Did I Just Join The Gold Club?

[F350Platinum]

The verdict is in. Took it to a jewelry store. They put it on their fancy Gold-O-Meter, and it barely moved the needle in the below 10kt range. 3 people tried everything they could to get a reading. They were as mystified as I am, but agreed that it should weigh a LOT more than my half real at the similar thickness if it was gold. It should be tarnished! Has any river hunter here found a bright penny or clad in a river, let alone a brackish one? So that part of it is still strange, but the coin is not gold.

No gold club for me yet, but hold my beer... 😀

[oneguy]

Man I was pulling for ya...but now we know!   Bummer.....

[Tom_in_CA]

As a long-time wet-salt-beach hunter (hunting after storm erosion on our beaches):  It looks like a copper penny (pre 1982) that has gone in-&-out on the surf many many times.   And yes, they can have smaller dimensions than a normal penny, d/t the erosion/wear.     We find HUNDREDS of those type coins , and just toss them in the garbage.

 

That's what yours looks like anyhow.    And how that got to a fresh-water still-water-spot, I dunno.  😳

[F350Platinum]

2 hours ago, Tom_in_CA said:

And how that got to a fresh-water still-water-spot, I dunno.  😳

It's a brackish (somewhat salty) tidal river that runs into the Potomac. I'm waiting for the tides to come around to morning to hit it again. Only had a half hour to high tide last time, water is in the low 40s. Thanks for weighing in! 

[strick]

Possibly a gold coin that was in a fire like others have said...got a couple silver coins that look very similar...just acid test it and you will know...the first pic almost looks like the outline of a profile if you use your imagination 😃

strick

[F350Platinum]

Here's an update. It got up to 50 today, the sun finally came out. The water was 42 degrees, the tide wasn't low enough to go out far. Found this heavily corroded Indian Head penny (no date), and in the other picture there is an additional coin that is nearly gone. On the bright side I dug all the other stuff, a 1920 wheat penny, and a lot of odd things with lettering. The pocket watch is an Ingersoll "Yankee" 'dollar watch' circa 1935-40, there is a bolt marked A.H.T. Co. PHILADA (Arthur H Thomas, a company that makes scientific devices) a washer that says C.A.W. KIRK PATENT JULY 17 1850. The large decorated object is some sort of pin, it has a clasp on the back. Pretty much nothing but 19th and 20th century stuff comes out of this area.

Who would patent a washer? Must serve some other purpose. 🤔

[GB_Amateur]

12 hours ago, F350Platinum said:

Found this heavily corroded Indian Head penny (no date), and in the other picture there is an additional coin that is nearly gone.

That water sure does a number on 95% copper coins.  Was the wheat penny (which looks to be in decent shape, at least relatively speaking) in a different environment?

12 hours ago, F350Platinum said:

Who would patent a washer? Must serve some other purpose. 🤔

That's what I was thinking.  Could it be part of an assembly that was patented and all that's left (or all that you were able to find) is this one piece?  Same thing with the bolt.  Back in the second half of the 19th Century through the first quarter (or so) of the 20th they put patent dates on a lot of items.  (Wish they hadn't stopped since it helps us with dating our finds.)

[kac]

It could be a clad dime where only the copper is left. Found a what looked like a dime once and was paper thin. Was near a pond that was brackish that fed to the beach.

[F350Platinum]

20 minutes ago, GB_Amateur said:

Was the wheat penny (which looks to be in decent shape, at least relatively speaking) in a different environment?

Yes, about 50 feet up the hill. The ground there is really soft with a lot of sand under the topsoil. Despite the roots from the high brush that grows there every year (it has been vacant since the Steamboat landing buildings were removed) a good root shovel like my Predator Barracuda goes through it easily.

I've found a few of those "potato peeler" looking things now, this was the fourth. I'm putting everything in a separate display case because the owners asked me to show them what I find, but said I can keep it all. I may have found a short sword in the scabbard with no hilt yesterday but have yet to verify.

[F350Platinum]

16 minutes ago, kac said:

It could be a clad dime where only the copper is left. Found a what looked like a dime once and was paper thin. Was near a pond that was brackish that fed to the beach.

This one has a bit of a bronze or brass look to it.

Kinda sad because some very famous "Boys" just north of me find all kinds of coppers from the 16-1700s in the rivers. I have found one so far but in the field up top, it was a "smooth" coin with barely any features.

The river is 80 feet below me. I think the prognosis for finding anything but silver and gold in good shape is poor. As the weather warms up I'll be looking! This Sunday the tide should be much lower but we are looking at a second ice storm.