Went diggin and found these two cool old coins...

..warmed up a little here in Michigan so I went out detecting. The ground was frozen in most parts of this old farm house I was detecting but it wasn't down to deep. Had fun finding these two.
Wonder why someone chopped this large cent in half?


Nabbed this neat Upper Canada Bank token half penny.

 

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Neat, I'd love to go detecting with you one day (wish, wish ). I've got a Garrett 2500, but have NEVER found anything like the stuff you have. Course the numismatic history of this area only gets going around 1880 or so...

Thanks for posting your finds
Ben

 

That large cent is cool looking, but why would someone do that?
SM

 

Jim,
As always nice finds to cold for me I like it right here in AZ today it's a nice 74 degrees.

 

its 50 here in missouri. what do you think that large cent would be graded like that? my dad has a few wheaties cut in half like that. it makes you wonder.

 

coinlover,
No grade on a half coin but it is a nice fine Jim always come up with some good finds.

 

Jim,

You might want to have a Coin Expert or Grading Service Rep. look at the 1827 Large Cent! The slice is so clean that it may have been a planchet cut from the end of the Planchet Stock roll. If so, then you have a really nice error coin!


Frank

 

For change...really.It was really common in the middle ages and at other times when small change was not available.

 

Actually, mikjo is right, It was common practice to 'make change' this way.
But, I have also dug Washington quarters, Merc dimes & Roosies cut like this, but they were probably lawn mower cuts.
It is possible that this happened to your coin also, or from farm machinery.
Nice finds.

 

English cut coin.

I do have a cut Class VI 1/2d. (half a silver Penny) from England with the mark 'ROGER ON CANT (ERBURY)' that was issued during the reign of King Henry III (1216-72).I think I paid around NZ$10 for it in a Wellington Coin Club auction a few years ago.

Don't forget that the Piece of 8 & its fractionals were also cut to make new coins in the colonies in the West Indies such as Tortola (now part of the British Virgin Islands).

Aidan.

 

I agree---it shows a weak strike down by the date too---the stars and rim detail also looks kindof weak.

Speedy

 

I don't think it has been cut like that for change...
That copper is a bit thick...also they may have done it in middle ages....but in early america?

 

eddy:
Sure early coins were cut, look at the Spanish 1, 2 and up to 8 reales.
They were common change until 1857 when foreign coins were denometized.
Agreed, not common to sut a large cent, but I think that this was probably machine damage, but a nice smooth cut.
Remember, this was a metal detecting find.

 

Yes.

Someone could have hit it with a lawn mower.

 

That would be the most surgical lawn mover I've ever heard of.

But I don't think it was cut up for change either like a pillar dollar or whatnot, it hasn't been cut in half exactly, looks like it has 55 - 60% of the original coin.

 

The cut is too clean to be a cut to make change! Besides, who is going to make change from One Cent and how many items could have cost only 2/5ths of a Cent.

Speedy noted what I forgot about coins struck on clipped planchets and that is that the strike is always weaker on the side of the coin opposite from the clip or missing section. Since the Dies meet no resisitance on the clipped side, more pressure is applied to this missing section which results in a weaker than normal strike on the opposite side of the planchet.

Jim,

If you can provide some pictures of the coin on the clipped side...especially the side of the coin and showing the entire length of the clip it's self, I am sure that Mike Diamond and some others here on the Coin Talk forums can tell if the clip is Pre-Strike or Post Mint.


Frank

 

Ok, here ya go.

The green blob holding the coin is play-doh. Hey grabbed what I could.

 

Jim,that is surely a clean break.It could have been struck on a planchet that was cut on the edge of the metal strip.The remaining metal,the scissel,would be melted down & recycled to strike more coins.

Aidan.

 

Well I would send a PM to Mike and see if he would give you his thoughts on the coin---I'm no error expert and can't tell but it looks pretty good...the weakness on the coin shows what could be a clip planchet but I would think that for such a large clip there would be more weak detail then there is.

Speedy

 

Is that green really playdoh or Verdigi?

Coin looks like post cut to me.