Holy Cow I just found a gold coin

[Turbo21]

It's a little cooler today and wanted to get a quick lunchtime hunt in so I went to a local soccer field
I always see people posting gold rings found in soccer fields so I figured why not give it a try

I was digging all the low tones in hope I would find some gold. I got an almost overload low tone that just screamed in my ears. Dig the plug and only 2" down see gold.

Pull it out and I know immediately what it is. A 1984 1/2 ounce 24 karat (.999)panda gold coin. I never thought I would find a gold coin.

I am still shaking as I write this. With the bezel it looks like it was on a necklace I looked all around the area and could t find the necklace.

This was a find of a life time!!!!

 

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[digger27]

Awesome, awesome, awesome find!

 

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[Tom_in_CA]

Not sure why it hasn't made it up there. ...

How about this : Would you agree that this could have been found in a sandbox (that post date 1984). Right ? Ok then, what are the odds of finding an 1880 gold coin "period numismatic loss" at that same sandbox ?

Would you see a difference if you found an 1880 gold coin at a ghost town you hiked 20 miles into. Or a long-forgotten stage stop, or sidewalk demolition, etc.... Versus one put into a necklace or bezzle in modern times ?

 

[sprailroad]

Ancient gold coins were also made into jewelry and they may have been "new" at the time, and had no historical value back then. Point is I think, he didn't buy it, it wasn't bartered, was not a gift, wasn't even found in a parking lot, he was metal detecting and dug it up. One time in N. Cal, I found a Roman Coin with a eyelet soldered on it, of course it must have been worn on a chain, and it was found while metal detecting. It's still a Roman coin. The "Panda" is still a gold coin, and a very nice one. Would an 1888 Silver Dollar made into a Money Clip no longer be counted as a Silver Dollar? Come on Tom, must you rain on his parade?

 

[Tom_in_CA]

... must you rain on his parade?

Must we define period gold coin versus modern loss jewelry gold coin ? I mean ... sheesk.

Ok then : I've found 16 gold coins. Not 15 . Because I once found a 1945 Dos Pesos gold coin in an earring. Right ? You can grant that. But I'll never consider it a "gold coin". It was obvious modern jewelry. In a yard of a 1950's home, a modern loss, jewelry [as evidenced by the bezel], etc...

I don't want to "rain" ON MY OWN PARADE either. But at some point, isn't there a distinction ?

 

[Tom_in_CA]

Ancient gold coins were also made into jewelry and they may have been "new" at the time, and had no historical value back then....

Now this is interesting: What do we classify love tokens as ? That "fad" was back at the time (1880s to 1910s, or whatever). Done with coins of the era. Yet lost in the "period".

Or what do you do with holed coins found in a place where they could be A) a period numismatic old-coin loss, or B) A coin which was "holed" for jewelry and lost in modern times ? (although, truth be told, it's mostly bezels used, not holes). Nonetheless, it's (possible) a vintage gold coin in jewelry falls out of the bezel, or get holed for means-of-support, etc.... And yes, there's no 100% certain way to know.

I got a $1 gold in a park that dated to the late 1870s. It was holed. That is small enough to have served as a modern earing. Yet the park was old enough to have had a gold coin. So where does one classify that ??

YES IT HAS BUGS. Our club had to deal with this VERY SAME ISSUE ! We had 3 categories of "find of the month" show & tell time. And one time a fellow did show off his coin find in the coin category, and it had been in a bezel. Hmmm, so discussion ensued. It was decided (rather arbitrarily and for sake of 'moving on') that it was up to the finder to decide. Hmmm. So you had guys KNOCKING THEIR BUTTS off , to find a gold coin in ghost towns, old-town demolition, or whatever. Then a sandbox hunter comes in, after hitting a sandbox blt. in 1970, with the same type caliber find ?

Thus most guys who've found them will make a distinction: Jewelry vs coin. If no such distinction exists, fine then: My count just went to 16.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

To add to the discussion: Does anyone here remember when a "spat" ensued on the "10 best finds" issue of an annual treasure magazine ? One of the "best finds" was a diamond ring worth $10's of thousands . Pretty impressive, right ? But when you read the text accompanying that find, it turned out that it was a commissioned hunt. Where the md'r had been called out to find it on the beach for a person who lost it .

Hmmm, ok, he "found" it right? And it was worth a lot of money. Right ? But some readers griped that if someone ELSE is pointing out a given area where they lost it last night, ....... well ....... that's not a "wild" find. That's a "tame" find (or some such semantics like that). I forget if the magazine decided to discontinue "tame" (commissioned) find entries or not after that.

In some ways, I see a similarity to this issue: Sure, they're both "rings". But isn't there a difference in getting a tame one, versus one where someone points to an area and says "over there?" Yet in each case, it's still a "find". Same with coins: Isn't there a difference between coins of one-background story, versus coins of another story ? If not, then why the controversy with the treasure magazine spec's ?

 

[sprailroad]

Come on Tom, I said nothing about a "Banner" find or any "Top Ten", I was just happy for the guy that he found his first gold coin, it had to have been a thrill. If you want to split hairs on the "classification" of it, OK, I'm sure there are others on the Forum that will engage in that. The fella found his first and only gold coin, something we all hope for one day, that's all, and I'm simply happy for him.

 

[Deft Tones]

This thread has essentially turned into a trout fishing debate. Was the trout wild or was the trout stocked?

Like it makes a huge freakin' difference to my stomach....

Looks and tastes exactly like trout wild or not.

