured I’d work my way down those local areas that I or my Dad might have some helpful memory of.

One little trick I stumbled on is visiting some of these small towns to see what I can learn through their local museums or historical centers. There’s one very small town near me (pop. 800) that happened to have a book in their small local library that chronicled the history of that little town. It was very helpful, and I’ve been able to nail down some permissions that many may not have even considered, since I’m one of very few non inhabitants that have taken the time to read the book, at least according to the city clerk/librarian there.

Good times, I hope!

 

[crashbandicoot]

Oh, none taken!

I can certainly appreciate how hard in might be to determine context, and there are certainly a lot of local areas here that I just don’t understand, and frankly, Dad is even too young to remember.

Since I’m new to the hobby, I just figured I’d work my way down those local areas that I or my Dad might have some helpful memory of.

One little trick I stumbled on is visiting some of these small towns to see what I can learn through their local museums or historical centers. There’s one very small town near me (pop. 800) that happened to have a book in their small local library that chronicled the history of that little town. It was very helpful, and I’ve been able to nail down some permissions that many may not have even considered, since I’m one of very few non inhabitants that have taken the time to read the book, at least according to the city clerk/librarian there.

Good times, I hope!

Glad to hear it,like you said,context doesn,t always come through on the net.Good idea on the research,keep it going.Best of luck to you in all your endeavors.

 

[E-Trac-Ohio]

Your first Silver coin is a Foreign coin - pretty cool - congrats !

 

[Lenrac2]

It is amazing how things turn up where they have no business being! Congrats!

 

[Jamie Rullestad]

Just a little update here, but I think I know how the darned thing ended up here.

crashbandicoot wasn’t far off with his assumption that it may have come from a WWII soldier.

I was talking to a buddy of mine that’s been pretty active in veteran affairs and issues, and he mentioned that he saw my coin on Facebook. He told me that Indian Rupees are a pretty commonly traded currency in Afghanistan, and given the length of that endeavor, he believed that more and more of them will turn up now that the boys are (hopefully) all home.

 

[ArfieBoy]

Great silver find! Congratulations! I really enjoyed the discussion about it. Thanks everyone for your interesting input!