1830 large US cent!

[tazmainiendigger]

Hi group, you wont believe this but I just went out to check the garden and there on the ground was a somewhat green looking coin.... I picked it up brushed it of and O my gosh it is a 1830 US large cent piece![] I dug out the old cellar in this 1840 farm house last fall and threw the dirt down the bank.... I expected to find maybe a old pontiled bottle but not!!! Just shards.... and marbles lots of marbles! This was on the top of hill and I hauled at least a wheelers worth of dirt from that hole! What luck... Happy diggn! Taz

 

[tazmainiendigger]

back of the coin..

 

[Sam_MaineBottles]

Hey Taz -

Great find and what luck! Maine had only been a state for ten years when that coin was minted! Keep on digging - Sam

 

[tazmainiendigger]

Thanks for the info Sam. I dont know much about Maine but it sure is being good to me! I will make a stand for that coin and display it with that early pontiled Johnson liniment and the 150 ct. facet grade rose quartz I found this spring. The rose quartz should be back from the cutters soon, I had it cut in the shape of a heart... Taz

 

[Flaschenjager]

Hello Taz and everyone ---
Taz, earlier this year, I also found a large cent with that exact date, 1830[]. I found mine with my detector, which I rarely use. I was only hunting for about ten minutes when the machine went crazy. I was pretty happy to pluck this from the field. I was searching for CW field privies on my friends plantation and discovered one near the coin and it was a shallow one.

Question: How do you or how did you clean this coin, removing the green and how do you keep it off? I have talked to a few people and everyone has a different way. Any tips would help. I know water is a no no with copper. I would like it to be a little more displayable (if that is a word). The clearest part of the coin is the date, but "liberty" also stands out. There should be more exciting finds at this site in the fall/winter when the soy beans are down. I can hardly wait!

Although these are not worth very much, I'd say, very nice find. Coins are always fun to find and especially the older ones...my opinion.

 

[tazmainiendigger]

Hi Meech and all, I showed the coin to a dealer today he said I might be worth about 9 bucks, not that I care about sellling it... attic mint they go for about $150 or at least that is what he put them out for.... He said not to clean it other then maybe a toothbrush with NO abrasive... I asked him what if I just carry it in my pocket as that would like a slow polish he said that would be fine. I put mineral oil on mine and it's in my pocket now! lol probally going to take a year, I hope I dont lose it.... O ya ammonia will take the green out but I didnt ask him about that.... Taz

 

[Gunsmoke47]

Hey Meech and Taz, put your copper coin in a Dixie cup and submerge it in olive oil. Go off and forget it cuz it will take a long time. Though slow, it will usually take the tarnish off without disturbing the integrity of the coin. [] Kelley

 

[Maine Digger]

Good Idea Kelley[]. As I reported some time ago, I found a mint, in terms of the sharpness of the engraving, 1862 Indian Head Penny behind a baseboard in my house. But it looked a little dirty so I dipped it in copper cleaner OUCH[] A dealer told me I had knocked off 1/3 - 1/2 of the value by doing that because it altered the color. [] Never, never, never clean any antique anything (except bottles) without consulting with an expert first! Remember the lady on the Antique Road Show? She had a furniture piece that she had 'professionally restored/cleaned, it was worth something like $80 - $100,000 in the 'clean' state, but would have been worth $500,000+ if she left it alone!

 

[Pontiled]

Please listen to this. I was a coin dealer, dealing in the scarcer pieces. Copper items that have been dug are NEVER to be cleaned!!! They have value as a relic ONLY. Often, the surface has a coating of contaminants on them that, when "cleaned," will leave a field that is very rough and irregular and often that clear date will virtually disappear.

DON'T CLEAN A COPPER COIN. IT WILL SHOW!

As a former metal detector user / former treasure hunter (in the truest sense), I have seen many, many copper coins that were cleaned, mainly half cents and large pennies (U.S.). Their value was ruined by cleaning.

 

[Sam_MaineBottles]

Hi Mike -

I just picked up a copy of 'Antique Bottle and Glass Collector' from March 1995 and read your great article on Civil War era encased postage devices - talk about a rare item! Maybe you could tell the folks a little about them - I'm sure there would be some interest.

- Sam