British Coin In Back Yard

[Valens Legacy]

15 hours ago, kac said:

How deep was it?

I know that once I had gotten down to 8 inches the carrot started going off, so I will have to guess 9-10 inches deep. The hole was about 16 inches wide when I got done digging. I didn't want to beat up what I was trying to find.

I want to thank everyone for their opinion on what to do about cleaning it, so I guess I should find a way to preserve it so it won't get worse.

[Valens Legacy]

16 hours ago, Chase Goldman said:

Excellent find.  Keep hitting that site.

Thanks for your kind words, and grandmother is a little upset because of all the holes that I keep making.

I can detect further away from the house  until we get the grass back and the holes filled better.

15 hours ago, GB_Amateur said:

You (and your grandfather) have told us about the church that was there from long ago.  Maybe this cabin preceded it.

Some of the people who have been here all their life have told me that there has been 8 or 9 cabins in the area. There was 1 here and another real close by, maybe 100 feet from this one.

I am trying to locate another site to try.

[Chase Goldman]

15 hours ago, Valens Legacy said:

Thanks for your kind words, and grandmother is a little upset because of all the holes that I keep making.

I can detect further away from the house  until we get the grass back and the holes filled better.

Caleb - Search around this site and the net for various recovery techniques that detectorists use to limit yard damage during recovery such as cutting flaps rather than plugs in sod and capturing the removed dirt on a towel so it can be more easily and effectively replaced back into the hole.  Learning how to recover detected targets while leaving no trace on manicured yards or sensitive areas like parks, churches, and ball fields is just as important a skill as learning how to detect the targets in the first place.  This will enable you to be invited for a return visit to a permission from a stranger and to not incur the wrath of grandma or maintenance personnel when detecting in yards or public sites.

Here's a post to get you started:

 

[Rivers rat]

Superb!!! Patina is amazing i dont have a nice one like that and i am in the UK

[PimentoUK]

Another jealous UK hunter here. They rarely come out that good from our soil, (probably the acidic rain, a result of being a heavily Industrialised nation in the 1800's ), and the condition is great as it is, no need to try embelishing it.
Here's what an uncirculated example looks like ( thanks to Tony Claytons' site )
http://www.coins-of-the-uk.co.uk/pics/farth.html

[Valens Legacy]

6 hours ago, Chase Goldman said:

Here's a post to get you started:

Thanks for the video and I watched it and learned a couple of things from it.

Right now the ground has been so dry that no matter what I do it still leaves damage. That is why I have only hunted at grandmothers house. I can water and keep an eye on everything while I am here helping her.

Today I found an old jar with some type of grease in it with some coins inside. When I can clean them up I will post some pictures. I don't know why there would be coins in inside it, but they were there. The grease is black and almost a tar that is on them, so I have to remove it to be able to tell what they are.

The jar was inside where the cabin was near a corner so I hope it has something good inside.

[Joe D.]

Wow,

    I think your grandfather is sitting on your shoulder, guiding you to these great finds! Keep the luck running!🤞 Especially for next year!!👍👍

[GB_Amateur]

12 hours ago, Valens Legacy said:

Today I found an old jar with some type of grease in it with some coins inside. When I can clean them up I will post some pictures. I don't know why there would be coins in inside it, but they were there. The grease is black and almost a tar that is on them, so I have to remove it to be able to tell what they are.

Saving grease (from cooking meat) was common as it could be used for other cooking needs.  I wonder if that is what you found.  Now, why there would also be coins in there I have no idea.  Was it possible that the cook was using it as a bank for a 'rainy day' emergency?  Cooking grease isn't normally black as tar, but over a century of aging could explain that (or not).

I recommend being cautious dissolving the grease so as to not damage the coins.  Olive oil (cheap grade is fine) has been shown to be non-aggressive on coin patina.  That's a good place to start, IMO.  Charcoal starter would be my next solvent if the olive oil doesn't work, but I'd give the olive oil a few days first as it can be slow acting.  Patience is a good thing (and underrated in many cases) when cleaning coins!

[GB_Amateur]

One other note:  it's likely the grease actually preserved the coins -- much better than having been in the ground subject to acidic or basic soils as most of our copper alloy coins suffer from.

[Joe D.]

    I'm sure that was just another novel place to hide coin's in the old days! Easily accessible, and no one would dare throw out mom's cooking grease back than; too many uses! And it should definitely have preserved the coins!

   The military used to pack brand new guns in crates full of grease to preserve them till needed! (But not cooking grease)!!👍👍