UPDATE! 1857 Flying Eagle Penny!!!

DoctorWhy

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Island in Penobscot Bay, Maine
Today I got one of my 'bucket list' items: a Flying Eagle penny!

I was up at a Colonial site on a cove not far from my Maine island home. Thought I'd pretty much searched the site out, but I keep on going back...and am almost always rewarded... Today I found a small fragment of a shoe buckle, another 18th century button (called a 'nipple' button) and the most exciting find: an 1857 "Flying Eagle" U.S. penny. I found it in a location where no sane human (or goat) would tread -- right on the rapidly eroding high edge of the bank along the cove. Another year or two and this coin would have fallen into the cove and been lost forever! I suspect the coin was dropped by a water foul hunter way, way back then rather than a resident of the long-abandoned Colonial era homestead.

These were minted for only three years (1856-1858). The first year they only made a couple thousand -- and handed them out to congressmen, senators, and other VIP's. So, the only two years these were minted in circulation quantities were 1857 and 1858! They were replaced in 1859 by the "Indian Head" penny.

---------UPDATE-------------
I took the advice to NOT vigorously clean the Flying Eagle coin. Put it aside for a couple days to dry out. Finally picked it up to mount in a coin holder. The surface 'crud' had turned to a thin powder and flaked off in my hands. Gently wiped it on a soft cloth and 99% of the crud dusted off, revealing a tremendous amount of detail. This coin doesn't appear to have experienced much circulation. Lucky turn of events!
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GREAT find man there kind of rare look for a Key, date could be valuable!!!


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You really think that applies to dug coins? Educate me, exactly what is the value of the OPs coin in its current condition, and what will it be if he cleans it?

I, too, am hesitant to do any more 'restoration' than have lightly 'tooth-brushed' it once it had dried off... And then, put it into a cardboard and Mylar film mount.
 
I, too, am hesitant to do any more 'restoration' than have lightly 'tooth-brushed' it once it had dried off... And then, put it into a cardboard and Mylar film mount.

It's a hard to find (detecting) coin, I have one that was barely identifiable (hence the "I hate you" joke in my 1st post). However, it holds little value to anyone other than you. I'm proud you found it, and hope someday to dig another as nice as yours. I'd say it's yours, clean and/or display in a way that makes you happy. You won't be beating yourself out of any substantial amount of money. Dug coins are "cursed" simply for being dug. Before anyone twists that, I'm not saying no valuable coins are dug, this just isn't one of them.
 
It's a hard to find (detecting) coin, I have one that was barely identifiable (hence the "I hate you" joke in my 1st post). However, it holds little value to anyone other than you. I'm proud you found it, and hope someday to dig another as nice as yours. I'd say it's yours, clean and/or display in a way that makes you happy. You won't be beating yourself out of any substantial amount of money. Dug coins are "cursed" simply for being dug. Before anyone twists that, I'm not saying no valuable coins are dug, this just isn't one of them.

I understand, agree, and respect your point. For me, it's not the intrinsic value of the coin that mainly matters. In some part, it is the joy of the hunt, the discovery, the identification. But more so, it's the history and the 'time marker' of a particular site that matters to me. The majority of the 'finds' I retrieve will eventually be loaned/donated to the local historical society -- at their discression. It is more important to me that these relics are shared with our local population rather than 'stored away in my sock drawer' or 'trophy case'. Each find is a piece of our local history -- a puzzle piece that yields yet more questions than answers to our local history.

Every artifact I find is photographed to scale and its location mapped, using Geographical Information System (GIS) software. GIS map and artifact photograph are linked in a database that is available to the local historical society.

That's where I find my excitement,interest, joy.
 
I understand, agree, and respect your point. For me, it's not the intrinsic value of the coin that mainly matters. In some part, it is the joy of the hunt, the discovery, the identification. But more so, it's the history and the 'time marker' of a particular site that matters to me. The majority of the 'finds' I retrieve will eventually be loaned/donated to the local historical society -- at their discression. It is more important to me that these relics are shared with our local population rather than 'stored away in my sock drawer' or 'trophy case'. Each find is a piece of our local history -- a puzzle piece that yields yet more questions than answers to our local history.

Every artifact I find is photographed to scale and its location mapped, using Geographical Information System (GIS) software. GIS map and artifact photograph are linked in a database that is available to the local historical society.

That's where I find my excitement,interest, joy.

Agree wholeheartedly, 100%, and is the same reason(s) I detect (among others, but financial gain isn't one of them). I've never sold anything I've recovered, and unless I just happened upon one of those rare finds, I'd sell it to further my hobby (but ony because I have no heirs).

My point n all this was directed more towards the Youtube videos posted, inferring I was doing some great disservice to your find by even mentioning "cleaning".

Again, great find, and proud you found it. Just be careful if you go back, sounds like a bit of a dangerous spot to hunt.
 
Agree wholeheartedly, 100%, and is the same reason(s) I detect (among others, but financial gain isn't one of them). I've never sold anything I've recovered, and unless I just happened upon one of those rare finds, I'd sell it to further my hobby (but ony because I have no heirs).

My point n all this was directed more towards the Youtube videos posted, inferring I was doing some great disservice to your find by even mentioning "cleaning".

Again, great find, and proud you found it. Just be careful if you go back, sounds like a bit of a dangerous spot to hunt.

Bravo and cheers, my friend!
 
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