Well It Wasn't My Last Hunt Of The Year - Rare Coin!

[F350Platinum]

Yeah, I thought I'd be done hunting for the year with the upcoming holidays, but not only was it warm and not windy today and my wife didn't have anything for me to do, but I woke up with a strong feeling I should get out there.

Always trust those feelings and act on them if you can.

The farm in front of my house is pretty big, I've only hunted about a third of it. This year it's covered with corn debris and some stalks even though they turbo tilled it. I've found some great stuff out there in the past, cut pistareens, some Spanish half Reale coins, even an 1805 half cent. Lots of buttons! It's the first place I got permission to outside my yard. It really cemented the belief that this hobby is for me.

The day started out foggy and a bit cold, I didn't get out until about 10:30, helped my wife with a bunch of stuff and then headed out there.

I had the D2 with the 11" coil, this is about as far away from my house that I walked.

Got a big 89/90 and dug this cool old baseball medal:

It's stamped, might be silver or silver plated. Totally unexpected find. I'm thinking it's pretty old, but can't find it.

Next thing that came up was a solid 90:

At first I thought it was a large cent but it turned out to be a complimentary Statue of Liberty medallion from a store in New York City.

So it's that old anyway. 🤔

Hacked around, got some buttons and then a really solid 85, I lost it when this came up:

At first I thought it was Spanish, a copper? Well I sent this pic and the other side to my buddy, and he shortly thereafter came back with this:

It's a 1773 Virginia Half Penny!! Wow. My first state coin, and a rare one at that. Only minted one year, and there are two versions but I don't dare touch it to find out which one it is.

Here's the haul today:

Got the medal, the medallion, half of a trapezoidal spectacle buckle I found near the coin along with the larger of the two buttons. An old overall button, and a wagon wheel looking button  which I think is the second one found here. The last item may be a rivet or an old paper collar stud.

Even the trash was kinda cool, bullets and even a Model T pressure valve. 😀

I dug the large iron buckle near the coin, just trying to grab context.

Here are better views of the coin:

I dug it this far from my house, it was only about 4-5" deep.

Not bad for 3.5 hours! Merry Christmas!

[Doc Bach]

5 hours ago, F350Platinum said:

Yeah, I thought I'd be done hunting for the year with the upcoming holidays, but not only was it warm and not windy today and my wife didn't have anything for me to do, but I woke up with a strong feeling I should get out there.

Always trust those feelings and act on them if you can.

The farm in front of my house is pretty big, I've only hunted about a third of it. This year it's covered with corn debris and some stalks even though they turbo tilled it. I've found some great stuff out there in the past, cut pistareens, some Spanish half Reale coins, even an 1805 half cent. Lots of buttons! It's the first place I got permission to outside my yard. It really cemented the belief that this hobby is for me.

The day started out foggy and a bit cold, I didn't get out until about 10:30, helped my wife with a bunch of stuff and then headed out there.

I had the D2 with the 11" coil, this is about as far away from my house that I walked.

Got a big 89/90 and dug this cool old baseball medal:

It's stamped, might be silver or silver plated. Totally unexpected find. I'm thinking it's pretty old, but can't find it.

Next thing that came up was a solid 90:

At first I thought it was a large cent but it turned out to be a complimentary Statue of Liberty medallion from a store in New York City.

So it's that old anyway. 🤔

Hacked around, got some buttons and then a really solid 85, I lost it when this came up:

At first I thought it was Spanish, a copper? Well I sent this pic and the other side to my buddy, and he shortly thereafter came back with this:

It's a 1773 Virginia Half Penny!! Wow. My first state coin, and a rare one at that. Only minted one year, and there are two versions but I don't dare touch it to find out which one it is.

Here's the haul today:

Got the medal, the medallion, half of a trapezoidal spectacle buckle I found near the coin along with the larger of the two buttons. An old overall button, and a wagon wheel looking button  which I think is the second one found here. The last item may be a rivet or an old paper collar stud.

Even the trash was kinda cool, bullets and even a Model T pressure valve. 😀

I dug the large iron buckle near the coin, just trying to grab context.

Here are better views of the coin:

I dug it this far from my house, it was only about 4-5" deep.

Not bad for 3.5 hours! Merry Christmas!

Be careful there Bob it's starting to look a little like you might be getting a monkey on your back and developing an addiction to the hobby? Lord knows that you wouldn't want to have go through that brutal twelve step program to break the habit.Haha and all kidding aside I don't know squat about the early coinage that you guys are finding back east but that one looks like a real rarity.Heck I would be thrilled with the baseball medallion.Nice work! 

[Joe D.]

    Just ran out of likes Bob, so gotta congratulate you more formally on the grand slam "triple"! I've been saying all along that you have more great stuff near your house to find yet! Still think there is more silver, and something gold waiting in the wings! And yeah, still think you got a few more hunts left in you before New Years! Awsome Christmas finds!!🎉🍀👍👍

[fogrider]

Amazing find near your own yard! Gotta love it!

[Valens Legacy]

Incredible find for Christmas, and I hope that more of them come your way.

Great hunt and good luck on your next outing before the end of the year.

[mn90403]

I've been working an old school yard but it can't yield a coin before 1980s!  I come here and see what a really old coin is about.

That would keep me out in that field several times a week while it is open.

Congratulations.

[F350Platinum]

5 hours ago, Doc Bach said:

Be careful there Bob it's starting to look a little like you might be getting a monkey on your back and developing an addiction to the hobby? Lord knows that you wouldn't want to have go through that brutal twelve step program to break the habit.Haha and all kidding aside I don't know squat about the early coinage that you guys are finding back east but that one looks like a real rarity.Heck I would be thrilled with the baseball medallion.Nice work! 

Thanks Doc,

They minted ~675,000 coins for the Colonies in 1773 at the Royal Mint in the tower of London. It wasn't until 1775 that these were released to the Colonies, and soon after the Revolution began in Lexington/Concord MA. There are some fakes out there but judging from the context this one is real.

When I first started almost 3 years ago I was out there almost every day, but have recently slowed down to 2-3 times a week weather permitting. Moderation has set in 😏

[F350Platinum]

4 hours ago, Joe D. said:

    Just ran out of likes Bob, so gotta congratulate you more formally on the grand slam "triple"! I've been saying all along that you have more great stuff near your house to find yet! Still think there is more silver, and something gold waiting in the wings! And yeah, still think you got a few more hunts left in you before New Years! Awsome Christmas finds!!🎉🍀👍👍

You are right Joe, the area just past this one is extremely trashy, and when I initially hunted this field I stopped at the edge where the signals weren't as abundant. After gaining lots more experience I have learned to look for "plow drags" outside of such a spot and have been greatly rewarded but it takes more persistence.

You know darn well I'll be out there 😅

[F350Platinum]

4 hours ago, fogrider said:

Amazing find near your own yard! Gotta love it!

Thanks, the Spanish silver I've found on the other side of this field is older, but this find is spectacular because it's an early US historical find. I am hoping to find more of that on this side but there wasn't as much activity.

[F350Platinum]

2 hours ago, Valens Legacy said:

Incredible find for Christmas, and I hope that more of them come your way.

Great hunt and good luck on your next outing before the end of the year.

Thanks VL,

There isn't a lot of room in my kitchen so I got my wife all set up to do our Christmas Eve dinner, and asked if she minded if I went out front for a bit. I'm glad I did. A great feast was ready for me when I got back, we had a great day.