nugget108 1,606 Posted June 8 Hello all, So last weekend when the boys and i went out i had dug this really thin coin sized target that was bent. I was tarnished really bad and had a crust on it. It was down about 8 inches but the Equinox 600 slammed on it. I rubbed the edge and silver started showing so i put it in my "good find pocket" and continued on detecting. So today i started cleaning out the truck so i could work on it and found my scoop that i put all my finds in for the day after we were done. I pulled it out of the scoop and started cleaning it up to see what the heck i had. To my surprise it started cleaning up and showing writing on it like a coin. Well that got the excitement going so we just spent the last 4 hours cleaning it up. It was also in a taco shape but it is thin enough i was able to carefully get it flat again. The date we could get was 1746. The name on it says Francisco something lol. Anybody have any ideas??? Come on Skip, what is it? 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nugget108 1,606 Posted June 8 Little more cleaned up. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
steelguy 47 Posted June 8 well, this is interesting! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Au Seeker 3,064 Posted June 8 Dan it appears to be a european coin, the double headed eagle is very similar to many older european coins with a double headed eagle on them, what exactly it is I don't know, I don't know that much about european coins. The double headed eagle side is somewhat clear what some of the details are on that side but I can't make out anything on the other side, can you do a pencil rubbing of that side which may show more of the details, also where are you seeing the 1746 date? 1 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Morlock 1,577 Posted June 8 1 minute ago, Au Seeker said: Dan it appears to be a european coin, the double headed eagle is very similar to many older european coins with a double headed eagle on them, what exactly it is I don't know, I don't know that much about european coins. The double headed eagle side is sorta clear what is on that side but I can't make out anything on the other side, can you do a pencil rubbing of that side which may show more of the details, also where are you seeing the 1746 date? I've always associated the double eagle with the germanic empire. Perhaps that's a start. 1 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nugget108 1,606 Posted June 8 I FOUND IT!!! 6 1 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Morlock 1,577 Posted June 8 Given the area in which that was located, it's a very, very interesting find. I can certainly understand digging up chinese and american coins but a german coin with that date??? I've sometimes wondered how things got were they were since they really didn't belong. This is another one of them. 1 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nugget108 1,606 Posted June 8 2 hours ago, Morlock said: Given the area in which that was located, it's a very, very interesting find. I can certainly understand digging up chinese and american coins but a german coin with that date??? I've sometimes wondered how things got were they were since they really didn't belong. This is another one of them. I agree 100 percent!! This find has us really scratching our heads. We passed that thing around all evening wondering what the heck? Unless i move back East, i really dont think i will ever find a coin dated before this one. So this makes number 4 for us on coins not from the US or China. So far we have my 2 Denmark coins from last year, Camerons 1861 UK half penny and now this one. Definitely gets the imagination running wild on how they got there and the people who were packing them around. That is why we love this hobby. Trying to figure out the story and the history behind the find. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BMc 1,011 Posted June 8 18 minutes ago, nugget108 said: I agree 100 percent!! This find has us really scratching our heads. We passed that thing around all evening wondering what the heck? Unless i move back East, i really dont think i will ever find a coin dated before this one. So this makes number 4 for us on coins not from the US or China. So far we have my 2 Denmark coins from last year, Camerons 1861 UK half penny and now this one. Definitely gets the imagination running wild on how they got there and the people who were packing them around. That is why we love this hobby. Trying to figure out the story and the history behind the find. Lots of German immigrant miners back in the day. Did you happen to find any old rusted pieces of metal around where the coin was found that could have been part of a Bratwurst cart? Nice find! 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nugget108 1,606 Posted June 8 1 minute ago, BMc said: Lots of German immigrant miners back in the day. Did you happen to find any old rusted pieces of metal around where the coin was found that could have been part of a Bratwurst cart? Nice find! No metal from the cart BUT i might have dug up the Bratwursts. Yesterday i gained permission to detect 2 1800s ranches that we usually hunt for geese. We are going to give one of them a try today. So hopefully we find some neat time period relics for the display wall and cases. 3 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Morlock 1,577 Posted June 8 1 hour ago, BMc said: Lots of German immigrant miners back in the day. Did you happen to find any old rusted pieces of metal around where the coin was found that could have been part of a Bratwurst cart? Nice find! Dan's find predates the founding of this location by over 100 years. That's a little unusual in any case. 1 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BMc 1,011 Posted June 8 54 minutes ago, Morlock said: Dan's find predates the founding of this location by over 100 years. That's a little unusual in any case. I agree. Not only that, the find predates the discovery of gold in NV by over a 100 years. That's what makes it even more of a mystery. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Idaho Jim 234 Posted June 8 That is one incredible find! Jim 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nugget108 1,606 Posted June 8 I was thinking whomever was carrying the coin was probably packing it for the silver content. Back when gold and silver could purchase goods by just its weight alone. Put it on the scale this morning and it weighs .6 grams. Thats one of the variations of this coin. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gilaoro 318 Posted June 8 9 minutes ago, nugget108 said: I was thinking whomever was carrying the coin was probably packing it for the silver content. Back when gold and silver could purchase goods by just its weight alone. Put it on the scale this morning and it weighs .6 grams. Thats one of the variations of this coin. I am thinking you are 100% right as to the metal value being the reason , I just imagine that no base metal coins or paper would have been much use in the gold rushes , any other odd coin that was not silver or gold could have been carried as a lucky piece for the very reason it would not have been spendable for supplies in a gold camp. Just my 2 bits! 1 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chrisski 803 Posted June 8 Where was this found? I'm assuming Nevada, but can't find a location in any of the posts. If its Nevada, I'm sure you've seen on Wikipedia, the first Europeans arrived in the area in 1770s. 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nugget108 1,606 Posted June 8 3 hours ago, chrisski said: Where was this found? I'm assuming Nevada, but can't find a location in any of the posts. If its Nevada, I'm sure you've seen on Wikipedia, the first Europeans arrived in the area in 1770s. Yes it was in Nevada. Thats why i am thinking it was being carried for the silver and not as money with a monetary value. Could have been traded for or anything like that. The mystery goes on!! 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
