Old Home Site - 1825 Halfpenny & a Dandy!

[ANTIQUARIAN]

Just thought I'd share with you what I found at an old home site in Millhaven, Ontario yesterday. The house that used to stand here was built around 1830 - 40 and was demolished in July. I always thought the house was built around 1940 because of the aluminum siding that covered it. Much to my surprise, I noticed its early limestone construction underneath the siding as the workers started to remove it during demolition. I've hunted the property just to the east and have been waiting impatiently for the construction fence to be taken down. I even remember another detectorist I met in the adjacent field telling me, "that he'd already detected the property and hadn't found anything"! So, when I drove past yesterday on my way to Kingston and noticed the construction fence had been removed and the grass had been cut, I knew it was my lucky day!

The first and only coin I dug here was a mere 2" deep. I've identified it as an 1825 Lower Canada Halfpenny - 'To Facilitate Trade'. The British government minted these coins to stimulate trade between the settlers in the colonies of Upper & Lower Canada and Quebec. The second relic I found was the brass toe-tap; it was followed by the 'Dandy Button'. I really had to resist the temptation to do any in field cleaning of these finds, as I felt they might be something special. Let me tell you, when I washed the dirt off the flat button at home and saw the detail and the gold wash that was left, it really took my breath away!

Millhaven, Ontario was first settled by the United Empire Loyalists in 1784, making it one of the oldest communities in Ontario. Discharged soldiers from Jessup's Rangers were the first settlers. The economic development of the community was enabled by a sheltered harbor and road connections with Kingston stimulated economic development. The government sawmill at Millhaven was the first to provide sawed lumber to Loyalist settlers. By mid-century Millhaven & Bath were prosperous ports of trade. By 1804, the whole village had been prepared for settlement and surveyed.

Thanks for looking,
Dave

 

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[Greylock]

Those are some great finds. Love the patina on the button and coin

 

[Twinkletoes]

Great coin! Nice photo gallery!

Sent from my iPhone using TreasureNet

 

[ANTIQUARIAN]

Those are some great finds. Love the patina on the button and coin

Thanks for your post Greylock!
As I'm sure you well know, they don't always come out looking this nice!

 

[wheatfinder13]

Great Coin

 

[ANTIQUARIAN]

Great coin! Nice photo gallery!

Sent from my iPhone using TreasureNet

Thanks very much Twinkletoes!
If you're going to take the time to look, I want it to be worth your while!

 

[ANTIQUARIAN]

Great Coin

Thanks buddy!

 

[EccentricInTexas]

Neat finds Awesome coin!!!

 

[wvwildman]

nice finds congrats HH

 

[ironhorse]

The token and button are in remarkable condition!
Just by looking at your site with all those mature trees you know know that there's still some nice old relics waiting there for you.
Good luck on future hunts

 

[terpfan]

Amazing surface conditions on that halfpenny.

 

[Bubba65]

That Coin sure came out real nice. CONGRATS on a great hunt!!!

 

[CoilyGirl]

Nice group of antiquities you found there! That is a pretty large heel tap,wow.

 

[ANTIQUARIAN]

Neat finds Awesome coin!!!

Thanks very much EIT!

nice finds congrats HH

Thank you sir!

The token and button are in remarkable condition!
Just by looking at your site with all those mature trees you know know that there's still some nice old relics waiting there for you.
Good luck on future hunts

The soil there had a lot of clay mixed in as both the coin and the button were relatively close to the surface. As you well know, sometimes soil is kind to metals, depending on the metal of course. But more often then not, I find early coppers that are trashed. So when I'm able to recover relics in this condition, I consider it a gift from the detecting gods!

Best of luck to you as well ironhorse,
Dave

Amazing surface conditions on that halfpenny.

I'll share one of my 'preservation tips' with you if you're interested terpfan.

First, I gently clean all my copper & bronze finds in warm water using liquid dish soap and a soft tooth brush. I let them 'air dry' for an hour, then I apply a light coat of natural bees wax with a small soft paint brush. After this has 'cured' for an hour or longer I gently wipe off any remaining wax on the surface. The wax isn't permanent and can easily be washed off with soap & warm water. I find that natural bees wax, evens and deepens the verdigris.

Thanks for your post,
Dave

That Coin sure came out real nice. CONGRATS on a great hunt!!!

Thanks very much Bubba!
HH, Dave

Nice group of antiquities you found there! That is a pretty large heel tap,wow.

Thanks for your post CoilyGirl, it's my third one this year!
Best of luck to you out there as well,
Dave

 

[Evolution]

I'd love to find one of those halfpennies... and that dandy button is in awesome shape!

 

[Trezurehunter]

Great finds.

 

[CMDiamonddawg]

Good hunting Dave , post some more on

 

[TommNJ]

Congrats on a Excellent hunt and Awesome Half Penny !

TommNJ

 

[JimmeyC]

Nice trade token! Funny, I found a 1854 Northern Canada Trade Token yesterday outside Buffalo NY! Also 2 1920 Canadian silver 5 cent pieces fashioned into cufflinks! Planning on posting shortly!

Congrats & HH!

 

[ggossage]

I've never seen that coin before, so thanks for posting--it's a beaut! You've got a real nice site there...and as your history lesson proves, there should be much more to find in that settlement! A big congrats to you for keeping your eyes open on the construction site!