A Coin Purse From Long Ago Found!!!

hoover-jr

Jr. Member
Jul 27, 2008
25
1
Minnesota
Detector(s) used
XLT/Explorer II
Well fellow hunters, I have finally found the time to post an item, which for me has to be one that I have been waiting for a very long time(almost 20 years to be exact.). Most of you have found one or the other, but not necessarily both in the same hole. Well my hunting partner BK and I went on one of our usual runs to a construction site that at this time was more that half done. We parked in our usual spot, got our gear ready and proceeded to work the area like we always do taking our time discerning all the iffy signals and digging anything that had the possibility of being a good target!
We had finished off the one block with little results. So we headed up the next block with BK around 30 yards ahead of me. While I’m digging a questionable signal Bk approaches me asking me if I would like to see what he has just dug up. I said sure why wouldn’t I!!
He hands me a Liberty Seated Quarter in fairly worn condition!!!!A nice find all the same!! This was also the same area that he found his Avery Watch fob & an old Crotal bell to Boot!!!! He’ll hopefully list his stuff as well!! Anyway we made it down the block to the next intersection and we questioned who wanted what side of the street to hunt. I ended up going across the street and Bk stayed on the other side. When I got across the street I got this nice loud signal that no one would pass up to dig. I got down and started digging my hole. I Got down around 5-6 inches and out popped a round ball like thing. Wasn’t sure exactly what it was till I picked it up and carefully wipe the dirt off. It was a nicely engrave Crotal Bell(or what we really know as a sleigh bell) The picture tells it all!! Nicest one I have ever found!
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After finding that I said to myself that this is definitely a good start! After putting it in my pouch I moved down another 5 or 6 ft. along the edge of the Blvd. and got another signal. So I repeated the same act by digging another hole .Got down about 3 inches or so and out popped the remains of a coin purse(all that was left was the frame).I thought here’s another one of those empty purses again! I rechecked the hole and was still getting a signal so I turn some more soil out of the hole and out came a rusty 5 inch nail or spike of some type. Got that out of the way and checked the hole again and I was still getting a good signal!! I couldn’t believe it so I went back at the hole and started carefully flipping more dirt out of the hole when all of a sudden this silver coin mysteriously almost magically Jumped right out of the hole and landed right on top of the ground!!!I think I stared at it for almost a minute afraid to touch it thinking it would turn into something other than what I thought it could be!!! I took a deep breath and managed to holler over to Bk to come over and take a look at this! He came over and right away said…
“There’s another coin in the hole” And all I said was take a look at it…he again said there’s another coin in the hole!!! Not that I wouldn’t have checked the hole again, but I had not noticed that there was a distinct green ring on the side of the silver coin that was facing up!! So I picked up the coin and had BK rescan the hole for me since I was already kneeling by the hole. Got a signal again, so I carefully turned some more dirt out of the hole and out pops not one, but TWO coins stuck together!! I am in aw at this point!!!
WOW!!!3 coins from a purse found in the same hole!!! I can only say is that I was totally speechless! The pictures tell it all!!!
The coins found were ,with the first one popping out, an 1878 plain seated quarter (with the green on the back) followed by a shield nickel stuck to an 1853 with rays and arrows.
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As of yet I have not separated the nickel from the 1853 quarter. I decided to have some fun with it. So I am planning on having a raffle at our next club meeting. Knowing there are basically 18 possible dates on this particular type of coin I made up 18 different dates and sealed them. 1 or 2 dollars will be the cost for a chance to win a coin of my choice (Not the ones I found of course!).
Most, if not all of the tickets will be sold at that time. I will then separate the two coins and identify the date on the shield nickel which is stuck to the quarter and the winner can claim their prize!
Fellow hunters…this is what it’s all about!! Enjoying and sharing what we find!!
 

Upvote 0
This is the first one that I have found with rays.
The real excitement will come when I pull tat Shield nickel off of that quarter !!
 

When you do you should be able to see the rays. They are on the reverse.
The arrows are on the obverse on each side of the date.

Just pop them apart and see what the Nickel gives you.

Keep us posted.
 

I don't know how many times I've found clasps similar to yours, but never any coins to go along with it.
Mine were probably all paper currency that rotted away. :(
I have also found coin spills with more than three coins in the same hole, but finding the clasp to a coin purse gives it ambiance. That was a lot of money to loose in those days.
I'm looking forward to finding out the date on the shield nickel. Who knows, maybe there is a one dollar gold piece stuck between the nickel and the quarter. ::)

Congratulations!
 

REal nice! Congrats!
 

I forgot to add ,that the proceeds from the raffle are going to be donated to the club.
hoover-jr
 

Really nice find.
 

It's just amazing to think of what took place back then. What caused the owner of this purse to drop it.
I thought maybe it could have been a very cold winter night and the lady might have fallen or slipped on ice dropping her little coin purse in the deep snow never finding it.Maybe there were sleigh rides being given and it got dropped.That could be, concidering I found that sleigh bell near by.
Isn't the imagination just Wonderful???
 

Dang...what a great find! I bet there was a grandma somewhere really upset when she discovered it was missing!
 

I found 2 coin purse clasps like that at two of my CW sites and I pounded those areas hoping to get some coins. I still go back occassionally with the hope something else has disturbed some soil or an anomoly which causes my machine to get a reading it didn't get before.
 

Wildrider,
I have found at least a half a dozen over the years and this is the first one that actually came with coins!!!
Thanks!!!
hoover-jr
 

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