Octagon Tag and some really UGLY old coins

[PlzBSeated]

Pulled up this tag. Unfortunately not able to tie it to anything. It was found about 15 miles from the city of Fennville.

Coins were a bit frustrating today.



Three indian heads all extremely crusty. And one copper that I cannot identify because it is so crusty. Was informed that there was a fire where I was detecting. Perhaps the reason for the ugly coins(?).



The one thing I feel I can identify on the copper is the date. It appears to be 1812, in a straight line across the bottom. So not an American coin as the date typically hugged the rim on American large cents. It is the same diameter as an American large cent, but it is thinner. Possibly a Britannia coin.

Today's finds...

1812 Copper, country unknown
(3) very crusty IHPs...1881?, 1887, and date illegible
1937 Wheatback penny
Octagon tag, #29, M.F.C., Fennville

PBS

 

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[Mackaydon]

If no luck ID-ing the tag, you may wish to contact the Allegan County Historical Society here:
[email protected]
Don in SoCal

 

[pepperj]

Male.Female.Canine
Nice recoveries.
The soils weren't too friendly on the coppers.

 

[E-Trac-Ohio]

Great finds !
The "C" in "M.F.C." - a Miner's Tag from a Coal / Copper Mine ?

 

[Red-Coat]

The octagonal item is likely either a tool tag (used to prevent tools being stolen by workers in industrial premises) or an employee tag (used to record presence of workers at a site for safety reasons). I don’t know if it’s related and it's not the only possibility, but there was a company operating in Fennville using the initials ‘M.F.C.’… Michigan Fruit Canners, who had a factory on Sherman Street.

My European IP address gets blocked by many US newspaper archive sites etc. that have historical details but there’s mention of the company at least as far back as 1934. The Sherman Street factory suffered a serious fire in 1965, they were bought by Curtice-Burns in 1974, and dissolved in 1986.

 

[Blackfoot58]

The octagonal item is likely either a tool tag (used to prevent tools being stolen by workers in industrial premises) or an employee tag (used to record presence of workers at a site for safety reasons). I don’t know if it’s related and it's not the only possibility, but there was a company operating in Fennville using the initials ‘M.F.C.’… Michigan Fruit Canners, who had a factory on Sherman Street.

My European IP address gets blocked by many US newspaper archive sites etc. that have historical details but there’s mention of the company at least as far back as 1934. The Sherman Street factory suffered a serious fire in 1965, they were bought by Curtice-Burns in 1974, and dissolved in 1986.

Great info. Very interesting.
As a side note, it’s kind of ominous to suffer a fire loss and then get bought out by BURNS. Just saying…🙂

 

[PlzBSeated]

The octagonal item is likely either a tool tag (used to prevent tools being stolen by workers in industrial premises) or an employee tag (used to record presence of workers at a site for safety reasons). I don’t know if it’s related and it's not the only possibility, but there was a company operating in Fennville using the initials ‘M.F.C.’… Michigan Fruit Canners, who had a factory on Sherman Street.

My European IP address gets blocked by many US newspaper archive sites etc. that have historical details but there’s mention of the company at least as far back as 1934. The Sherman Street factory suffered a serious fire in 1965, they were bought by Curtice-Burns in 1974, and dissolved in 1986.

Thank you for the information. Michigan Fruit Canners did come to mind as a possibility, but I was unable to verify that it existed in Fennville (I knew of a branch in Benton Harbor). Given your information and a little more digging, I do see that there was a branch in Fennville, although I am still unable to verify the exact time frame. Makes a ton of sense, as that area has a ton of orchards and blueberry fields.

PBS

 

[PlzBSeated]

Great finds !
The "C" in "M.F.C." - a Miner's Tag from a Coal / Copper Mine ?

No. No mines in the area. Huge agricultural area. See Red-Coats info.

PBS

 

[Bramblefind]

I also like the Michigan Fruit Canners connection for that MFC tag. The 1812 coin may be a Canadian token. Something like a Tiffin token or imitation variety...?

 

[Digger RJ]

View attachment 2099292

Pulled up this tag. Unfortunately not able to tie it to anything. It was found about 15 miles from the city of Fennville.

Coins were a bit frustrating today.

View attachment 2099294

Three indian heads all extremely crusty. And one copper that I cannot identify because it is so crusty. Was informed that there was a fire where I was detecting. Perhaps the reason for the ugly coins(?).

View attachment 2099295

The one thing I feel I can identify on the copper is the date. It appears to be 1812, in a straight line across the bottom. So not an American coin as the date typically hugged the rim on American large cents. It is the same diameter as an American large cent, but it is thinner. Possibly a Britannia coin.

Today's finds...

1812 Copper, country unknown
(3) very crusty IHPs...1881?, 1887, and date illegible
1937 Wheatback penny
Octagon tag, #29, M.F.C., Fennville

PBS

Nice!!! Congrats!!!

 

[PlzBSeated]

I also like the Michigan Fruit Canners connection for that MFC tag. The 1812 coin may be a Canadian token. Something like a Tiffin token or imitation variety...?

I agree. What little detail I can make out lines up nicely with what you have pictured.

PBS