SUPER RARE 1800s U.S. LARGE SILVER COIN DUG

[Cal_Cobra]

More to come, but suffice to say that this is the rarest silver coin that I've ever dug, or ever seen dug in my detecting trips:



Spoiler alert:

IMG_5668 by Calcobra, on Flickr

IMG_5669 by Calcobra, on Flickr

HH,
Cal

 

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[Steve in PA]

Congrats on a classic US silver coin. Super rare at 56000 minted.

 

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[scruggs]

Way to go it’s a BEAUTY!

 

[Metal Magnet]

heckuva find - congrats!

 

[Cal_Cobra]

Sweet!!! Jealous I am . DAMN, JUST 56,000 MINTED!!

I was surprised at how rare it is, thanks!

Outstanding find ! At 56,000 mintage , this find is easily Banner all day long - very likely a $1000 coin.

I have no intentions of selling it, but we've had two experts look it over so far and they're both saying it's a $2-3K coin as is, but like I said it's a moot point, it's staying in my collection

Congrats on the low mintage silver.

The photo shows some heavy environmental damage to what could be a XF grade.

It's got nice detail under that crud - thanks!

The Holy Grail of seated liberty quarters, I found one years ago in Southern Oregon, that makes two out of 56,000. Great find Cal.

We are lucky to have a high percentage of our seated coins come from the San Francisco mint, which produced a lot of the high $ coins. I wouldn't complain about a rare CC coin either

Thank you!

Big congrats...

Thanks!

Man that Cal.dirt makes for digging a very detailed coin....The condition is great along with you for saving it.
Congrats !!

Thank you, it was a thrill to dig

Thanks!

 

[Cal_Cobra]

Huge congrats on digging that key date coin.

Thank you!

Congrats on the scarce seated quarter

Thank you!

Wow nice you must be very pleased with that coin

Absolutely, just wish the soil was gentler to silver, but still thrilled to have dug such a rarity

Congrats on a great coin find.

Thank you!

Congrats on a classic US silver coin. Super rare at 56000 minted.

When I dug it, I didn't realize what I had, soon afterwards Tom checked PCGS prices on his phone and we were shocked at the rarity and prices of the coin

Way to go it’s a BEAUTY!

Thanks!

heckuva find - congrats!

It really is, thanks!

 

[DiggerGal]

That is absolutely stunning! Congrats!


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[JerseyDigger19]

1860 S!

JACKPOT!!!

Congratulations!!!

 

[huntsman53]

Congrats on an awesome and rare find! With the encrustation or corrosion on it, I can't tell if the coin has damage or not. If not or only minor, it would be an excellent candidate for conservation, certification and grading. I could be wrong but based on what I can see, the coin just might grade VF-30 +/- a few points once the conservation has been completed.


Frank

 

[IAMZIM]

Really cool coin! I voted banner!

 

[screwynewy]

That is the best Seated quarter you could have dug. This suggestion won't be very popular but based on my experience from digging silver coins with that crusty layer on it you would be amazed at how much better it will look if you did a quick zap with electrolysis. A small cell phone charger and tiny alligator clip and let it run for 30 seconds and that crusty layer will fall right off. No rubbing required. Then coin will show no evidence of being cleaned and would grade much higher than in its current condition. You could also soak it in lemon juice but that might require some rubbing which I don't recommend.

 

[HighVDI]

That's an incredible dig in the East, let alone Cali? Congrats!

 

[trdking]

Don't clean it!

 

[Tom_in_CA]

Cal Cobra, fun getting a few live digs. Fun video. Wish we'd have had a coin or two on live dig. But fresh out of the hole is a close second. My coins are all currently undergoing ezest bath rotations. I got 2 seated quarters, 1 seated dimes, a barber dime (shown on your video), a buffalo, and a mystery coin . I would gladly trade all 6 for your 1 though !

A few of my coins are semi-key dates. So I'm at least trying to redeem them from the ground kiss of that rotten soil. The seated dime I got has a "before "condition" that is very similar (a bit worse) than your quarter. So in a few days, look to see the result. Perhaps your might be worth the conservation. Some method that is SUPER mild (won't clean deep enough to reveal pours).

Personally, I think yours escaped the kiss-of-death underneath that black. It might be just super black patina, that hasn't gone into the integrity of the metal itself . If so, it goes up from the $1k to $2k "as is" estimate, up to $3k or $4k. Maybe not worth the risk though. Judge for yourself after seeing the end results on mine. Since they came from the same exact soil. I'll post within a week or so when mine are done with their bath.

We worked HARD to get those coins. So you deserve every bit of that. And can you imagine if that coin had come from other soil (places we work within 100-or-so miles of there) ? You'd have been talking a $10k coin I bet.

A 3rd person was with us, and hopefully he'll chime in to show his coins.

Can't wait to get back to this spot. I KNOW there's got to be a gold coin out there somewhere. Sheesk, after all, I'm over due for my next one

 

[Louisiana Ken]

Awesome find!!!!!!! Congrats!!!!!!

 

[Honest Samuel]

You did good.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

.... I can't tell if the coin has damage or not. If not or only minor, it would be an excellent candidate for conservation, certification and grading. I could be wrong but based on what I can see, the coin just might grade VF-30 +/- a few points once the conservation has been completed. ...

