enlongated large cent? or what?

[Tennessee Treasure Hunter]

was told by old guy here that they used to do this.. if so when?
found it in battlefield area in Hartsville Tn. it was like a patina green cent you dig up , so I cleaned it and looks to have the markings of a lg cent on back, so any help or ideas ?

 

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[thrillathahunt]

It looks like someone put a Large cent on a railroad track, let a train flatten it, then designed and engraved it!

Of course this was done a long time ago.

 

[Tennessee Treasure Hunter]

thank you...never thought of that!!

 

[oldsledz]

I don't know what it is, but it looks vary nice.
is that both sides?

 

[baspinall]

Can we see the other side?

 

[Lucas]

The design is stamped, not engraved.

 

[daroofa]

They didn't start making these until the 1890s. Seems odd they would use a large cent.

 

[thrillathahunt]

Just because they were first mass-sold as souvenirs at the Columbian Exposition in 1893 doesn't mean someone couldn't have made one earlier.....like say the 1850's or 60's.

 

[artyfacts]

I work with copper on a regular basis . If there are irregularities in the thickness of the copper, they could be soft hammer strikes giving it a lumpy look ( that's the way the picture appears ). If its retaining some of the original coin strike markings on the other side and the side with the wagon train is void, it could mean it was hand flattened, striking it from one side. The edges also look hammered out. As far as the design being stamped into the copper verses hand engraved, use a magnifier and see inside the struck lines, look for tooling marks or find an exact copy of the design. Just my thoughts. Arty

 

[Tennessee Treasure Hunter]

Can we see the other side?

 

[oldsledz]

What markings do you see?

Do you have a scale to weigh it with to see it is close to that of a LC?

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

It doesnt look like your normal elongated cent. ....the edges look handmade. http://www.pressedpenny.com/

Elongated coins are made when coins or blank planchets travel through a machine called a jeweler's mill, which have mirror image designs cut into steel rollers, similar to wringers on an old-fashioned washing machine. These are run between the rollers under tremendous pressure (about 20 tons), which presses the coin into the die and due to the immense pressure simultaneously stretches the coin into an oval shape, resulting in elongated coins!

The first elongated coins, or pressed pennies, were at the World's Columbian Exposition held in Chicago, Illinois in 1892-1893 (also known as the World's Fair). ...

 

[westerntreasurehunter]

i agree with the railroad theory. When i was a kid we used to put coins on the tracks and they would turn out like this one. If this was flattened with a hammer would it be in such a symetrical shape?

 

[artyfacts]

Think of clay but just harder, copper is a durable media, with the right tools you could leave a piece of copper almost perfectly flat or any shape. The scalloped edge is not uniform to the other side. If it went through a mill it would have to of went through a cutting press before or after to get the irregular shape. The tool marks on the outside edge and the irregular edges point to hand shaped. If the surface is not lumpy (looks hammered to me) someone could of cut the scalloped and tooled edges in after it was milled. TTH is the surface with the design uneven? Are there tool marks in the lines? Great find and design of a wagon being pulled by oxen.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Think of clay but just harder, copper is a durable media, with the right tools you could leave a piece of copper almost perfectly flat or any shape. The scalloped edge is not uniform to the other side. If it went through a mill it would have to of went through a cutting press before or after to get the irregular shape. The tool marks on the outside edge and the irregular edges point to hand shaped. If the surface is not lumpy (looks hammered to me) someone could of cut the scalloped and tooled edges in after it was milled. TTH is the surface with the design uneven? Are there tool marks in the lines? Great find and design of a wagon being pulled by oxen.

I agree. The edges are handmade. We are not sure about the wagon. In parts, it also looks to be hand engraved.

Can you compare it to a normal elongated cent? It appears to be larger. Is that a US quarter?

 

[Tennessee Treasure Hunter]

[/quote]I agree. The edges are handmade. We are not sure about the wagon. In parts, it also looks to be hand engraved.

Can you compare it to a normal elongated cent? It appears to be larger. Is that a US quarter?
[/quote]

 

[Tennessee Treasure Hunter]

Re: elongated large cent? or what?

i also found these pics off net.. so maybe/maybe not, I still like it.
thank you guys for all your ideas and help.TTH

 

[artyfacts]

Great pics of the milled silver piece. You can still see the coin details front and back. More evidence that your piece was hammered flat and hand scribed. I read that one of the reasons the settlers used oxen to pull there wagons was the Indians had no use for them, but I do not believe this would have stopped them from wanting what was in the wagons. If this was hand tooled it would be a real rarity.