🥇 BANNER I LOVE THIS HOBBY.

[Mi$terG]

I have only been at this for a little over a year and a half but I have been incredibly fortunate to be able to find some amazing old coins and some really nice jewelry while at the same time meeting some interesting and genuinely good people. I am also a big history buff and I love researching my finds. I have been working a 350+-year-old farm field that I was fortunate enough to get permission on- for about a month now. I have found some cool buckles and a few World War II era coins ('43 Merc, some wheats, etc) but what I've been really hopeful for is my first LC. So this past Sunday I got to the field at around 7 AM with my AT Pro. I was running in Pro zero mode with iron disc at 35 and wide-open- just listening for repeating mid and high tones. It's common for me to make my best finds of the day either in the first 20 minutes or my last 20 minutes of the hunt and this day was no exception. Only 15 minutes after I started sweeping the coil I got a solid silver dime hit at about 4 inches. As I dug the hole I was excited about the possibility of finding another Merc or maybe even a Barber. When I pinpointed the target it was an odd shape and bigger than a dime. It was also very thin. When I held it up to the sunlight I immediately recognized the Pinetree- then flipped it over to see "1652 XII." At that time I dropped to my knees and realized that I had a once-in-a-lifetime find- a colonial Massachusetts Pine Tree Shilling! Someone dropped this coin in this field a century before the Declaration of Independence! I will be going back to the farm again soon but I doubt that I will ever top this amazing piece of our history. I have already rinsed it off and put it in my son's collection where it has now taken over as the centerpiece. I wish you all the same luck that I had this past Sunday on your next hunt. Thanks for reading.

 

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[Wildcat1750]

CONGRATULATIONS on a well deserved BANNER find-of-a-lifetime!!!

 

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[MANFROMCLAD01]

WOW! I just get on here and read this post first! What a find! I can only hope to even see one of those in real life!
WOW!

 

[PeteWmass]

it would be funny if both of these tree coins came out of the same set of fields..and you didn't know the other had been there (though I haven't seen anybody new detecting down there lately) - Ive been saying I would find one of these for 10 years....I have a little more hope now....

 

[menotomymaps]

Beautiful.

 

[oxbowbarefoot]

it would be funny if both of these tree coins came out of the same set of fields..and you didn't know the other had been there (though I haven't seen anybody new detecting down there lately) - Ive been saying I would find one of these for 10 years....I have a little more hope now....

I know for sure at least 2 have come out of where we hunt. I'd say you stand a pretty good chance! I'm just waiting till someone finds a NE Shilling...

 

[Coinshooter2012]

Congrats on your find of a lifetime I know the feeling I found a 6 pence back in October, amszing find!! Congrats!!

 

[gabberbob]

Awesome coin. In Russia coins with defects are appreciated more, than a usual coin. The stamp of a coin was split. It adds its rarities. Congrats!

 

[Brian in MA]

I clearly need to visit this page more frequently as the Banner is filled with some amazing finds. But, none more amazing than the one at the top left. Congrats on finding a Pine Tree shilling. Not many get the opportunity (though, seems to be more frequent recently) to recover one of these fantastic coins that are so rich with history.

Couldn't be happier for you. I hope you and your son cherish it forever !!

Brian in MA

 

[recondigger]

I don't know what to say other than congratulations! That is a find of a lifetime you have.

Dig until your arm falls off

 

[West Jersey Detecting]

I've seen more Mass silver dug this year than in the past 5 years on this site. BANNER!

I was thinknig the same thing!

Fantastic find! Congrats on the banner.

 

[fongu]

Excellent find and excellent condition. Hope you entered into the find of the month contest with Garrett? Aren't those coins extremely rare and valuable?

 

[Squatty]

Wow. WOW!

 

[PlayingInTheDirt]

Amazing find that is so cool every hunter's dream congrats

 

[Kevin8302]

Awesome!!!!!!!!!

 

[Gunrunner61]

I Give up!!!!............Amazing...........Congrats

 

[Kevin8302]

Thank you all!! How do you get moved up in this site? Lol

 

[steelheadwill]

Nice Tree Mi$terG, fine detail and smooth fields.
I'd do some more poking around that site for sure.
Love the late die state 'fish crack'. It's nice to score Mass Silver,
especially one of the last to be struck from this iconic die.

Looking at your coin from the side, you should be able to see a slight 'S' bend in the flan from its rocker press origins.
If your interested in learning more about the series, there's a lot of info here: Massachusetts Bay Silver General Introduction
Next comes an Oak

 

[chkn]

Oh man. Isn't that amazing!

 

[IAMZIM]

Ever since I was a little kid, I always wanted to find a gold spanish coin, you know, because its "pirate" treasure! But since I have taken up this hobby and read a little history on these coins and how they came about, they are deffinatly my favorite coin. And I would choose to find one of those over a spanish gold coin, maybe.... lol!!

 

[swamp yankee]

Congrats on the score/find of anyone's lifetime!!! Thanks also for the great story/pix too! Nothing too exciting up here in the swamp yet but did get a decent 1825 Capped Bust 50 cent piece from a local coin shop.Just missed a Seated Liberty 50 center found by a local digger in MS 58-60 condition for reasonable money in the same shop. I'll buy them from homeowners/shops/2nd hand stores just to have 'em in my hand/possession once.