Silver Tree Chaser
Bronze Member
Note - I'll soon attach this post to my original thread on the gold cufflink find for anyone who wants to follow from the beginning. Thanks -
I returned to the gold cufflink site two weeks ago (I’ve had little time to post since then). My last search that produced the gold cufflink was very brief. This time I pounded the field for nearly 10 hours. The gold cufflink from the prior hunt was a tough act to follow, but I was happy with the results for the latest search, especially after closely examining my finds upon returning home. I recovered three coppers, two complete knee buckles (one tongue is actually missing a tooth), the end of a silver spoon handle, a button or two, etc.
One of the coppers is superior to the others; moreover, it’s my third recovered copper out of nearly 200 that is mostly absent of the heavy corrosion found on dug coppers. It’s a 1722 Hibernia Halfpence with a left-side – seven string variety (in reference to the harp’s location and its number of strings).
Cleaning the Hibernia side of the coin was a bit difficult. The dirt had really bonded to the coin.
According to Q. David Bowers in his reference book on colonial-period coins, 200+ varieties of the Hibernia Halfpence were produced from 1722 to 1724. Bowers assigns a URS-6 (Universal Rarity Scale) to this left-side – seven string variety and estimates a range of 17-32 known specimens. I’m not nearly as knowledgeable as some of the other members to this forum. If I’m incorrect on this variety or any other information, I would appreciate any feedback. What’s the value? I have no idea. I don’t know if there is keen interest by collectors in Hibernia coppers, although I understand that a dug coin could never earn a full grade, especially this one. Any value is of secondary interest to me. Recovering a fine example of a dug copper nearly 300 years-old is its own reward.
The recovery of two more knee buckles was surprising. I’ve now recovered three such buckles in the last two trips, yet I’ve only managed to recover fragments of several different shoe buckles.
I was hoping for another early silver coin, but the silver spoon handle end is perhaps a better find because it supports my research regarding the original owner of a country estate that once stood on the property long ago. The initial for his last name is – B, and I speculated that the whale tail design on the gold cufflink might also incorporate the same initial as seen below.
My research of several primary documents all point to the same original owner, a very wealthy merchant, but the letter design on the cufflink is more wishful thinking than anything. I prefer to withhold the name of the original owner out of consideration for the current property owner and for my own interest. I have a long way to go before the whole story can be told, and I will hopefully pursue some type of publication. Providing the last name of the original owner might also stir the interest of a site jumper. Unfortunately, there will always be a few individuals looking to take short cuts in finding a productive site. The original owner, his country estate, the time, and the people of the time would make for a fascinating story.
Recent finds on the property have been a huge motivator, especially that miniscule handle fragment from the silver spoon recovered on the last hunt. The letter – B design on the whale tail cufflink is very questionable, but if you look at the silver spoon fragment, a letter – B appears to be etched on this old piece of colonial-period silver.
Good Hunting!
I returned to the gold cufflink site two weeks ago (I’ve had little time to post since then). My last search that produced the gold cufflink was very brief. This time I pounded the field for nearly 10 hours. The gold cufflink from the prior hunt was a tough act to follow, but I was happy with the results for the latest search, especially after closely examining my finds upon returning home. I recovered three coppers, two complete knee buckles (one tongue is actually missing a tooth), the end of a silver spoon handle, a button or two, etc.
One of the coppers is superior to the others; moreover, it’s my third recovered copper out of nearly 200 that is mostly absent of the heavy corrosion found on dug coppers. It’s a 1722 Hibernia Halfpence with a left-side – seven string variety (in reference to the harp’s location and its number of strings).
Cleaning the Hibernia side of the coin was a bit difficult. The dirt had really bonded to the coin.
According to Q. David Bowers in his reference book on colonial-period coins, 200+ varieties of the Hibernia Halfpence were produced from 1722 to 1724. Bowers assigns a URS-6 (Universal Rarity Scale) to this left-side – seven string variety and estimates a range of 17-32 known specimens. I’m not nearly as knowledgeable as some of the other members to this forum. If I’m incorrect on this variety or any other information, I would appreciate any feedback. What’s the value? I have no idea. I don’t know if there is keen interest by collectors in Hibernia coppers, although I understand that a dug coin could never earn a full grade, especially this one. Any value is of secondary interest to me. Recovering a fine example of a dug copper nearly 300 years-old is its own reward.
The recovery of two more knee buckles was surprising. I’ve now recovered three such buckles in the last two trips, yet I’ve only managed to recover fragments of several different shoe buckles.
I was hoping for another early silver coin, but the silver spoon handle end is perhaps a better find because it supports my research regarding the original owner of a country estate that once stood on the property long ago. The initial for his last name is – B, and I speculated that the whale tail design on the gold cufflink might also incorporate the same initial as seen below.
My research of several primary documents all point to the same original owner, a very wealthy merchant, but the letter design on the cufflink is more wishful thinking than anything. I prefer to withhold the name of the original owner out of consideration for the current property owner and for my own interest. I have a long way to go before the whole story can be told, and I will hopefully pursue some type of publication. Providing the last name of the original owner might also stir the interest of a site jumper. Unfortunately, there will always be a few individuals looking to take short cuts in finding a productive site. The original owner, his country estate, the time, and the people of the time would make for a fascinating story.
Recent finds on the property have been a huge motivator, especially that miniscule handle fragment from the silver spoon recovered on the last hunt. The letter – B design on the whale tail cufflink is very questionable, but if you look at the silver spoon fragment, a letter – B appears to be etched on this old piece of colonial-period silver.
Good Hunting!
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