Silver cache found with 3 Large Silvers!

jwarner51 · Jul 19, 2015

Hey everyone so today my friend and I got out for half a day and didn't find too much at first just musket balls. Then I stumbled over a small area maybe a 5' X 5' area. That's where I was able to pull out these five beauties. They are a (1805 1 Reale) (1853 Seated Dime) (1830 Half) (1851 Half) and my (1856 Half) What a day! The 1856 S. Half is the first one i pulled out and my first half dollar ever and I'm happy with the amount of detail left! My pics can't fully capture that. My bud just found musketballs and other normal odds and ends. Thanks for looking and hope ya all had a good day!

Erik in NJ · Jul 19, 2015

Beautiful! Shame that 1830 was holed--it's in great condition. Your half is in really great condition. What kind of site was it? Sounds more like an amazing pocket spill as opposed to a cache. :thumbsup:

jwarner51 · Jul 19, 2015

It was just a small riverside camp

huntsman53 · Jul 19, 2015

Awesome scores and that 1856-S Half Dollar has amazing details! What did you clean the coins with? I ask because I am always interested in what folks use to clean coins but I also want to warn that some things used do more harm than good. I hate to say it but whatever was used, damaged to appearance/eye appeal of the coin. There are ways to clean such a coin without damaging it.

Frank

jwarner51 · Jul 19, 2015

huntsman53 said:
Awesome scores and that 1856-S Half Dollar has amazing details! What did you clean the coins with? I ask because I am always interested in what folks use to clean coins but I also want to warn that some things used do more harm than good. I hate to say it but whatever was used, damaged to appearance/eye appeal of the coin. There are ways to clean such a coin without damaging it.

Frank

Thanks for your concern but believe it or not I did nothing to these. This is how they came out.

Erik in NJ · Jul 19, 2015

Yeah it doesn't look like they have been cleaned to me other than maybe rinsed off with water. From the staining it appears that some of the coins were touching in the same hole. How many holes were they found in? I've seen similar discoloration when multiple silver coins were found together (touching) in the same hole. Not sure how to clean them, but I'm sure someone here will know.

BuckleBoy · Jul 19, 2015

jwarner51 said:
Thanks for your concern but believe it or not I did nothing to these. This is how they came out.

Yeah, the first half listed is actually the one on the bottom of the first photo with all the coins. If huntsman had looked at the toning he'd have seen that it matched up. I too thought it was the really dark half, after cleaning, at first.

This is really a killer find. Congrats!

jwarner51 · Jul 19, 2015

Erik in NJ said:
Yeah it doesn't look like they have been cleaned to me other than maybe rinsed off with water. From the staining it appears that some of the coins were touching in the same hole. How many holes were they found in? I've seen similar discoloration when multiple silver coins were found together (touching) in the same hole. Not sure how to clean them, but I'm sure someone here will know.

Thanks for looking they were all in separate holes but basically right next to each other (within a few inches) very possible some could've been touching at one point or another

mikefromIllinois · Jul 19, 2015

Congrats on some nice oldies, and making your first half a seated.

CoinandRelicMan · Jul 19, 2015

Off to a great start that will be hard to top! :occasion14:

Still looking for my first Seated Half here, got my first Seated anything a couple of years ago was a great day !

Inches from Insanity · Jul 19, 2015

Killer find. Those seated coins are beauties!!!

Argentium · Jul 19, 2015

Oh Yeah ! Looks like a Banner day to me - but I realize that you mentioned that you and a friend found these , not
just you - Still Absolutely Stunning Finds !!! You are living the dream Amigo - There may be more around there !

huntsman53 · Jul 19, 2015

BuckleBoy said:
Yeah, the first half listed is actually the one on the bottom of the first photo with all the coins. If huntsman had looked at the toning he'd have seen that it matched up. I too thought it was the really dark half, after cleaning, at first.

This is really a killer find. Congrats!

I did look and the same condition, not toning is seen on all of the coins! I assumed that they were cleaned and that they were cleaned with something such as Lemon Juice and Salt or with Hydrogen Peroxide and left too long in either solution. All too often, these methods leaves Silver coins dull and lacking any Mint Luster or shine. This is the appearance that the O.P.'s and his friend's coins have.

The 1856-S Liberty Seated Half Dollar was apparently lost not long after leaving the Mint as it clearly has AU-50/55 details. The question is, is there Mint Luster underneath the dullness? If so and if the dullness along with the bad toning spots can be removed without detriment to the coin, then the coin could be worth in the $2,000+ range.

Frank

jwarner51 · Jul 20, 2015

huntsman53 said:
I did look and the same condition, not toning is seen on all of the coins! I assumed that they were cleaned and that they were cleaned with something such as Lemon Juice and Salt or with Hydrogen Peroxide and left too long in either solution. All too often, these methods leaves Silver coins dull and lacking any Mint Luster or shine. This is the appearance that the O.P.'s and his friend's coins have.

Frank

I see what your say as some coins have toning on one side but not the other. But they have had no cleaning what so ever and is just the way they have aged.

huntsman53 · Jul 20, 2015

jwarner51 said:
I see what your say as some coins have toning on one side but not the other. But they have had no cleaning what so ever and is just the way they have aged.

Actually, they did not really age that way but the time they were in the ground did have something to do with their' condition! There was apparently something in the ground that caused the dullness and whatever it is, is not in the ground in some other locations. Some Silver coins come out better and some come out worse but to have that type of dullness, is apparently unique to the contaminant(s) in the ground where they were found.

Frank

huntsman53 · Jul 20, 2015

jwarner51... If you can see some Mint Luster underneath the dullness on your' 1856-S Liberty Seated Half, then it might be prudent to send the coin to NCS for conservation and then have it certified and graded by NGC. While I know of ways to remove toning which might remove the dullness, I would not recommend them as your' coin is too valuable and especially so, if NCS can conserve it and thus remove the dullness and the toning. If you do send it to them, make a note to them that the coin came out of the ground this way and was not cleaned in any way. If it receives an actual grade with no detrimental notations, then it could be worth as I stated previously but even with a details grade or detrimental notations, it could still be worth upwards of $1,500 or more. However, with the current market jitters and Silver price uncertainty, it is really hard to say what the coin would fetch if placed up for auction.

Frank