Hey there Frank, my sentiments too. I've dug thousands of beach silver coins. And .... occasionally , if one is key date, I think "what the heck, I've got nothing to loose". And believe it or not, a few of them (that would have been laughed off the auction block) actually got numismatically redeemable by the time I was done. However, a bunch more ... uh ... didn't.

Bottom line is, despite the common mantra "never clean your coins", there are some cases where .... if done right, do indeed raise the value. It can be a risky move though.

..... This suggestion won't be very popular but based on my experience from digging silver coins with that crusty layer on it you would be amazed at how much better it will look if you did a quick zap with electrolysis. A small cell phone charger and tiny alligator clip and let it run for 30 seconds and that crusty layer will fall right off. No rubbing required..... .

BIG NOTATION ON THIS: "30 seconds" is right. NO LONGER. That method is way powerful. And it will start to eat right through coins.

I just finished trying that today with one of the seated quarters from our trip (which was 2x more toasty than cal cobra's coin). And .... did it for something like 10 minutes on the electrolysis system (because I was getting impatient with ezest). When I pulled it out after 10 minutes, I could immediately see that was a big mistake. Doh! It was an 1859 quarter, and ... up-to-that-point, I couldn't tell if it had a mint-mark or not. But NOW I'm lucky to even get a date off of it. Aaarrgghh. Oh well, the others are coming along with their slow & grueling ezest rotations.

 

[Relicific]

Awesome coin.
Congrats

 

[texjim]

Congrats...

 

[Cal_Cobra]

That's an incredible dig in the East, let alone Cali? Congrats!

Thanks, not an easy coin to find anywhere

Don't clean it!

It's a real conundrum, on the one hand I'd never sell it, but it's a one way ticket...

...A few of my coins are semi-key dates. So I'm at least trying to redeem them from the ground kiss of that rotten soil. The seated dime I got has a "before "condition" that is very similar (a bit worse) than your quarter. So in a few days, look to see the result. Perhaps your might be worth the conservation. Some method that is SUPER mild (won't clean deep enough to reveal pours).


Personally, I think yours escaped the kiss-of-death underneath that black. It might be just super black patina, that hasn't gone into the integrity of the metal itself . If so, it goes up from the $1k to $2k "as is" estimate, up to $3k or $4k. Maybe not worth the risk though. Judge for yourself after seeing the end results on mine. Since they came from the same exact soil. I'll post within a week or so when mine are done with their bath.

Your results will have a lot to do with deciding to pursue conservation or not, and I'm looking forward to going back for sure

Awesome find!!!!!!! Congrats!!!!!!

Thank you!

You did good.

Thanks!

BIG NOTATION ON THIS: "30 seconds" is right. NO LONGER. That method is way powerful. And it will start to eat right through coins.


I just finished trying that today with one of the seated quarters from our trip (which was 2x more toasty than cal cobra's coin). And .... did it for something like 10 minutes on the electrolysis system (because I was getting impatient with ezest). When I pulled it out after 10 minutes, I could immediately see that was a big mistake. Doh! It was an 1859 quarter, and ... up-to-that-point, I couldn't tell if it had a mint-mark or not. But NOW I'm lucky to even get a date off of it. Aaarrgghh. Oh well, the others are coming along with their slow & grueling ezest rotations.

I've never seen a coin hit with electrolysis that wasn't obvious, always seems to leave an odd finish. Maybe 30 seconds would be ok, but I'd have to test it on another coin from the same area to see before considering it, too risky IMHO.

Congrats...

Many thanks!!

 

[huntsman53]

Hey there Frank, my sentiments too. I've dug thousands of beach silver coins. And .... occasionally , if one is key date, I think "what the heck, I've got nothing to loose". And believe it or not, a few of them (that would have been laughed off the auction block) actually got numismatically redeemable by the time I was done. However, a bunch more ... uh ... didn't.

Bottom line is, despite the common mantra "never clean your coins", there are some cases where .... if done right, do indeed raise the value. It can be a risky move though.



BIG NOTATION ON THIS: "30 seconds" is right. NO LONGER. That method is way powerful. And it will start to eat right through coins.

I just finished trying that today with one of the seated quarters from our trip (which was 2x more toasty than cal cobra's coin). And .... did it for something like 10 minutes on the electrolysis system (because I was getting impatient with ezest). When I pulled it out after 10 minutes, I could immediately see that was a big mistake. Doh! It was an 1859 quarter, and ... up-to-that-point, I couldn't tell if it had a mint-mark or not. But NOW I'm lucky to even get a date off of it. Aaarrgghh. Oh well, the others are coming along with their slow & grueling ezest rotations.

Tom,

My suggestion was to have PCGS or NGC do the conservation as their methods are acceptable in the Coin Collecting World. However, electrolysis may work if done correctly and very carefully. Personally, for such a coin, I think I was choose to try and Ultrasonic Jewelry Cleaner with just Distilled Water or a mixture of Distilled Water and freshly squeezed Lemon Juice. I can take an uncirculated Silver Coin with bad toning or a Silver Proof Coin with hazing and make them look like they just came from the Mint with no loss of Mint Luster, if I am careful but removing a crust from a Silver Coin that has been in the ground for decades, is another animal.


Frank