 

[Joe hunter]

Perhaps it a find should be a at least 8in deep pre 1800s and dug next to a map documented house or foundation/cellar hole.And don't forget the witness.

 

[RVRoamer74]

Eh, after reading entire thread, I say congrats to the finder, great find, I could only wish for such a find,,,but I also can understand Tom's point....hey, make of it what you wish....great find !!

 

[McCDig]

Stellar finds! Congrats!

 

[Tom_in_CA]

This thread has essentially turned into a trout fishing debate. Was the trout wild or was the trout stocked? ...

Fair comparison. They have those county fair stocked ponds. Where you pay to catch a lunker.

What would fishermen say to your analogy ? Would they see a difference between that, versus the wiley-wild one they had to go out-smart in the wilderness ? In each case, the size and taste of the fish is the same. But I think the fisherman (for sports/strategy sakes) sees a difference.

 

[Indiana_Brandon]

Wow great save!! HH

 

[Joe hunter]

Fair comparison. They have those county fair stocked ponds. Where you pay to catch a lunker.

What would fishermen say to your analogy ? Would they see a difference between that, versus the wiley-wild one they had to go out-smart in the wilderness ? In each case, the size and taste of the fish is the same. But I think the fisherman (for sports/strategy sakes) sees a difference.

And a stocked fish can still be a state record if you caught it in the river.

 

[Deft Tones]

Fair comparison. They have those county fair stocked ponds. Where you pay to catch a lunker.

What would fishermen say to your analogy ? Would they see a difference between that, versus the wiley-wild one they had to go out-smart in the wilderness ? In each case, the size and taste of the fish is the same. But I think the fisherman (for sports/strategy sakes) sees a difference.

I wasn't thinking pay to play ponds, more along the lines of a natural trout stream that gets restocked periodically. Stocked and wild trout co-habitating the same natural brook or stream.

Avid Trout fisherman tend to be elitist types and among general trout fisherman you'll find every flavor of opinion. The elitist line of questioning would be; Was it caught on a fly or not? Did you tie the fly yourself or not? Caught in spawn or not? Barbed or barbless hook? And on and on...

But a stocked pond... no self-respecting fisherman considers that takes skill or luck.

My main thrust was the physical differences between wild and stocked trout. The difference physically is easily spotted but it's about as insignificant as a bezel around a gold coin or just a gold coin. It's still a gold coin no matter the state or condition it's in when found.

 

[ivan salis]

someone's necklace got tugged --the chain might have been recovered at the time but the coin might have flew off a bit or been stepped on driving it into the ground

 

[Tom_in_CA]

someone's necklace got tugged --the chain might have been recovered at the time but the coin might have flew off a bit or been stepped on driving it into the ground

I knew a guy who at a dry sand hunt, found a seated half STILL IN THE PLASTIC SLEEVE. It was at a tourist resort area beach. He put 2+2 together and figured some tourist bought it at a local coin-store. But them lost it at the dry sand at the beach nearby. He never-for-one moment counted that among his finds that amounted to "seated" or "old coins", or whatever. It was obvious that it was a modern loss.

Yet, what's to stop him from arguing that "it's a seated coin isn't it ?" "I found it md'ing, didn't I?" Yet , as an old-coin hunter too, he *knew* the difference. So he never, for a moment, considered that a period-loss.

But yes, to add complication to the matter: What if the coin had slipped out of the sleeve ? What if there were no way to know: "modern loss vs old-circulation-loss" ? That's a valid question. But if there's a bezzle around it , then it seems certain that a) it was jewelry, and b) it was modern.

Yes I know that brings up other "gotchas". Like: Did they bezzle coins of antiquity (love tokens, for example, were "worn as jewelry"). But if we're talking a modern panda, or krugerand, etc... (w/a current date), then I would think that answers that question. Eh ?

 

[Deft Tones]

What if Tom took one of the gold coins he found metal detecting a stagecoach stop and mounted it on a chain. Then after a few years wearing it he notices it's missing. Let's say it could be anywhere as Tom has no idea when or where it was lost. Now imagine 4-5 years pass when another detectorist stumbles upon Tom's lost treasure.

What did he find? A period gold coin, or jewelry?

I say it's both. And in my view it's even more rare than Tom's original find - it's been lost and found twice!

 

[testing123]

Yes, as said, it is "a gold coin." However, it was found as a piece of jewelry. If people vote "banner" because it' a half ounce of gold, worth $650 (or whatever it's worth), then that's one thing. It is a valuable find. What shouldn't happen is that this makes it up there because its simply a gold coin that was lost as jewelry. If this makes banner, then every piece of jewelry valued above $XXX should be up on banner too, and that won't happen.

With that being said, if it makes banner, then chains, bracelets, rings, etc., should be up there.

It wasn't lost as a coin, simple as that. The automatic banner nominations for a gold coin shouldn't apply here.

It's a great find, and something we'd all drool over. There has to be a distinction between a "coin coin" and coin jewelry.

 

[Deft Tones]

I don't know the rules for banners, so I've only voted maybe 2 or 3 times. I'm not even advocating for banner for a gold panda coin... but it is an excellent catch!

I would assume for something to be banner worthy it needs to be exceptional in some manner, like a georgeous set of gold period rings in a tin box, but how few banners would be so exceptional.

I think a key difference, between jewelry v.s. coin, jewelry is far more frivolous and signifies something deeply personal (not always, some people are shallow) whereas a coin is simply a necessary part of life and really nothing intrinsically special about them in comparison... unless worn as jewelry, of course.