Four...Hundred...Year...Old...Silver...Coin...Foun d...Today!

smokeythecat

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Nov 22, 2012
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I was digging the 17th century site today. We had a late start, but still had four hours. I missed my chance at stardom with the squirming through the fence slot again. No one took a picture. Hence, no youtube stardom, like that's worth anything anyway. Well, I went back to the hot spot I found last Saturday and it didn't disappoint. Lots of pieces of small lead were found as well as some colonial buck shot, hand made, and found a few modern lead bb shot from shotguns. Those are annoying signals, even 3" deep! A lot of the forget broken iron will ring as high tones on the Deus. So I dig them. Half the time its NOT iron. Dig it all, let God sort it out.

I found a nice 17th century button, then some more and on one part of the site there was a later house, ca 1770. Over there I found some other flat buttons and more of the large colonial buck shot. A little later I got a prize, a very early partial eyeglass buckle in cast brass.

In the area we were getting the most from the 17th century house, I got an "85" on the Deus, but this target sounded SMALLER than the others.

I took out a big plug and the ground was plain muddy and in some places you'd get stuck in the mud.

After chasing the signal with the pinpointer, I picked out a small, round disc. After getting some of the mud off, I noticed a silver gleam on a corner.

After I got home I cleaned it a little, the copper inherent in the silver tarnished it somewhat. There is some detail remaining, but it appears to be a hammered silver coin.

It is about 15mm in diameter and weighs .84 grams. It may be a contemporary counterfeit. I'm thinking it started out life as an English 1/2 groat, James I or later. Now, in theory it could be from any place, and any point in time. The pirates went all through there and we believe fired on the little settlement, as we're finding grapeshot and swivel shot near where the houses were. The 17th century pirates could have had coins from any period, and time.

If anyone has any ideas, please let me know. A picture of both sides, and the little buckle are attached.
View attachment IMG_1467.jpgView attachment IMG_1468.jpgView attachment IMG_1469.jpgView attachment IMG_1470.jpgView attachment IMG_1466.jpg

Any idea on identification is appreciated. EXCITED!
 

Upvote 57
Hi 1 SKUDO Franciso Ximenez Order of Malta Silver hammered coin 1773 Used until the French Occupation in 1798 . Please explain ? TP

Correct, I misspoke and should have said English hammered coin production ended in the late 1600's but European hammered coin production continued into the late 1700's in various countries including Italy. Since we do not know the country of origin, then... Thanks for the correction. I think hammered coin production in Germany gave way to milled coin minting in the late 1500's early 1600'S but can find no references of when hammered coin production stopped in Germany.
 

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Bump for a look-see!
 

Mysteries like this drive me nuts. Nice find but I am sorry you were not able to have a definitive ID. Im lucky that the 1500's copper cob that I found in my backyard was able to be identified.
 

Way to go on a very old find. I hope you get to find out more about it. You find the coolest things!
 

I do not hunt sites built after 1870. Of course, that means when I do go out to dig, I have to go at it pretty hard. The only exceptions are two parks, one in Delaware for 18th century shipwreck coins, and a semi local beach when it's too hot to go in the woods and the fields are planted. Any coins I find after the Civil War period, I generally get rid of.
 

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