Posting "finds"

[doninbrewster]

First, a little about myself. I'm 62 years old and have been collecting coins since I was 8 and have been detecting for more than 35 years. I've seen a lot, both in coins and in detector finds. Yes, I do consider myself very knowledgeable about coins, particularly colonials. I've added some scans about myself to give this post a little credibility as anyone can make claims. I was a contributor to the Guidebook of United States coins for a number of years and founding member and first treasurer of the Colonial Coin Collectors Club - C4. I have associated with some of the most knowledgeable people in American numismatics. In the group photo below I listed the names of some of those in the photo. Some of which included Donald G Partrick who has sold some of his coins recently including multiple silver continental dollars, the unique Higley copper with the wheel goes round, both copper and silver dismes and a host of other major rarities. John Ford, holding the coffee cup, needed more than 2 dozen auctions to sell his coins. At far right is noted Higley specialist Dan Freidus, far left is noted Connecticut copper specialist Bob Martin, Dave Bowers of Stack's/Bowers auctions in the back. The photo is a who's who of numismatics. In the small color photo I'm sitting next to Walter Breen looking at coins. Walter was the most prolific writer about coins in the 20th century. I know coins and I also know the people who collect. Enough about me.

Recently there's been some discussion on the forums about posts of coins that were fraudulent. I've seen those posts many times over the years. I can spot them from a mile away. Anyone who really knows coins can tell in a heartbeat when a coin has been lying around in a draw or envelope for years. They don't look the same as a coin coming out of the ground. The purpose of this post is this, if you didn't find it with your detector, don't post it as if you did. There are many great finds every day that come from pocket change, the local coinstar or just making a great buy from a dealer who doesn't know what they have. I like seeing all these posts. It really is another form of treasure hunting and if you didn't notice, this is treasurenet. Post away, but don't try and scam us. This is a great forum where people from not only the US enjoy, but also those from other countries. HH

Don

 

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[marion moore]

amen, brother marion

 

[CoinHunterAZ]

Hi Don,

Awesome credentials, thanks for posting. I can spot the bogus finds from a mile away too. What gets me is the V-nickels and Buffalo nickels that are bright and shiny that were found 8" deep. Many of these I see are posted by what I think are children or adolescents with less than 10 posts seeking attention. Even worse though are the adults who do it. I have never called anyone out on anything like this, nor do I intend to. I agree with you, don't try to scam us. This thread should be a sticky.

 

[leddel]

So Don where do you stand on old silver coins dug from the ground that have rainbow toning
on them ?? Have you ever seen an excavated silver coin with this phenomenon , is it possible for a silver coin to
tone like that from being subjected to soil and elements ??

 

[Old Dude]

We are very fortunate to have members such as yourself here. As new to this as I am, even I have seen some of the names you mentioned.

 

[bigfoot1]

I didnt know jerry garcia was a numismatist !!(kidding)Its a good thing to have folks with expertise as members here.Your point is well taken about the fraudulent coin finds,they make me chuckle.I too LOVE shiny nickles that were dug deep,that is a hoot !!

 

[Z.K.]

I took some time off the last 2 months for more professional reasons, but the recent events have really reduced my enthusiasm and trust about engaging with this community. I have a very good real life BS detector, but unfortunately my eye for spotting fakes in the coin world is not yet very well developed. A good lesson.

Don, it is a rare and great thing to have access to a true expert (someone with both deep technical knowledge and commensurate integrity) in any field. We are fortunate to have a handful of folks like you on this site. Thanks for establishing your credentials, staying engaged, and helping to set a solid tone for moving this community forward.

 

[toasted]

Last year, I dug a beautiful 1936 merc dime that had rainbow toning on it. Unfortunately, it also had a dark patina on parts of it. I foolishly cleaned it before getting a pic. So it can happen.

 

[K1DDO1979]

Yes there are times a find is plainly a fake and the story is none sense but there are exceptions. There has to be the odd time a find can look like it never came out of the ground. Maybe a expert with the coin in hand could 99% tell it was but from just a random quality photo posted that chance must drop a lot. Environmental conditions, ground conditions,sea or lake, woods or field, soil or sand,type of metal of coin/relic and age,etc. all have factors. I have dug large coppers that were rotten to the core and others that were near perfect with nice patina. I dug silvers 1950's silver that were rough with environmental damage and 1800's silver that had great detail. I have never faked a find and never will. I hope others do the same but there will always be someone who does fake now and then but I won't let it ruin the purpose of this great site for me! [emoji106]

 

[CoinHunterAZ]

I have found some silver coins here in Flagstaff that looked like they were dropped shortly after they were minted, including several Barbers and a few Seated coins. I found one Mercury dime that still has some incredible mint luster. In my area, yes, silver coins can come up looking pretty darn good despite being in the ground for decades. Having said that, EVERY old nickle I have ever found was either very dark brown or black. I'm not going to bother with posting Buffalo's or Merc's on here...but I can guarantee everyone here if I do post a find, I did find it with a metal detector. I really enjoy coming here and viewing all you guys finds. Please don't tarnish it (pun intended) by posting bogus finds. Keep putting them up there because I want to see them!...but keep it real.

