✅ SOLVED Hammered Silver??? Need Help with ID

[screwynewy]

I dug this today at an early colonial site. When I first saw it still covered in dirt I thought it as a beaver tail from a pull tab which would have been a little surprising since this site doesn't really have any modern trash. After I rubbed the dirt off one side of it and saw the stamping in it I thought it was a silver cuff link. Then I cleaned the other side and saw it had stamping on both sides I got really excited that I might have found a hammered silver or Spanish cob.

Can anyone give me a positive ID with what is left of this coin? It's really worn and very thin. Thanks in advance.

 

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[vpnavy]

Looks like someone drove a nail through it to make the hole - can't imagine it hanging around your neck - might have been hanging off a wall - still a nice find screwynewy!

 

[Mackaydon]

I think you're safe in ruling out a Spanish cob.
Don.....

 

[Bramblefind]

I think you're safe in ruling out a Spanish cob.
Don.....

It's funny but the pellets made me think of some medieval Spanish coin designs and I looked around a bit and ran into this series and I see some similarities...

Whatever it is - it is a very cool find!

Medieval Spain

 

[CRUSADER]

Tag,,,

It is a hammered silver coin, but not one I have seen, my first thoughts where Indian, but its too thin. I will wait to see.

Interestingly, the nail hole looks round & not square suggesting a later holing.

 

[screwynewy]

Thanks, I hadn't considered that it might be Indian. This site is littered with Indian pottery and broken points. With the round hole in it it might have been worn as a necklace. I think I'll post it in the North American Artifacts forum.

Tag,,,

It is a hammered silver coin, but not one I have seen, my first thoughts where Indian, but its too thin. I will wait to see.

Interestingly, the nail hole looks round & not square suggesting a later holing.

 

[deepsecrets]

Thanks, I hadn't considered that it might be Indian. This site is littered with Indian pottery and broken points. With the round hole in it it might have been worn as a necklace. I think I'll post it in the North American Artifacts forum.

Looks like a Persian silver Dirham - perhaps Moorish (Spain) origin? Interesting find!

 

[screwynewy]

Someone on the North American Artifacts forum suggested that it might be an Islamic coin. I googled it and found this very similar looking coin (a little bigger) listed on ebay.

Authentic Ancient Islamic Silver Coin Unidentified 0412 | eBay

I'll have to do some research on the history of Islamic coinage to try and find out some more info. It seems odd to me that this coin would be at a colonial site in a field in rural Brunswick County, North Carolina. The earliest written history for the property dates to mid 1750's up to early 1800's. Other than there being a court house, jail, and tavern on the site this is completely rural country with nothing but woods and fields with river adjacent to it that spills into the ocean some 12 miles away. Other than this strange coin all of the other items dug at this 100 acre site have all been typical colonial period stuff with the earliest coin be a 1732 KG Halfpenny.

 

[deepsecrets]

Someone on the North American Artifacts forum suggested that it might be an Islamic coin. I googled it and found this very similar looking coin (a little bigger) listed on ebay.

Authentic Ancient Islamic Silver Coin Unidentified 0412 | eBay

I'll have to do some research on the history of Islamic coinage to try and find out some more info. It seems odd to me that this coin would be at a colonial site in a field in rural Brunswick County, North Carolina. The earliest written history for the property dates to mid 1750's up to early 1800's. Other than there being a court house, jail, and tavern on the site this is completely rural country with nothing but woods and fields with river adjacent to it that spills into the ocean some 12 miles away. Other than this strange coin all of the other items dug at this 100 acre site have all been typical colonial period stuff with the earliest coin be a 1732 KG Halfpenny.

Possible that this is a relic of the slave trade - some slaves came from North Africa and were Muslim. Another thing to look into might be a coin/medallion relic of a Mecca pilgrimage?

 

[screwynewy]

Possible that this is a relic of the slave trade - some slaves came from North Africa and were Muslim. Another thing to look into might be a coin/medallion relic of a Mecca pilgrimage?

Interesting theory. I don't know that I could ever prove that this was owned by a Muslim slave in America but it is definitely plausible. At least I can't come up with better explanation as to how an Islamic coin ended up at a site that was occupied during the mid 18th century and pretty much deserted by the 1820's other than current farming.

Based on my research I have found that approximately 10 to 20 percent of slaves brought to America from Africa were Muslim. There was a famous Muslim slave, Omar ibn Said who was sold John Owen in Charleston in 1807 and moved to Bladen County which is not far from the site that I found this coin. I guess it is possible that there were more Muslim slaves in the area. I have emailed a coin expert that specializes in Islamic coins to see what information he can give me about the coin. As soon as I get more information I'll make a new post in Today's finds with the coin facts and then offer the speculation about it being owned by a Muslim slave.

 

[BuckleBoy]

When Crusader said "Indian," he meant dots not feathers.

 

[Iron Patch]

When Crusader said "Indian," he meant dots not feathers.

Looking for a pic to add to that, low and behold what do I find.... "me" in India. Maybe I should sue for 5 of those silver coins for copyright infringement on my avatar.

 

[screwynewy]

Thanks for pointing that out. It just seemed more likely that this coin would be from American Indians instead of Middle Eastern Indians. I sure took it and ran with it

When Crusader said "Indian," he meant dots not feathers.

 

[screwynewy]

I got a positive ID on this coin from an expert in Islamic and Asian coins. Here is the quote that he emailed to me:

Morocco, silver muzuna of Isma’il al-Samin, 1672-1727, type A-584. Steve

Stephen Album Rare Coins
P.O. Box 7386
Santa Rosa CA 95407, USA

707-539-2120
fax 707-539-3348


Now if someone could explain how this coin ended up where it did but I'll never know for sure.

 

[FoundInNC]

Hammered silver in USA? Why is this not on the BANNER yet?

 

[screwynewy]

Hey Brad, I figured I'd get a ID on it then post it in Today's Finds. Maybe it will make it to the top but I'm doubtful.

Hammered silver in USA? Why is this not on the BANNER yet?

 

[reednc]

Congratulations Ken on a truly surprising find. I look forward to seeing it tonight.

 

[DetectorMoe]

Hey, Is this the coin you found in the field I been searching as well? I remember you telling me something about a hammered coin found there when we first met? And that was the only time we met.. lol