ArchieGold
Newbie
- Nov 16, 2022
- 1
- 3
Hi TNet,
I wanted to share a coin that I found on Sunday while prospecting a creek in Mariposa County. I was sluicing gravels in bedrock crevices and cleared a 3' x 3' area of large boulders in the hopes of running gravels through the sluice. As I removed the large boulders, I quickly realized that there was not much gravel in this area - it was mostly bedrock with some small cracks and crevices filled with gravels. I busted out the gold monster and detected the bedrock. There was a SCREAMING target, indicating non-ferrous (potentially gold as there are large nuggets in this area). I dug out the material in the crack and panned it out. As I panned down the material, I could see some bits of gold and then I could see the edge of a coin. I was excited to see my first in-tact Chinese coin! A little bit of background on the area - the area was worked initially in 1848 by way of placer and then lode mining. The Chinese were in the area later building wall/fencing as well as working the creeks for gold.
Now the fun begins! I've spent a few hours researching Chinese coins and cannot find anything close to resembling the coin I found. I believe that it is made out of bronze as there is a bit of bronze shine showing out of the edge. There's also some green oxide showing potentially indicating a copper/silver alloy = bronze).
My current theory is that it may be a coin from a nearby Chinese camp or gambling den, but this is just a guess at this point. I've attached some photos to this post in the hopes that someone could help point me in the right direction as to what this coin is? There's a ton of experience here on TNet - Please share if you have any insights!
I wanted to share a coin that I found on Sunday while prospecting a creek in Mariposa County. I was sluicing gravels in bedrock crevices and cleared a 3' x 3' area of large boulders in the hopes of running gravels through the sluice. As I removed the large boulders, I quickly realized that there was not much gravel in this area - it was mostly bedrock with some small cracks and crevices filled with gravels. I busted out the gold monster and detected the bedrock. There was a SCREAMING target, indicating non-ferrous (potentially gold as there are large nuggets in this area). I dug out the material in the crack and panned it out. As I panned down the material, I could see some bits of gold and then I could see the edge of a coin. I was excited to see my first in-tact Chinese coin! A little bit of background on the area - the area was worked initially in 1848 by way of placer and then lode mining. The Chinese were in the area later building wall/fencing as well as working the creeks for gold.
Now the fun begins! I've spent a few hours researching Chinese coins and cannot find anything close to resembling the coin I found. I believe that it is made out of bronze as there is a bit of bronze shine showing out of the edge. There's also some green oxide showing potentially indicating a copper/silver alloy = bronze).
My current theory is that it may be a coin from a nearby Chinese camp or gambling den, but this is just a guess at this point. I've attached some photos to this post in the hopes that someone could help point me in the right direction as to what this coin is? There's a ton of experience here on TNet - Please share if you have any insights!
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