Oldest Coin so Far!!!

[SilverTone]

Saturday I found, what appears to be a Coronet Large Cent!!! They were minted from 1816-1839. My question for you experienced relic hunters is, what would be the best way, without ruining the coin, to find the date. Found a bunch of flat buttons, round balls, ax heads, pieces of China and even a piece of jewelry with a seashell design on it that was 11 inches down.

 

[texjim]

Try a soft tooth brush with no water.. Looks like you got a little hot spot. Good finds

 

[vpnavy]

Nice find! Looking forward to you figuring out the date. Thanks for sharing...

 

[testing123]

Whatever you do be careful. That flaking alone the rim can take off details. When done you should cover it with something like renaissance wax to prevent further flaking. Some members use a mixture of elmers glue and water

 

[Icewing]

I just use a nylon brush under running water. I don't recommend dry scrubbing personally, thats like using sandpaper. Then leave it to soak in either mineral oil or olive oil for a day or two, then a quick scrub in my palm (if needed) and shine with a soft cloth or paper towel. A toothpick can be used to mechanically remove soil and such. Abrasive chemicals and acids are a big no-no.

*Not an expert

 

[trapperart]

Congrats on the LC

 

[Terry Soloman]

Great find! Try a soft toothbush under warm water.

 

[chefjuan]

Look up aquachiggers you tube video on cleaning old coins, I have never looked back


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[against the wind]

Congratulations on your oldest coin to date.
You definitely have a hot spot.

 

[SilverTone]

Well I finally had time to clean the Large Cent and after a night in mineral oil I still couldn't get the date off of it. A friend just called me, who came with me to the same spot a week later, and also found a large cent, said to rub tin foil over where the date would be. That worked in about 30 seconds and the Coronet Cent is from 1830. His was from 1818. We also found all kinds and sizes of flat buttons, 6 more ax heads, a few huge round balls, some pistol rounds and a lot of pottery. Hopefully going back soon because our friend who took us out there had found a Servant Tag on the property about a decade ago!!!

 

[SilverTone]

1830!!!! I replied to the thread but I thought I'd also reply to your post to let you know.

 

[Zachbl92]

Congrats on your oldest coin, it's only a matter of time till you beat your current record of 1830. Keep it up and happy hunting,
Zach

 

[nsdq]

Nice

 

[SilverTone]

I went to a new place about twenty miles from where I found my oldest coin so far, an 1830 Large Cent and found another. I lightly cleaned it with water and a toothbrush while taking a digging break, hoping that it would be older. It's another Large Cent dated 1830...LOL. Damn. Also found 8 flat buttons, a few three ringers, 6 round balls and about 100 square nails. The ground was soft and moist due to the recent rain we've had in Charleston. Does anyone know if this would cause my AT Pro to give a huge range of VDI numbers on iron targets. They would typically jump from 40 to 80 but some rusty iron pieces gave me solid repeating 78 to 80 signals and even higher. There were a lot of square nails, horse tack, pieces of carriages and other large iron pieces but some of them were coming up at 85-90 VDI. I had the Iron Alert on and it went off on some of the iron but I dug a whole lot of square nails and rusty iron pieces all day long where the iron "grunt" never sounded. The property was given to the family by the King of England sometime in the 1700's so there is a huge range of everything there and we were told that family's patriarch and his son had a falling out because the father didn't like his son or his family name being associated and friends with Blackbeard. I can't wait to go back but does the soil being wet have anything to do with the large range of VDI numbers I was getting and does anyone know another way to identify rusty iron "junk" with an AT Pro?

 

[Ahab8]

SilverTone I wish I had seen this earlier. Congrats on the old coin my friend. I have tried tons of things for old copper coins. My favorite was of cleaning them is now with cold peroxide. It will slowly and gently loosen the crud from the coin. Some coins have take days but the results are great. I just did an 1838 matron head and it came out great. Hope you bear this oldest coin soon my friend

 

[Professor of Engineering]

Hello,

Do not use water...! Dry brush the coin first and see if it meets your expectations. Remember it will never look new and the contrast left by dry brushing usually looks good.

If you are not happy with the dry brush outcome, another possibility is mineral oil. This method can take from a few weeks to as much as a year (I have a group of colonial coppers in mineral oil; been that way for 13 months). The other items may be cleaned (depending on the item) by other methods, vinegar, lemon juice, electrolysis...etc. But beware sometimes cleaning the artifact makes it less desirable...your call.

Regards,

Doc

 

[UnderMiner]

So cool to dig something that deep in the ground and discover its the oldest coin you've ever found. Much respect

 

[WHADIFIND]

Saturday I found, what appears to be a Coronet Large Cent!!! They were minted from 1816-1839. My question for you experienced relic hunters is, what would be the best way, without ruining the coin, to find the date. Found a bunch of flat buttons, round balls, ax heads, pieces of China and even a piece of jewelry with a seashell design on it that was 11 inches down.

As much as I know that we WANT to know what the date is and even if it's a rare date. I'd still opt for keeping the coin in a state where I can show/display it and say it's a large cent. I have seen soooooo many coins absolutely ruined by attempts at finding out exactly what date! Look at it this way, you already know the dates they were made and even if it was a super rare date, who would buy a corroded, cleaned, pitted hunk of copper for any decent price?

Nah, do as little "cleaning" as possible, then, seal it up and enjoy it for a lifetime!

Great job recovering it!