Awesome find for an 11-year old

[watercolor]

For the past three summers, I've been instructing a metal detecting class
for our local Historical Museum entitled: "Exploring our Past With a Metal Detector".

A lot of the owners of older homes have been very supportive by allowing our group
of students to detect their property. One of the students recovered a copper disk
that was filed along it's outer rim in a zig-zag pattern and after it was cleaned, we
discovered it was made from an 1831 English Half Penny. We suspect that it was used
as a Pastry Wheel for decoratively cutting/trimming pie pastry.

 

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[BurntBear]

Cool!

 

[CoinandRelicMan]

Very nice artifact there =)

 

[dieselram94]

That's quite interesting

 

[redcobra8u]

Very cool!

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

We civil war relic diggers occasionally find coins whose edges were filed to multiple points and centrally pierced like that halfpenny, to serve as a replacement for a lost rowel on a spur.
http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/what/408455-large-cent-whizzer.html
Your halfpenny's size is appropriate for that purpose, but seems rather small for using as a pastry-dough piercer.

 

[RJ55]

Cool find, especially for a youngster. That memory will stick with them for the rest of there life.

 

[dirtlooter]

a need was fulfilled with what was at hand... awesome find

 

[treasurehunter313]

We civil war relic diggers occasionally find coins whose edges were filed to multiple points and centrally pierced like that halfpenny, to serve as a replacement for a lost rowel on a spur. http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/what/408455-large-cent-whizzer.html Your halfpenny's size is appropriate for that purpose, but seems rather small for using as a pastry-dough piercer.

I learn something everyday on this site haha

 

[fongu]

Nice find and this will encourage these young people to keep at this hobby. Some creative folks with the pastry wheel idea and the rowel replacement for the spur. Lots of talent and skills from the past are lost forever. I watched a show on PBS one time about this guy who moved to Alaska and lived there until he was in his 80's and the woodworking and carpentry skills he had were something I've only heard about. I used to watch the woodwrights woodshop and he was doing stuff they didn't do or I missed the shows. Independent, intelligent and knowledgeable. He was also creative and hard working and I envy him his vast knowledge.

 

[watercolor]

Thanks for all the comments everyone.

I got to thinking about CannonBallGuy's "spur" concept and took a closer look at the edge
and the diameter. . . it's diameter is about 1/8" larger than a U.S. Half Dollar. Since I know
little about spurs, here is a pic of the edge (I know, I should have done this sooner). It was also
found in the NW suburbs of Chicago.

 

[Ia.FurTrade]

Sure looks like a pastry jigger.........

 

[voodoo]

neat find for anyone at any age. For a youngster I would say very, very cool.

 

[dieselram94]

It almost looks stamped from a machine. Any chance it was stamped at a fair in a machine as a commemorate?

 

[The Rebel]

Very interesting. Looks like someone had a LOT of free time on their hands.

WTG on giving back! Good to see kids unplugged from video games & spending time outside. This will definitely stay in the kids memory!

 

[beez0404]

That is a great find for an MDer of ANY age!!!

 

[jmastny78]

Well done!!! Great for the kids to keep the hobby going and great finds to keep their interest! Congrats and cant wait to see their next finds!! HH

 

[jewelerguy]

very interesting and cool!