Wildest 18th Century coin I have ever found

[smokeythecat]

PLEASE SCROLL DOWN THE THREAD TO SEE THE REST OF THE FINDS.

I teamed up with another Tnet member, and we went to a pretty non-descript farm not all that far from here. Fields were just tilled and sewn, winter wheat is just starting to come up and we have permission It is a colonial to present site. As soon as my favorite field is cut, we're going Civil War digging up here. Well, The metal in the ground was unbelievable. It was everywhere. Good stuff, no silver, and lots of shotgun shell bases and aluminum to boot. CW Buttons, 18th century musket balls, and just stuff. From what we could ascertain, there were at least three houses in the field. It's a big field. This was a grueling 6 hour hunt. I'll try to show more of the innumerable goodies tomorrow, but the buzzards are thinking of circling my house as they found out the old toad here was digging for six hours. I wanted to share one item. One unexpected find, but isn't that always the way it is?

After hour #2, I got a decent signal and out popped a what I hoped was a button. Well, it was not a button. I really like buttons. No shank. So, it's a quarter sized copper coin. A Farthing? No, it is in great shape, and I finally saw the hole in the center! Wait! The hole in the CENTER! And all those squiggly lines? It's a Chinese coin. So give me a break, a CHINESE coin in the corn field. Man, they've been sending stuff over here since like forever. It has great detail and I have left the dirt in the recesses as it shows the coin off better.

It is a Chinese Ch'ing Dynasty coin, the Emperor was Kao Tsung who reigned from 1736 to 1795. This particular one is called Ch'ien Lung. So, who would have thought? An 18th century CHINESE coin, and very well made to say the least! It's almost nap time, thankfully.

 

[smokeythecat]

I think your coin is slightly different than mine. The reverse of mine has that little "z" on the top section. I haven't cleaned the stuff up too well yet. I think yours is the "chan lung" variety, same age, same emperor. BTW I'm only quoting somewhere else, don't know these at all. The eagle I is the big one. The back and shank are there but pushed in.

 

[Mzjavert]

That's what I love about this hobby, finding the cool and unexpected. That coin fits both categories. Congrats on the old coin.

 

[WannaDig3687]

Thanks all. Of course there are a zillion out there. No, they're not worth much of anything, but it's nice to find the occasional oddball. Found 50' from a Civil War Officer's "I" button. I think I have another one like this one. My dad had one for years. It's lost in the house somewhere, I had it a few weeks ago trying to look up the inscription. I put stuff away and lose it, sometimes for months. Only "permanently" lost two cheapo items over the years, a little glass boat and a small quartz crystal. Still drives me nuts. Saw them last in 1975 when I moved. Right now I'm missing a slabbed gold coin I bought a couple years ago, you'd think slabbed it would not be hard to find, a flintlock pistol and a clay marble. Yes, go there about the lost marbles.

And JackalopeZL1 that is the identical coin. Well, at least I'm not tempted to collect Chinese coins. Since I found a couple tiny Roman coins recently, now that's a temptation for me.

nice finds smokeythecat. I also put things away and then lose them. But I think it drives hubby crazier than me.

 

[maceman66]

A lot of those Chinese coins were used as decorations on sewing baskets and other types of baskets that were exported into the United States. I have dug 4 or 5 of them here in Iowa and they actually have a basket on display in the local museum that has the same type of coins on it.

 

[Calabash Digger]

CAT
on fire!

 

[smokeythecat]

Wrightdigger, I have 6 lost items. I found three this morning. One included a full sized dug Remington revolver from the Civil War. Now that's pathetic. I just put it in a safe place and forgot where I put it. I'm going to have to put sticky notes everywhere. Was easier to find when I had stuff scattered between here and Christmas.

 

[smokeythecat]

Maceman66, I also remember some types of Chinese coins decorating baskets, now that you've brought it up.

I am not on fire. The smoke alarm would have gone off. Can't wait to get the new guy up to my site, he'll have a major cow. Always like the reaction when I take someone there.