I think I found a counterfeit Seated dime

[40 Rounds]

This “coin” rang up as a 24 on my Equinox 800 one way and just a signal that sounded pretty good the other way. I popped the plug and 8-10 inches down I was pretty excited see a silver dime staring back at me in my hole. It turned out to be an 1861 Seated dime. What at first was excitement turned to disappointment as I noticed the coin didn’t look right and after rinsing with some water the silver seemed to be peeling off. I ran my detector over it out of the hole and now it was ringing up a “15”. When I got home I inspected it closer and there is no doubt about it, its a counterfeit/fake coin. Never thought I would find a fake but kind of cool

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Minelab PRO-FIND 35 Waterproof Pinpointer Metal Detector for Experts with Tone ID & Adjustable Sensitivity - Grab it through Amazon!

[jewelerguy]

looks like a plated counterfeit to me. That's a pretty cool find

 

[E-Trac-Ohio]

Still a unique find - congrats !

 

[UnderMiner]

I would wager it was made during the Civil War, quite possibly even in 1861 as it is dated. This is because there was a massive coin shortage during the war. It got so bad people struggled to buy basic goods because there just weren't enough coins in circulation to permit the transaction. In response many buisnesses began minting their own coins, known as War Tokens or Hard Times Tokens. These coins traded for whatever value the coin most resembled - most often a large cent, though there were other denominations made as well. It's clear that one or several of these token manufacturers saw an opportunity and simply began minting straight up counterfeit us coinage - including your dime. And the general public was so desperate that they may not have scrutinized questionable coins because it was either that or nothing. In 1864 the problem of private coins and tokens entering circulation became so widespread that the Lincoln administration actually made an attempt to curtail it through passage of the 1864 Coinage Act which made private minting of tokens and coins for transaction purposes illegal with stiff penalties. Something I happened to notice during my treasure hunting journey was one time finding a fake Indian head penny from 1864 which was actually a Hard Times Token merely made to look like an 1864 penny. But the difference was in 1864 the US penny was a "fat cent" made of bronze while the 1864 Hard Times Token equivalent was a more pure copper composition and half the thickness - the same size and thickness as our modern penny. It got me thinking, and it turned out to be true, that the US government took notice of this particular token and starting in 1865 modeled the real US penny after it and that is why to this day our modern pennies are the thickness and composition (up until 1982 anyway) that they are.

 

[Digger RJ]

This “coin” rang up as a 24 on my Equinox 800 one way and just a signal that sounded pretty good the other way. I popped the plug and 8-10 inches down I was pretty excited see a silver dime staring back at me in my hole. It turned out to be an 1861 Seated dime. What at first was excitement turned to disappointment as I noticed the coin didn’t look right and after rinsing with some water the silver seemed to be peeling off. I ran my detector over it out of the hole and now it was ringing up a “15”. When I got home I inspected it closer and there is no doubt about it, it’s a counterfeit/fake coin. Never thought I would find a fake but kind of cool

Very Cool!!! Congrats!!!

 

[Almy]

I never knew these existed. Until reading the explanation by Underminer I wondered why anyone would counterfeit such a low value coin.