Tiny silver - 1853 three cent

Congratulations on that great find. Given the short mintage run on these and the fact that they show up in the pull tab range it makes it a really rare find.

When I started collecting coins 35 years ago I got this same coin and still have it today. It has always been my favorite coin in my collection.

Interesting history behind that coin. I believe its introduction had something to do with the price of postage stamps at the time.

Congrats on your find!

Incredible! I'm so jealous!

I too, hope to find one of these puppies some day.
Hey, as a future minelab owner, could you enligten me on the ID#, and why you don't normally dig those 12-30's? Is that typically a trashy set of numbers?

WTG!!! Congrats!!

Thanks everyone, and thanks for the additional cleaning advice, wtfisthat.

0z0ne said:

Hey, as a future minelab owner, could you enligten me on the ID#, and why you don't normally dig those 12-30's? Is that typically a trashy set of numbers?

Click to expand...

I base my decision to dig an id on a number of factors that include, among other things:

-age of site
-amount of time I have
-depth of target
-what else I am finding at the site (is there a common piece of trash that is consistently giving a certain signal? are there a lot of signals to dig or is it relatively clean?)
-how 'solid' (repeatable, from multiple directions, and crispness) is the sound

Coins will come in as, generally (depending on a number of factors including the soil and site):

Nickel=12,13
Indian=34-36 (lower in that range for me)
Zincoln=37,38
Wheat=40-44
Memorial=43,44
Dime=44,45
Through to silver quarter at 47.48.

Anything worn will generally come in lower, and I have dug wheats as low as a 30 id, worn mercs (usually a soild 45 for me) that have sounded like pennies, etc.

Since I am mainly looking for old coins, you can see that I will maximize my efficiency by digging the nickel signals and then 40+ signals if I don't expect to find any indians. If I do, I will expand what I dig.

As for a 12-30 range signal, there is a lot of trash there, but also some good stuff. A men's gold wedding band can id there. There are tokens, badges, old keys, other jewelry, etc. that can id there too. If you are in an old site, and you get a relatively deep and solid 12-30, it's a no-brainer to dig it. Since I was expecting indians, I dug it. I might have anyway, just to get a feel for what was in the ground and it was only my second dig, and as it turned out there was not a lot of modern (ie, high tone) trash in the area, which would also lead to me expanding my range for digging.

Enjoy your new Minelab when you get it...happy hunting!

super great find!!

Congrats on a great and scarce old coin find!

Wow dave that is an awesome coin. And to think you found it in my old hunting grounds...Way to go bro!!!!

Way to go Dave!
You really know how to research a spot. If you decide to clean the three center up a little, please post pics.

Beautiful little silver, I found one this year, my only one! It came in exactly like a pull tab, mine was mostly black and I used electrolysis on mine to remove the gunk

Awesome little silver, i am so jealous...congrats!

Thanks for the great reply David! tWas very helpful, and I can't wait to learn the language of a minelab someday (sooooon!!)

thank you, happy Hunting to you also!

That's an awesome find David! Hope you get A chance to hunt that site again soon.

Keith

Big congrats on a sweet find. As another data point, mine came in at CO 34 or 35 IIRC. There was trash in the hole with mine, and I know that is one of many factors that mucks with the numbers.

Awesome find, not one that pops up very often here....WTG!

wow, never seen one of those before.