Nice Walking Half and other silver

[lenmac65]

Did an early evening tide to avoid crowds. Got my third and best half of the year, a 1942 Walking Liberty. For a beach find, this is in real nice shape. Also found a 1948 Roosie and an undated Mercury that did not fare so well. Found two beautiful religious medals, both stamped Sterling. I love finding medals like these, as they represent such meaningful works of art, in my opinion. (Wish there was an easy reliable way of determining their age.) Happy hunting and good luck out there.

 

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[Digger RJ]

Very Very Nice!!! Congrats!!!

 

[JeffInMass]

Great finds neighbor! Awesome coins, but as my avatar will depict, I'm a big fan of religious artifacts- those medals are fantastic- Congrats!

 

[against the wind]

Beautiful Silver finds,
Congratulations

 

[xcopperstax]

Excellent Steve! Such a nice half! Congrats on it!

 

[SWINGER1969]

Sweet finds congrats. I also found a half last night 1892 Barber.

 

[mindcrime1988]

Great finds.

 

[CalReg]

Nice finds!

 

[thrifty76now]

Avery nice half and other finds.Is there any way to remove some of that black without damage to the coin?

 

[lenmac65]

Sweet finds congrats. I also found a half last night 1892 Barber.

Thanks! Congrats to you on the Barber. While I prefer the design on the Walking Liberty, I would love to find a Barber half, especially one that old. The search continues!

 

[pepperj]

Well done on the half, it's great to see a crisp date. and the other finds.

 

[lenmac65]

Avery nice half and other finds.Is there any way to remove some of that black without damage to the coin?

Thanks! I let these soak in distilled water, then gently rubbed them with a cloth just to lighten them up a bit. I did not want them to get too shiny, or to have uneven color. I don't mind beach finds if they are a little gray; gives them beach character. If stubbornly dark, I might try rubbing them with a baking soda paste, but I will experiment on something other than the half first. Some use electrolysis, and I have seen posts suggesting soaking the coin in boiling water and baking soda (maybe even with vinegar and salt added too) in a foil lined bowl. You could Google those methods. I do have some beach coins with an exceptionally hard orange coating that I might get more aggressive on, probably with a method that incorporates vinegar. I would only do that on completely expendable finds. If you (or anyone else) have some tips that you have successfully used, I am open to them. Cheers!

 

[Steve in PA]

Nice Walker! It's been a long time since I found a nice sterling religious medal.

 

[xr7ator]

Excellent job! Wherever that spot is it sure looks promising. I agree with the medals/pendants, love finding them as well.
I've got myself a orange colored merc that I dug on the shore in Hyannis Port back in the 80's.
GET BACK OUT THAR and good luck!

 

[lenmac65]

Great finds neighbor! Awesome coins, but as my avatar will depict, I'm a big fan of religious artifacts- those medals are fantastic- Congrats!

Thanks, Jeff. Love your avatar. Religious artifacts are one of my favorite finds too, and this beach has been great for them. I appreciate the spiritual theme, and really feel they are wonderful, miniature works of art. I only wish there was a reliable way to date them. The ones that I have found recently are darker gray and seem like an older style, but I really have no idea. Hope you find and post some more too.

 

[Tuberale]

Nice finds!

 

[Professor of Engineering]

Nice handful of silver, congrats!

 

[CASPER-2]

usually you date the medals by the finds around them - especially the coins
so i would date them to the 30s and 40s
I would bet the house that if you get in the water there - you will get a Barber half

 

[Megalodon]

Nice finds and really not bad surfaces for salt water immersion. The surfaces will never look "right" no matter what you do to them, so IMO, just do what makes you enjoy them. The boiling water on foil with baking soda won't hurt. That Walker had very little circulation wear when it was lost. Most folks don't remember, but lots of us parochial school kids wore medals right up until about the late 1970's. I grew up in MA but left before getting into serious detecting. I did make a lot of visual surface finds at Onset Beach in the early to mid 1960's. In fact, I was there at Onset Beach when the Sox clinched in '67 (always the year of Yaz) and listened on a little transistor radio. The smelt were running (another fish now long gone...).

 

[lenmac65]

"usually you date the medals by the finds around them - especially the coins so i would date them to the 30s and 40s I would bet the house that if you get in the water there - you will get a Barber half"

Thanks, Casper. That sounds like a reasonable way to estimate the age of the medals. I do think the more modern medals are more plain and tend to be oval, so I think you are correct with your estimates. I will be trying a water hunt soon at this beach now that the water is warming. I would love to find a Barber half, as I did find a couple Barber coins here previously. I tried a shallow water hunt in a river the other day, and found a silver Roosevelt. May try that river tonight again to get more experience. Thanks again for your insights; you are always so helpful.