?Cleaned?

Hi, I have this seated liberty dime I had purchased in Hawaii. The man I bought it from said he found it metal detecting a few blocks down. I believe him and I want to believe him but it strangely looks cleaned. Unless it's just environmental "damage" but I'm not sure. All input is appreciated.

 

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If the guy dug it out of the ground... he probably cleaned it off.

 

Good point, good point. I think you are right

 

You sir, get the honor of my second ever 'best answer' click.

 

I guess it's been a good day then.

 

That's just good ol' fashioned logic, right there. Think about it: It was buried. In the ground. Probably for a LOOOONG time. So it has some environmental damage, and the guy who dug it up undoubtedly cleaned it off.

ANY time you buy a coin that has been dug up from the ground, it's going to have some environmental damage and cleaning.

 

The only thing that SHOULD matter is that someone rescued an amazing piece of history, and probably peaked someone else's interest in the hobby while they were at it!

 

Yeah, thanks guys

 

Interesting coin. A lot (most?) of the soils in Hawaii are sandy, either beach sand, degraded lava or a mix I've observed detectorists in Hawaii, and they seem to prefer these soils. People often lose metal objects at beaches, sandy soils are easy to dig, and state law restricts metal detecting in parks to beaches (and some of these are off limits). So, the amount cleaning done by the finder was probably minimal. Environmental damage for sure (abrasion and maybe salt water corrosion).

I wonder how many coins are embedded in or buried under lava on the big island. Hualali last erupted in 1801, so there are probably few coins entombed there. Mauna Loa has erupted repeatedly in the 19th and 20th centuries. Kilauea is erupting now. Some of the entombed coins may not surface again for thousands of years. A pristine Morgan or double eagle could be found in the year 5,000 or 10,000!

Cal

 

Cool find looks to be a Valentine #2

 

Wow. That's interesting. I was on the big island and it would surprise me about some environmental damage, I was right next to Akaka Falls, a famous waterfall

 

W

What exactly is that?

 

It's the die marriages .

 

Was Hawaii even an island in 1854?

 

Then and now......

 

But then again.......'No man is an island'.........

 

Oh

 

Apparently, type in "Hawaii in 1854" a bunch of stuff comes up about some Hawaiin king XD

 

Yes,as it's always been an island, but wasn't a state until 1959.
Some of us old dudes as kids remember our flag having 48 stars on it not 50.