Found 1787 Connecticut Colonial coin Right facing Muttonhead??

Hello everyone,

I am brand new to this forum and was hoping someone could help me out with an ID or point me to someone who can. First off I am a biology teacher and although I collected a few coins years ago I have not since then. I know next to nothing about coins so any help would be greatly appreciated.

I was out testing my metal detector for the very first time near my home in S Central Pa and came across this coin and I have only been able to identify it as a 1787 connecticut colonial coin right facing bust possibly mailed muttonhead. The coin is in really rough shape but for a copper coin in the ground for 224 years it is just showing its age.

I do not know if this coin has any historical significance (unique, rarity) and I am afraid to clean it so any suggestions would also be greatly appreciated. I was told I could soak it in olive oil and use a soft tooth brush??

I will post a few pictures below... Jason

 

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Im not sure about the coin but do not clean the coin untill you find out. And using olive oil is not a good idea as it has fat in it.

 

Thanks Sigi for the cleaning info. That is the type of information I am hoping this forum can give as I was told by three different people to clean it but I don't want to remove any information that may be helpful to someone or damage it in any way.

 

Very nice find! Congrats. I know nothing about them, but am excited for you none-the-less. There used to be someone on here a few years ago that collected only Conn coppers, but I don't think he is on here anymore. There may be someone with more experience that will pop on but you may have to give it a day or so to get some more answers. Congrats!

 

I myself found a Conn. copper early this spring with my detector so congrats with the find yours is way better than mine.Do not use a brush or anything on the coin.I have had many people tell me soak my coins that I find in oil also including my dealer.Some of the junk coins I do and it loosen's the dirt I have 10 indian heads soaking right now.
What I would do is preserve the coin you have send it to NCS have it cleaned and slabed by them that is a great piece of early American history that you found. Also good luck with the detecting.Brent

 

Nice find.....could be some environmental damage. I'd soak it it in oil for a bit, then a VERY gentle, light soap/warm water 'wash' to get the oil off (hence warm, maybe bordering hot to get the 'fatty oil' off), and gently pat dry. I think the corrosion it exhibits makes the oil soak a not so terrible thing for the coin now. BUT it is STILL a great find...especially for the first time out with the detector!!

Do NOT 'clean' it harshly...like riverman says, NO brushes....perhaps a rose thorn to pick out some heavily gunked up 'crud' if need be, but nothing more harsh than the oil soak, GENTLE soap/water wash, warm rinse, and pat dry....it still holds collector value...Colonial coppers are still a popular series.

As an aside, I do NOT believe in cleaning a coin AT ALL, but in this case, it may benefit from my suggested method...it can't hurt it if done gently...and an acetone dip on a copper coin is not always a great idea.

 

Thanks Jaceravone I hope that someone knows something more about this coin but it may still be too covered to reveal any details for further identification.

Thanks riverman for the NCS suggestion. I looked them up and it seems that it would go to the NGS detail designation because of all the environmental wear on the coin. Is it true that they only charge a % of the value of the coin for the cleaning, grading and slabbing?

Thanks Numismania that is what I have been told by others on how to clean the coin. So because it is not in such rough condition the fat from the oil would not harm it any more and the oil soak would actually help it??

 

Good to have you on the forum naturephotoz. You might want to PM CheetahCats, a member here, as he is very knowledgable about these issues. Good luck

Bruce

 

I think you are right - that is a Muttonhead, Miller 1.2. Very few Mailed busts facing right were minted. The majority are facing left.
The important thing now is to find out which reverse die was used. I thin this is what determines whether you found a rarity among Connecticut coins, or a more common one.

 

Thank you BRandM. I will message CheetahCats and ask him to take a look at the thread if he gets a chance.

Thank you Eduard I noticed a very pointed star in front of the face of seated woman on the reverse and also that her chest seems to be uncovered.

 

The reverse 7 is the giveaway. The "7" in 87 is very unique. The reverse is a Miller C. To date the Miller C has only been found to be paired with the Miller 1.2. Diagnostically it does indeed appear to be a Miller 1.2.

By all appearances I would say you guys hit the nail on the head; it is a Miller 1.2-C / "Mutton Head." Nice job.

As per Whitman, it is listed as a W-2720, with rarity at URS-10 (250-499 estimated known to exist.)

Given it's a ground find, but yet it still has details, it's somewhere around "G-6 Details."

There isn't much you can do about cleaning it; perhaps soaking in olive or pharmaceutical-grade mineral oil for a few months. I recommend no brushes, no soap, no abrasives, no toothpicks, no rose thorns; only multiple rinses with distilled water after soaking, then pat dried with lintless cloth/paper. Aside from that, IMO there isn't much more conservation that can be done.

I wouldn't get worked up about feeling the need to clean it. The specimen "as is" is a beauty in of itself.

 

Wow CheetahCats and everyone who responded Thank you all for your help

CheetahCats what is the difference between the miller 1.2-C and the 1.2-mm? I am seeing both show up when I search them on the internet.

I think is it really neat to have found a piece of history from the infancy of our countries independance. The coin has lasted 224 years without being cleaned so I will be in no hurry to do it any harm.

What a great forum,

Jason

 

That is a neat find, Congrats! I wish I could find me one of those...but I would have better luck finding gold nuggets here in California.

 

There are plenty of numismatic finds you can make in California. In northern California, near Fort Ross, chance exists to actually find Russian specimens from when the Russians had an outpost there until the mid 19th century.

Throughout the state, there are lots of ghost towns and old mining camps. Lots of opportunities to find old and rare patent tokens and scrip.

And in the south, there is ample opportunity to find other coinage, including Brazilian reis.

But I'm going on a tangent... different topic and discussion.

As for Jason's question... for the Connecticut coppers, there exists prolific numbers of various varieties.

The 'mm' is another reverse variety of the Connecticuts.

 

Soak it in peroxide for a couple of hours. I never really had luck with oil. I saw this posted over at Tnet. Those guys know how to clean the coins there. Most will have there own way but you cant go wrong with peroxide. I use it on Indian head pennies. I normally soak them over night and clean them with a Q-tip. With something that old I would baby step, dont soak it to long it may take some details away.

 

Thank you all for the information and identification of the coin. I think I am going to sit on the coin for a while. I figure it has lasted 224 years without me trying to make it better why not a few more years. Although if I ever get bored or impatient I at least know how to go about "cleaning" the coin with the least amount of damage.

 

Peroxide or hydrogen peroxide?