Big Boys Hobbies

Possible Silver Coin, maybe some sort of machined washer?

T

The_Detectorist

Junior Member
Joined
Jan 21, 2018
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39
Hello All,

For you today I have something that is either very exciting or really boring. Kind of like a lot of metal detecting finds!

I found this silver disk in a field that I pulled out a few 1860-1880 Indian Head Pennies, musket balls, and other late 1800s artifacts. The wider area (right along the Connecticut River in MA) has a much deeper history dating back to the mid 1600s, with other people having found colonial coins, even some Spanish Reales nearby.

I added a penny to the picture for size and width so you can get an idea of this. It is not perfectly circular, it has no visible text or machine marks, but interestingly it is not the same depth the whole way through. It is both really skinny in parts and thicker in others, which makes me wonder what it really is. I have not tested it for silver yet, the kit is on the way, but it rang up high on my AT Pro. Does anyone know if this is some sort of new machined piece or possibly a completely washed off old coin?
 

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The_Detectorist said:
Hello All,

For you today I have something that is either very exciting or really boring. Kind of like a lot of metal detecting finds!

I found this silver disk in a field that I pulled out a few 1860-1880 Indian Head Pennies, musket balls, and other late 1800s artifacts. The wider area (right along the Connecticut River in MA) has a much deeper history dating back to the mid 1600s, with other people having found colonial coins, even some Spanish Reales nearby.

I added a penny to the picture for size and width so you can get an idea of this. It is not perfectly circular, it has no visible text or machine marks, but interestingly it is not the same depth the whole way through. It is both really skinny in parts and thicker in others, which makes me wonder what it really is. I have not tested it for silver yet, the kit is on the way, but it rang up high on my AT Pro. Does anyone know if this is some sort of new machined piece or possibly a completely washed off old coin?
Click to expand...

There is a Spit and Aluminum foil test I believe that you spit on it, put it in Foil with spit in that.. Let it sit for a few, pull it out and smell it. If it stinks it is silver.

"almost" looks like someone flattened it (think those coin flatteners at the fair)

Interesting find !!
 
If you have silver testing acid, try a drop on top of it. I believe that helps bring out details sometimes. More than likely at least a seated coin possibly older... Nice find!
 
cellrdwellr said:
If you have silver testing acid, try a drop on top of it. I believe that helps bring out details sometimes. More than likely at least a seated coin possibly older... Nice find!
Click to expand...

I've ordered a chemical kit and in the next couple days it should arrive. I'll try the previous "spit and aluminum" test soon to see what happens, but I'll know for sure with the acid test!
 
I hunt with a guy who uses the at-pro and have used one as well. They seem to give off a high reading on a lot of junk things and a low reading on a lot good things that are deeper. Not to start anything but, the disc on the ace and AT series is not all that great compared to other models of the same or lower cost. That's just my opinion from what i've experienced with them. Don't take it personally anyone, just being honest. Don't put a whole lot of faith in that VDI number and more of how the tone sounds. Other than your eyes, your ears are more reliable at discriminating than that number will ever be. Try setting it up and then cover the screen so you can't see that number for awhile, just tone. You will realize what i'm saying after awhile. At higher disc, the way that would have sounded, just like a coin does on a single tone machine, I would have dug it though.
 
With the indentations at the top and bottom of the disk it reminds me of the knock outs for electrical boxes. I do not see any indication that this is a coin unless it comes out that this silver then possible a very worn coin. I would still think you would see some type of marking some place on the disk if it was a coin.

Ray
 
The same old question???
What does the other side look like?????
Looks like a silver..
If it came out of the ground looking like that it is at least heavily silver plated.
Good luck on the testing.
Always an exciting find to see silver in the hole.:yes:
 
Dirt Diving D.J. said:
Can you take a pic of the other side?
Click to expand...

Sure, here you go. Also, for anyone else seeing this too, it is not magnetic. It came out of the ground looking almost exactly like you see it now. I've added another penny to the picture so you can get a good idea about the size and width
 

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It may be aluminum or not in the ground that long.

Does the field get plowed and at what depth was this found?

Ray
 
RayK said:
With the indentations at the top and bottom of the disk it reminds me of the knock outs for electrical boxes. I do not see any indication that this is a coin unless it comes out that this silver then possible a very worn coin. I would still think you would see some type of marking some place on the disk if it was a coin.

Ray
Click to expand...


Hey Ray, I thought that too because thats the only thing which has this general shape. What I can say though, is that this is not magnetic (where the electric boxes I have used are), the metal is both very thin but also uneven (unlike what I would expect with an electric box cutout), and it isn't perfectly lined up where the indents are for top and bottom. But at this point you still may be right! I'm really waiting on that silver testing kit to see what it is
 
RayK said:
It may be aluminum or not in the ground that long.

Does the field get plowed and at what depth was this found?

Ray
Click to expand...

Ray, This was in an old farm field that was last used for farming as far as I know in the 1930s. I have found iron train track nails (the huge iron ones), horse shoes, a musket ball, two 1880s indian head pennies, and other square iron pieces in the field, but nothing particularly close to where I found this. Prior to that, it was a homestead where a house stood that no longer shows on the maps after 1888. I found it around 6 or 7 inches down.
 
Tinker's patch.
Back in the old days, when people were poorer (getting back to that, now but with different sociological reactions) people could not AFFORD to throw out old pots or pans. Instead, when the tinker came round, they would bring out any pot, pan or utensil of metal that had a hole, and the tinker would hammer out and affix a patch to the area. Bingo. Reuse!

As my grandmother used to say "Use it up, wear it out. make it do, or do without."

You had to feel sorry for these itinerant repairers of pots and kitchen utensils. I mean, can you imagine walking around from town to town yelling "I tink! I tink!"

Sage(apologies to Rocky and Bullwinkle)Grouse
 
Definitely put a few drops of silver testing acid on it. Did it to one of my "mystery" coins and it turned out to be a seated.
 
Half dime or half reale that was set on a train track?
It definitely looks silver to me with the black tarnish.

There was a guy on this site who had something similar to yours and he put it in some acid solution I cannot remember what it was though and it made the details much more visible.
Maybe post in the "cleaning your finds" section and they can help u. But chances are you will never know.

My guess is a half realle. Those are usually beat and smooth. Often unrecognizable. Just in this case, it was either hammered or put on a train track?

Good luck
 
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