My Two Cents Worth...A gorgeous 1865 Two Center!!!!!!!

[Ohio Jerry]

I spent 4 hours last night playing around with overlaying an 1871 map on to google earth and I'm finding that the number of 1800's homesites that are overgrown in the woods is just incredible.
I don't have my gps yet (ordering tomorrow) but tonight i went on an hour long recon mission to see if i could find a cellarhole that is on property i already have permission to detect on and is close to the road.
I studied the map pretty close and had a pretty good idea where it might be but I wasn't in the woods 5 minutes just a 100 yards from where i parked my truck and i found the cellarhole from my 1871 map!! whoo hooo!!
Next was the shocker.I cranked up my DFX,my heart still racing from finding the cellarhole and I hadn't swung for more than 10 feet when i got a strong signal. A steady repeatable 69 VDI ?? I'm thinking a wheatie and out of the hole comes a two cent piece,my first!. I cleaned it enough to see the "2" and waited til i got home to find a date.
It seems like every cellarhole I've detected this year I've come up with a harmonica reed base. No radio,no TV...just the sounds of the woods and the bluezy,haunting sound of a harmonica echoing through the woods..
This civil war era two center is in excellent shape.The cleaning process was gently rolling q-tips soaked in ammonia over the coin. It took some time and a pile of q-tips but was worth every minute of the researching and cleaning!!
Happy hunting,Jerry

 

[hogge]

Gotta be the best 2 cent coin I've seen dug! CONGRATS. I'd say close to AU50 grade. $50-75. But ya gotta spend 12 to have it graded.

 

[muttandjeeps]

Wow, what a beautiful coin. Please let us know how you cleaned it so well. We use a HP hot bath, but your method seems to work much better. Congratulations on an incredible find!

 

[John Deere Digger]

Gorgeous is the only word to use for that coin. WTG I'm going to try ammonia on some of the indian heads I have. HH
JDD

 

[Mr_Mojo_Risin]

O/J..THE 2 CENTER IN FREAKIN' SHWEEET. PLEASE TELL HOW YOU CLEANED IT..

 

[cammobunker]

Man, that coin needs to be slabbed! That is absolutely gorgeous!

 

[nightwolf]

Now that's a score! Absolutely sweet finds you have there, well done indeed!

 

[Indianhead Jones]

God that coin is is gorgeous shape....looks like it was minted yesterday!! A great find...beautiful!

Larry

 

[mastereagle22]

I am so jealous of that coin!!!! I have NEVER found a coin in close to that good a condition and of course never one that cool!!!!


Way to go.

 

[BuckleBoy]

Jerry,

This is ONLY the beginning, my friend! That map, some work, and some intuition will net you Many, Many more great finds this fall. Just wait till the GPS comes--you'll be cookin with Gas.

That is one heck of a coin--as Plehbah said it is much better than silver. Tell me a little about the ammonia method. Did you come up with it yourself? Does it only work on coins that have a green patina, or has it worked on anything? I think a lot of what was on that coin in the first place was just dirt--but if any of it was stubborn "crust" then bravo to ya on the cleaning.


Congratulations!


-Buckles

 

[Colonial Zoyboy]

There has got to be a coppa waiting for you at that site.

Over the past two years, my group has excavated 7 two-cent pieces at our Colonial sites.

Kyle

 

[Ohio Jerry]

Thanks so much for all the kind words on my two center.
The ammonia cleaning method came from fellow t-net member Mirage and it works great on Indian Heads and large cents too but i must CAUTION everyone that if you get too aggressive with the q-tip it will take that nice green patina right off!!
I learned on some Indian heads that if you want to leave the patina you have to go gently with the q-tips,just rolling them over the surface til they're dirty then get a new one.
This two center's surface is so smooth and near flawless that the dirt encrusted on it came off relatively easy and may even have came clean with just plain water and q-tips.
Again,thanks for the awesome feedback!!!
Jerry

 

[Gilligan]

Wow, looks like it was dropped a couple days after it was minted! Awesome.

 

[eggbag]

BRAVO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[FooserPaul]

Jerry... That is beautiful!

Wow.... nice... awesome...

 

[tymcmurray]

That is the best looking 2 cent piece I've seen since joining
TNET!!! Way to go digging!!!

 

[Goldiver]

WOW!! Sweet two center!! Congratulations.

Steve

 

[t-bucket]

Awesome find ,That 2 center is mint !!!!!! Congrats on a great hunt.

 

[romeo-1]

It may not be gold or really old but this is a BANNER find based just on condition. Get that sucker slabbed!

 

[CowboyKolo]

Hmmm...my 1874 nickel looks like its in similar condition to your 2 center before cleaning...maybe I oughta give the amonia a try and see what happens.... did you use straight amonia, or diluted?

 

[Ohio Jerry]

Hmmm...my 1874 nickel looks like its in similar condition to your 2 center before cleaning...maybe I oughta give the amonia a try and see what happens.... did you use straight amonia, or diluted?

I used straight ammonia,let me know how it turns out