 

[Ahab8]

Great post Don. We are lucky to have s knowledgeable member like yourself to assist us when we're not sure what we have. I unfortunately am guilty of wanting to believe people when I truly in my heart no better. For example a beautiful 8R with rainbow toning in mint condition that's supposedly been in the ground for 200+ years. I'm not stupid but I always want to believe people are good and honest. I am proud of my ugly old coins and finding 2 1600s silvers one day is s feeling that's hard to explain. When the research and miles of hiking through the woods digging holes culminate in a dream find its incredible. I just can't fathom what satisfaction comes from digging something your own hands put there. But I love this hobby and nobody will ever diminish my feelings for it. We can only control our own actions. I will keep researching and digging holes. I will always enjoy seeing others finds. And I will always be true to myself and the members on here....that's a promise

 

[ScubaDetector]

It really depends on the soil as to how coins come out of the ground. I have a lot of experience in Utah and in Michigan. In Utah older pennies come out in great condition as do some mercs that were freshly dropped. It is desert there and not like Michigan were we call the indians and the older wheats greenies.

I can show everyone very nice silver looking V nickels I have found here in Michigan. HOWEVER, every single one of them has come out of fresh water lakes. Silver coins in lakes here are mostly black and in the great lakes blue grey.

What I have seen a few of that make me really laugh is people pulling steel cents out of the ground in pristine condition. I have seen that twice in the last few months on another site.

Not here to judge, too hard for me in most instances. However some liars get the best of me and I have called them out in the past. I got a week vacation on a site because of it.

 

[Isaac]

Well said Don, thanks for the post.

 

[against the wind]

Hey Don,,
You left out the part about being a fiercely focused coil swinger.
It is truly hard to find a deeply buried coin of age, after you have
gone over that swath of land.
I recognize some of those names. Some that you mentioned have had their coins handled by "Heritage Auctions." There was a time when I felt I was ready to purchase and own a
Harley Davidson. To put together some of the money for that purchase, I went to Stacks, up on 57th St.
From the first day I met you, and you identified a freshly dug Spanish Silver as well as a 2 Center, I said to myself, boy this guy really knows his stuff. And, he seems like a nice guy,, but you don't look no 62.
Great post Don, and I look forward to hunting the same ground as you soon.

 

[doninbrewster]

I saw that, and thought, "Whoa. That dude has a killer beard. Reminds me of Jerry Garcia. Even wearing a tie die. Cool."

Actually Walter Breen lived in San Francisco and taught at UC Berkeley. Fitting.

 

[doninbrewster]

Couple of people mentioned toned coins coming out of the ground. Yes, it can happen although it's quite unusual. As someone stated, nickels coming out of fresh water can be clean, but as I'm not a water hunter I don't know for sure. Most V, shield and buffalo nickels come out of the ground like toasted garbage. I guess if you're from some of the arid areas of the southwest they can come out ok, but not the rest of the country. Silver coins can come out of the ground like the day they were lost. I've added a photo below of some of my finds that some might question. First, silver dollars are rare coming out of the ground. I found this one in 1984. The SLQ is near mint state and as I had my phone with camera I could take a pic right after it came out of the ground. Although it's hard to tell from the photo, this 1920 mercury dime still has most of it's original mint luster. Yes, it's toned in some areas from the soil, but mint state. Yes, silver coins can come out of the ground in mint state or with toning. The last photo is a coin that's been housed in a coin book for 30 years. It was in an old Whitman bookshelf coin book. If someone tells me they just pulled something out of the ground that has this type of toning, I'm very suspicious. Fact is, this particular merc did come out of the ground, but it had no toning. This developed over the years. Many old coin books have a high sulfur content in them and it causes the coins to tone over many years.

 

[G.I.B.]

My oldest coin ever- a copper Farthing, 1741-44.

What's the best way to preserve it? it's in rough shape, but it's my oldest...

 

[doninbrewster]

My oldest coin ever- a copper Farthing, 1741-44.

What's the best way to preserve it? it's in rough shape, but it's my oldest...

Hard to say without seeing a photo. There's not much you can do with most of them Usually the worst thing to do is clean them with water. A lot of time the dirt stuck in the devices and legends help see what's left. Once you clean out the dirt it all looks the same. If the coin is not corroded you can wipe on a very light coating of olive oil. I happen to use a product they stopped making years ago called Care. This is not to be confused with Coin Care although that might be similar. Below is a farting and halfpence I found that I did nothing more than rub the dirt off with my fingers. I've also added a before and after photo of a 2 cent piece that wasn't corroded that cleaned up well. All depends on the coin.

 

[leddel]

Couple of people mentioned toned coins coming out of the ground. Yes, it can happen although it's quite unusual. As someone stated, nickels coming out of fresh water can be clean, but as I'm not a water hunter I don't know for sure. Most V, shield and buffalo nickels come out of the ground like toasted garbage. I guess if you're from some of the arid areas of the southwest they can come out ok, but not the rest of the country. Silver coins can come out of the ground like the day they were lost. I've added a photo below of some of my finds that some might question. First, silver dollars are rare coming out of the ground. I found this one in 1984. The SLQ is near mint state and as I had my phone with camera I could take a pic right after it came out of the ground. Although it's hard to tell from the photo, this 1920 mercury dime still has most of it's original mint luster. Yes, it's toned in some areas from the soil, but mint state. Yes, silver coins can come out of the ground in mint state or with toning. The last photo is a coin that's been housed in a coin book for 30 years. It was in an old Whitman bookshelf coin book. If someone tells me they just pulled something out of the ground that has this type of toning, I'm very suspicious. Fact is, this particular merc did come out of the ground, but it had no toning. This developed over the years. Many old coin books have a high sulfur content in them and it causes the coins to tone over many years.

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Yes , Don I was referring to silver coins that have been in the ground for a 150 or more years , I don't believe
it can get the rainbow toning from being subjected to soil and natural elements even under the best of conditions . thanks

 

[jeff of pa]

a test for you Don.

I hope you don't mind.
if you do mind, let me know & I'll apologize & move my test to somewhere else

which of these 3 coins never spent most of their life underground ?

(non were Cleaned in the 14/15 years I had them)