Seeking Large Cent!

[SaginawIan]

My life will not be complete until I pluck a large cent from the ground! Does anyone have a reliable theory through experience or otherwise to predict the age of coins at a particular site. For instance, I took a look at change in my pocket for a week. Seems like I had coins averaging about 12 years old in my pocket. Would it follow that if a site is from 1912, I can expect coins 1900 and up? (i know, very scientific!). My goal is to find a large cent. How old does the site have to be before I can reasonably expect to have a chance of finding a large cent? The last large cent was minted in 1853, I think. How prominent were large cents in general? If there were 11 million total minted, does that mean my chances are not that good of finding a particular coin. Obviously, if people were traveling by horse in those days, which I presume was a bumpy ride - probably alot of them fell out of their pockets or vests. Where the heck are they?

Any comments or tips on finding a large cent would be appreciated. I use a White's DFX and I am a novice with it.

Also, any reliable method to indicate how deep a coin will sink into normal grass or sod with clean black soil with no rocks?

Thanks,

Ian

 

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[warthog steve]

8)Hey Ian---Are you from Saginaw,Michigan??If you are;! am only about 50 miles away-Im in Brown City;about 35 miles North-West of Port Huron.

 

[Rusted_Iron]

I think the first small cents didn't come out until 1856, so I'd guess the large ones should have been circulating up through the 1860's or 70's at least. In 1912 on the other hand, I'm sure there were still coins circulating from the late 1800's. There are still 1965 quarters floating around in circulation after 40+ years...

I found an early large cent, corroded almost beyond recognition, at only 3 1/2 inches deep, in soft soil. I don't understand how it was so shallow, but there it was. In the same site, there were modern pennies, pulltabs, and foil.

Keep searching, you will eventually find a large cent. HH

 

[1235CE]

I also have a DFX and have over 70 Large Cents (Northeast)......they will come.....got an 1803 at 1 inch in a field and 4 in one hole (12,28,29,44) at 5 inches.....yes, most of my spots date well back into the 17/1800's so in my opinion you should definately focus on the older locations to give yourself a much better chance......biggest thing you got going for you is that you bought a DFX......you will laugh at your silly question soon

HH all
Greg

 

[detectordave]

I posted the story of my 11 yr old daughter finding an 1848 large cent awhile back. It was at a fairly new, public beach. She found it with a 99.00 special , while my wife and I found nothing but clad with our dfx and xlt. Point is, ya never know what is out there and where. Would have been the last place I expected a large cent. This is my second full year with my dfx and I have yet to beat an 1865 two cent I found in a local park, barely covered with dirt. HH and gl, dave.

 

[warthog steve]

8)I found a 1918 Large Canadian Cent a few years ago at an old athletic field behind my house...

 

[LadyDigger]

I posted the story of my 11 yr old daughter finding an 1848 large cent awhile back. It was at a fairly new, public beach. She found it with a 99.00 special , while my wife and I found nothing but clad with our dfx and xlt. Point is, ya never know what is out there and where. Would have been the last place I expected a large cent. This is my second full year with my dfx and I have yet to beat an 1865 two cent I found in a local park, barely covered with dirt. HH and gl, dave.

Yep, those lower priced detectors work just as well ...We got our son for his 11th birthday, a GARRETT ACE 150....I like using it and have lots of luck. Hopefully this summer, I can get my son to use it . My hubby got me a MineLab Exporer II for my Mother's/Birthday present (only two weeks apart). It's nice and all, but a bit on the heavy side for me and I don't like the sounds it makes. Guess I am so use to my son's. So hubby is going to keep this MineLab and get me one like my son's, just a model higher. The Ace was only 150 or so. The Minelab, well, don't know...it was a present

Congrats to your dau on a great find!!!! Bet she's having a blast

 

[bk]

I think your best chance at finding a large cent would be to detect an area that dates to the time they were circulating. That doesn't mean that there couldn't be one in a newer area. The area where I live was established in 1856. As you go east, the areas get older. Most of my large cents were found east of where I live.
I really don't know how long they circulated, but I'm guessing not much past 1856 when the Flying Eagle cent replaced the large cent due to the price of copper. I suspect there was some hoarding of large cents taking place sort of like when silver was replaced by the newer clad coinage.
Just my thoughts.

 

[BuckleBoy]

Large cents dated from the late 1700's to their last year of issue, 1857 (they were made concurrently with the first of the small cents (the Flying Eagle Cent 1856-8). It seems that the coin's size means that it was less likely to be lost. Also, if it was, it was usually found. Fortunately it is made of copper (less likely to be seen in the grass) and not as valuable as, say, a half dollar (which was probably searched relentlessly for, especially if it was of the same vintage). I agree with others that the coin was probably in circulation well into the early 1870's. I have found many in Civil War campsites, for example...

Now, this doesn't mean that a site from the 1850's will necessarily be your best bet. We should always find the oldest sites we can because this much is certain: MORE YEARS OF OCCUPATION = HIGHER LIKELIHOOD OF LOST ITEMS. Also, with regard specifically to the large penny, the more years of a site's occupation that spanned the large cent's circulation (1790's-early 1870's or so), the more likely you are to find one. There are many other factors too (like whether a site has already been hunted or not, or whether the ground has been moved, or how wealthy or poor the site's inhabitants were), but all things being equal I would hedge my bets along these lines: If you are specifically out for much older coins (large cents included), focus on sites from the 1700's. Of course, don't neglect sites from the 1800's either! But the older ones, if they were in continuous occupation for a while, will generally yield 1. older coins and 2. more old/interesting items in general. Some research is key here.

Best of Luck!

 

[SaginawIan]

Thanks for the input. It's encouraging to hear that luck has a little to do with it. It's also good to hear that sometimes they are at newer sites since the oldest sites where I'm from (or that I know of) are from 1870. I guess there is no way around it - I have to hit the library and do some research!