What the heck are these???

[cerF]

I found a couple silver whatsits last night (pictured). These were found in a very old campground field at about 4 inches down. One of them is a perfect 1/4 of the other. They look like a playcoin or trinket thing, but i have no idea what they are, and the cut one really has me guessing. They are a frogs ass smaller than a dime. Pictured is the both sides of the full and the 1/4 piece, which seems to have different images on it. On the full piece, one side appears to be a picture of a tree, and on the reverse side it has a traffic signal sign, a microscope??, hamburger and something else. I cant really tell what those are, but thats what i think they are. Any guesses? ID THESE FOR ME PLEASE!!!

 

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[ghost_rider]

How much do these weight.... I think they should also be tested for silver content, are they silver?? They appear to be home made silver coins and you should be able to tell with a weight. The 1/4 is exactly that 1/4 of a whole one. I would consider and call these Silver Trade Dollars and they should weigh close to 1 troy ounce or 31.1 grams.

 

[ghost_rider]

Forgot to note, the reason for their being 4 pic. on the Trade Dollar is so that when it is cut into 4 small pieces there will be a little picture on each piece!!!

 

[Montana Jim]

They look like a home made project...

 

[La Beep]

Your finds might be the same type as these on this post.

http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,162194.0.html

Every get that eerie feeling?

 

[cerF]

They look like a home made project...

Uh oh..Jim doesnt have a definitive answer... I hope these dont remain a mystery.

 

[Montana Jim]

They look like a home made project...

Uh oh..Jim doesnt have a definitive answer... I hope these dont remain a mystery.

They seem so... I dunno, homemade.

The one is perfectly round, not a trait of stamped coins - generally.

Stamped with what? A die side or two... some random circles/dots... odd symbols of ??

All I'm saying is - I've never ever seen those symbols ever on a coin... But, i can be wrong and often am, so I'll keep looking!

 

[La Beep]

similar to this maybe:

http://www.angelfire.com/ca5/caidteens/
The Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc., is a non-profit, educational organization of people with a common interest: the history and the culture of the Middle Ages and Renaissance (600 to 1600 AD). Instead of just reading about this period, we learn by recreating aspects of the activities, crafts, and society of the Middle Ages.

 

[ghost_rider]

These would certainly be home made Silver Trade Dollars.... I have seen so many different style of these things it gets crazy. I think weight and testing would tell more.

It looks like the one has been carried to a point the some of the "home made" pattern or pic has worn off, this is certainly NOT a die coin. What do you do if you want to make a coin and don't have the knowledge to do so, looks like the even tried to groove the edge but didn't do such a great job as again the have been worn off. Those grooves were originally put on silver and gold money so that the coin couldn't be shaved down since the money was based on a system of weight.

 

[Zephyr]

The "traffic signal sign" looks more like the '3' side from dice.

 

[aa battery]

Your finds might be the same type as these on this post.

http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,162194.0.html

Every get that eerie feeling?

Strange indeed..aa

 

[cerF]

How much do these weight.... I think they should also be tested for silver content, are they silver?? They appear to be home made silver coins and you should be able to tell with a weight. The 1/4 is exactly that 1/4 of a whole one. I would consider and call these Silver Trade Dollars and they should weigh close to 1 troy ounce or 31.1 grams.

No where near an ounce.... they are smaller than a dime and thinner
Il lhave them tested at the jeweler tomorrow when i take my ring in to get looked at.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

The pic doesnt look like silver and there is no patina. It looks more like nickel. Will a magnet stick to it?

 

[Michellets]

Could you put something in the picture that would give a size reference (try a dime). To me they look like scrap pieces of silver discs from a jeweler. You can buy blank discs, and then stamp, carve, cut, or solder them. I use them all the time for earrings, and they come in all kinds of sizes and thicknesses. The blank pice of silver can then be stamped, carved, or cut. I would also add that the motif design on the coin does not signify anything that would remind me of anything colonial. Maybe they taught jewelry making at that camp. HH M.

 

[ghost_rider]

Could you put something in the picture that would give a size reference (try a dime). To me they look like scrap pieces of silver discs from a jeweler. You can buy blank discs, and then stamp, carve, cut, or solder them. I use them all the time for earrings, and they come in all kinds of sizes and thicknesses. The blank pice of silver can then be stamped, carved, or cut. I would also add that the motif design on the coin does not signify anything that would remind me of anything colonial. Maybe they taught jewelry making at that camp. HH M.

Way too small for trade dollars but then again I have seen these things in various sizes, I have one that only weighs 8.5 grams and is a square. I also have a 1 ounce round that is home made a very crude, the whole thing is off centered and looks home made..... people have been smelting and making their own silver for years.

I did't see anyone suggest they were colonial Maybe I missed something ??

 

[deepskyal]

Maybe its an illusion but that quarter piece looks as if it's from a larger object than the other whole one you have. If you lay it on top of the whole one, does it seem to be a quarter of one like the whole you have, or bigger?

And that other object looks like it too could be a die face with just one dot. So...two dice faces, a microscope, and a Big Mac. Maybe a McDonalds token