UPDATE: 1659 LORD BALTIMORE SIXPENCE AUTHENTICATED, GRADED AND SLABBED - PICS!!

[Bill D. (VA)]

Not long after making this incredible find I made contact with one of the country's leading colonial coin experts, John Kraljevich in SC, thanks to a reference given by my friend Don in SJ. A very short time later John actually came by my house while in the area and took the coin with him to perform some careful, professional cleaning. Not all of the greenish surface corrosion could be removed without damaging the coin, but it was a definite improvement. He then shipped it off to PCGS for authentication, grading and slabbing. As John had told me when he first saw the coin, the details were exceptional and the coin graded out at a very high Extra Fine (EF). It was placed in a nice, labeled holder and returned to John, and he then sent it to a coin photographer he uses on the West Coast for a few pics. The coin is in route to me now, and I should finally have it back in my hands today or tomorrow after being gone for 2 months. John forwarded some of the images taken of the sixpence which I'm sharing below. As far as value, the 2015 Red Book lists the Lord Baltimore sixpence in EF condition as worth $14,000, and only about 60 are known to exist, including a hoard of 19 of them recovered in England about 15 years ago which unfortunately drove down the price. Mine along with a 4 pence groat and copper denarium dug by my friends Stan and Audie a few years ago are the only known Lord Baltimore examples to have been dug in the US. However, due to the damage from being holed it would probably only sell for about half that price to a serious collector at auction per John's opinion. But as I've said before, this baby will NOT be sold. So once I receive the coin back from the photographer I have to consider this saga to finally be at its end. But I will never forget that day when I plucked this beauty out from the middle of nowhere in a huge field, and I was happy to be able to share that moment with my good friend Joey.

For those that did not get a chance to read the original post about this find you can click on the link below:

http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/t...ilver-sixpence-dug-yesterday.html#post4211462

I'm also just finishing up a full-length article on this find for one of the major detecting magazines. It should be published next spring.

 

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[BuckleBoy]

It is demand, but really is a case by case basis because you don't necessarily need a huge collecting base.... even just two who have loads of cash and really want it is enough. Bill's coin might not be valued higher than the quarter, but take away the hole and make it a much rarer variety, and it would go through the roof and smoke the quarter. The bigger base certainly gives stabilty to the market, but sure doesn't mean the next 1901 is going to beat the next Baltimore, and it would be an interesting gamble which to choose if it was just about the money and you had the option of digging one. There's enough 1901s to make it all about the condition, so I think I'd take my chances and go Baltimore!

Given the choice, I'd go with the Baltimore too!

 

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[Silver Searcher]

It's probably kept secret because it's likely a lot more basic than most would imagine.

Yep Basic, not a lot can go wrong really on a Silver coin, the corrosion spots could have easily been targeted with out damage to the tone. But it's each to his own, and it's not my coin. Just felt a lot more could have been done.

SS

 

[sagecincaid]

Holy ****, that's an exciting find! With only 60 of those in existence, I can definitely see why you wouldn't want to sell that one, even though it's an awesome hall if you do. Definitely your trophy piece. You caught the big fish on this one

 

[Bill D. (VA)]

Yep Basic, not a lot can go wrong really on a Silver coin, the corrosion spots could have easily been targeted with out damage to the tone. But it's each to his own, and it's not my coin. Just felt a lot more could have been done.

SS

I hear what you guys are saying, but with John's pedigree and extensive experience as one of the top colonial coin experts in the country I think it was smart to defer to his decision on how far to go with the cleaning. And besides, even if further cleaning did not degrade the tone of the coin it would not change the grading, and probably would make little difference in the value of the coin. I'm very pleased with the result.